What do Maurice Sendak, the Dalai Lama, Tim Berners-Lee, Georgia O’Keefe, and PrezBo have in common? Well, aside from being some of Bwog’s favorite people ever for completely varied reasons, they also share something in common: honorary degrees from Columbia. According to the website, this is the “highest honor that the University can bestow on […]

Student Affairs sent out an email yesterday (that we’re sure you all read) noting that any seniors planning to participate in commencement should register before April 22nd. This makes sure you can get tickets for your guests—up to four—and, you know, be in commencement. Important stuff. Ticket distribution events will be on May 8th and […]

In an email sent out to Barnard students, DSpar announced that this year’s commencement, on May 19, will be held at Radio City Music Hall as opposed Columbia’s campus, where it typically happens.  The short email explained that there will be a Baccalaureate Service at St. Paul’s Chapel and academic receptions at Barnard.  There will be […]

Today was the first day of the rest of your lives, or so we hear. For your own records, enjoy this photographic evidence that you did in fact put on the robes and get the degrees. Also, you can watch all 167 minutes here. Send your own photos to tips@bwog.com, and we will add them! […]

Update: Dig the song? Listen and download here If you’re looking to get a little nostalgic/teary-eyed in the privacy of your room (and the usual tricks just aren’t cutting it), you can thank Pat Blute, Evan Johnston, and Matt Star for the next 4 minutes of your morning: You can find information about times, dates, […]

If you’re planning to attend Barnard Commencement, get ready to be searched/checked/wanded/stripped/violated-in-all-sortsaways. To avoid the possibility of a nightmare scenario, Columbia University Commencement and Barnard College have been working with The White House and the Secret Service in order to ensure the security of POTUS. This means almost every gate, sidewalk, window, and building will be […]

As always, this year’s graduates will be joined by fascinating and successful individuals on whom the university is conferring honorary degrees. In addition to the honorary degrees, the University Medal of Excellence, awarded annually to an outstanding Columbia graduate under the age of 45 and giving you something to aspire to, will be given to: Tom Kitt, CC’96 And the […]

All the news that’s fit to….speechify on South Lawn? Barnard has just announced that the The New York Times’ executive editor Jill Abramson will be this year’s commencement speaker. She’ll receive a Barnard Medal of Distinction and address the Class of 2012’s 600 graduates on May 14. DSpar has (surprise!) kind words: “We have so […]

Happy 257th academic year Columbia! Thanks to YouTube, you can now watch the whole darn thing! Or at least the highlights. Click for the faculty procession, student procession, and PrezBo’s address. Photography by Hans Hyttinen

We’ve been telling you guys as they’ve been announced, but the final list of all Commencement and Class Day speakers, and the recipients of various other honors, has just been sent out. It does not include Barack Obama. It does include the professors who’ve won the Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching, the largest university-wide prize […]

If you are over the age of three, and want to go to Commencement, you need a ticket. Graduating students are only allowed to claim four, and you have to pick them up in person. How surprising that Student Affairs has a centralized and sensible allocation process! Anyway, back in 2008, ESC set up this […]

These are the very accomplished, interesting people who will be there with you at commencement—in addition to your also very accomplished and interesting classmates. The University Medal for Excellence goes to extremely excellent Columbia alums under 45: Lydia Polgreen, JSchool ’00 And here are the recipients of honorary degrees: Ornette Coleman, Doctor of Music Martin […]

Sean Udell and the relentless POTUS Project have not given up hope. As part of the ongoing effort to bring President Obama back to his alma mater for Commencement, Jody Zellman penned this persuasive cartoon. Given that PrezBO/Bama might not read Bwog, POTUS is also sending a copy direct to the White House.

Columbia College 2011 President Sean Udell and Vice President Alexandra Coromilas have founded the CUPOTUS Project. As you might guess, its goal is to secure President Barack Obama CC ’83 as speaker for university-wide Commencement. But wait!  Before you shake your heads and dismiss it as a pipe dream, listen up–their strategy is different. In […]

Everyone had a good time at GS Class Day. There was a brass band, there was a Korean pop star, and there was a Valedictorian named Brian Corman who made a speech. This was not an unusual thing for a Valedictorian to do, but Mr. Corman did something out of the ordinary: he stole a […]