The Low Down

If you’ve thought about making a career change or sought job advice recently, you may have come across the Columbia Career Coaches Network – a group of over 20 accredited professional alumni career coaches who provide fee-based consulting and volunteer for the Columbia Alumni Association’s free professional development programs throughout the year.

One of those coaches is career expert Caroline Ceniza-Levine '93BC who is also a regular contributor for Forbes and Money and Time.  Earlier this year, Caroline wrote about ways to structure your networking pitch, an important asset to develop at any professional level. 

Check out Caroline’s advice below:

You might have seen Shakespeare in the news recently. Over 400 years ago, the Bard published three of his most famous tragedies (King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra). Shakespeare's prolific year is the subject of a new book by James Shapiro ’77CC, The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606.

The Columbia University Club of New York and the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) are hosted a special conversation with Shapiro about his new book in November 2015. To listen to an excerpt from his lecture, check out the podcast.

The book received a slew of praise from various publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Sunday Times.

Columbia News also posed five burning Shakespearean questions to Shapiro that you can check out here.

Amidst this publication news, there has been a flurry of Shakespearean controversy and Shapiro has been at the forefront of the debate.

It's what we call a win-win situation.

Each year, the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) helps bring together thousands of alumni across all schools to Columbia sporting events throughout the year, a natural way to connect back to Columbia University.

Columbia Business School alumni are having lots of success in the startup world. 

By the numbers:

1. Since the Nobel prizes were first awarded in 1901, there have been over 80 Columbians who have received this honor - among the highest number of Nobel prize-winners associated with any institution of higher learning around the world.

2. They include alumni, faculty, adjunct faculty, researchers, and administrators.

3. Columbians have won Nobel prizes in every field which the award is given.

4. Today, Columbia's faculty includes 8 Nobel laureates.*

5. Forty-two of Columbia's noble Nobelists are alumni.

6. The most recent prize awarded to a Columbian was in 2012 - a year that two prize categories were claimed by Columbia graduates: Robert J. Lefkowitz (Chemistry) and Alvin Roth (Economics).

7. U.S. President Barack Obama '83CC was the most recent Columbian to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.

8. Just this year, Columbia alumni have met with Nobel laureates Eric Kandel and Joseph Stiglitz at alumni events.  You never know who you'll meet through your Columbia alumni network. alumni.columbia.edu 

Although some forecasters have deemed Category 4 Hurricane Joaquin the next Hurricane Sandy, they might be speaking too soon.

GSAS Alumna Dr. Marina A. Rustow and Columbia associate professor Kartik Chandran are in excellent company. They are two of the 24 recipients of this year's "genius grant" awards from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

The "genius" nickname stems from the unparalleled freedom attached to it. The grant comes with $625,000 over the next five years.

Way to go, Columbia alumni!

Two Columbia Business School alumni and a Columbia College graduate recently were inducted into the prestigious Crain's Hall of Fame 2015. 

A recent webinar hosted by Columbia’s Center for Career Education (CCE) focused on the importance of research in the job search process.

Alicia Schiller, associate director of Undergraduate Career Development at CCE, says research allows job-seekers to make informed decisions, understand an audience, and stand out in a pool of applicants.

Check out these tips from CCE: