This is a partial list of notable persons who have had ties to Columbia University. For further listings of notable Columbians see notable alumni at:
Columbia College of Columbia UniversityColumbia University School of General StudiesColumbia Law SchoolColumbia Business SchoolColumbia University Graduate School of JournalismColumbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and PreservationColumbia University College of Physicians and SurgeonsColumbia University Graduate School of Education (Teachers College)Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied ScienceColumbia Graduate School of Arts and SciencesColumbia University School of the ArtsSchool of International and Public AffairsSee also: Notable alumni of Columbia Business School, Columbia Law School (Business and Philanthropy), Columbia College of Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science (Columbia University) (Businesspeople) for separate listing of more than 155 businesspersons
His Imperial and Royal Highness Prince Amedeo of Belgium(M.B.A.) - eldest grandson of King Albert II of Belgium and Archduke of Austria and Prince of HungaryJohn Jacob Astor III - 19th-century real estate baronFrank Lusk Babbott (LLB 1880) - jute merchant and art patronLeonard Blavatnik (M.A.) - Russian-American businessman; founder, chairman and president of Access IndustriesWarren Buffett (M.S., economics, 1951) - investor, president of Berkshire HathawayUrsula Burns (M.S., mechanical engineering, 1981) - CEO of Xerox Corporation (July 1, 2009–); first African-American woman CEO to head a Fortune 500 companyWilliam Campbell (B.A., M.A.) - Chairman of the Board (incumbent as of 2009), former CEO, Intuit, Inc.; head football coach, Columbia University, 1974–79Bennett Cerf (B.A. 1919, Litt.B. 1920) - founder of Random HouseJohn B. Chambers (M.A., English literature) - deputy head of the Sovereign Debt Ratings Group; chairman of the Sovereign Debt Committee at Standard and Poor'sLeon G. Cooperman (M.B.A. 1967) - billionaire Chairman and CEO of Omega Advisors; former general partner, Chairman, CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset ManagementAlexander Crutchfield-(M.B.A. 1984) international investor and financier; founder of Oasis PartnersAzita Raji (MBA 1991), investment banker, philanthropist, nominated ambassador to Sweden in 2014Akio Shigemitsu (Shin Dong-Bin) (M.B.A. 1980) - Chairman, Lotte Group (2011–)John Andrew Davis (M.B.A.) - business executive with numerous Fortune 500 companies; academic at some of the most prestigious business schools in Europe, Asia, and the Middle EastLynn Forester de Rothschild (J.D.) - CEO of E.L. Rothschild (2002–)Jason Epstein - editorial director at Random HouseStephen Friedman — Chairman of Goldman Sachs; National Economic Council director; chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory BoardMario Gabelli — investorMichael Goodkin (M.B.A.) - quantitative finance entrepreneur; instrumental in development of computer program pricing of exotic financial derivatives and structured productsNoam Gottesman (B.A.) - billionaire, GLG PartnersMichael Gould (B.A. 1966) - CEO of Bloomingdale'sJoseph Peter Grace, Sr. (B.A.) - president and CEO of W. R. Grace and CompanyArmand Hammer - President of Occidental Petroleum; internationalist; convicted for illegal campaign donationsHerman Hollerith (Engineer of Mines 1879, Ph.D. 1890) - founder of the Tabulating Machine Company, a predecessor to IBMJohn Kluge - founder of MetromediaAlfred A. Knopf (B.A. 1912) - founder of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. PublishersRobert Kraft (B.A. 1963) - owner of New England PatriotsHenry Kravis (M.B.A. 1969) - investment banker who invented the leveraged buyoutSallie Krawcheck (M.B.A. 1992) - former Chairman, CEO of Sanford Bernstein; number seven on Forbes' 2005 list ofThe World's 100 Most Powerful WomenRandolph Lerner (1984) - CEO of MBNA Bank; owner of Cleveland BrownsDan Loeb (B.A.) - billionaire, founder of Third Point LLCFrank Lorenzo (B.A. 1961) - corporate raiderJohn R. MacArthur (B.A. 1917) - president and publisher of Harper's, the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the countryMichael Moradzadeh - founding partner, Rimon Law P.C.Eric Ober - former President of CBS News division, and Food NetworkVikram Pandit (B.S. 1976, M.S. 1977, MBA 1980, Ph.D 1986, Trustee) - CEO of CitigroupMark J. Penn (Law) - worldwide CEO, public relations firm Burson-Marsteller; president of polling firm Penn, Schoen and Berland AssociatesWayne Allyn Root (B.A. 1983) - founder and chairman of Winning Edge International, inducted into Las Vegas Walk of Stars in 2006David Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville (M.B.A.) - Chairman, CEO, J Sainsbury plc (1992–1997); Deputy Chairman (1988–1992)Edwin Schlossberg (B.A. 1967, Ph.D. 1971) - founder and principal designer of ESI DesignDavid O. Selznick - movie producerRobert Shaye (J.D. 1964) - CEO of New Line CinemaLawrence L. Shenfield (B.A. 1915) - advertising executive, philatelistRichard L. Simon (1920) - co-founder of Simon & SchusterEpaminondas Stathopoulo - founder and president of The Epiphone CompanyKen Shubin Stein (B.A.) - founder and Portfolio Manager, Spencer Capital ManagementJoseph M. Tucci (M.S.) - Chairman, President, and CEO of EMC Corporation (2006–); former Chairman and CEO of Wang LaboratoriesP. Roy Vagelos (M.D. 1954) - Chairman and CEO of Merck & Co.Alan Wagner (B.A. 1951, M.A. 1952) - first president of Disney Channel; East Coast vice president of programming at CBS; radio personality; opera historian and criticS. Robson Walton (J.D. 1969) - Chairman of the Board, Wal-MartReligion and ministry
See also: Notable alumni of Columbia College of Columbia University (Religious figures) for separate listing of more than 10 religious figures
Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua (M.A. 1962) - American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church (1991–12); Archbishop of Philadelphia (1988–03); Bishop of Pittsburgh (1983–88)George BonDurant - founder of Point University (1937) and Mid-Atlantic Christian University (1948)Reuben Clark (J.D.) - prominent leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsJack Cohen (Ph.D.) - Reconstructionist rabbi, educator, philosopher and authorElliot N. Dorff (Ph.D. 1971) - conservative rabbiIra Eisenstein (B.A., Ph.D.) rabbi; co-founder of Reconstructionist Judaism, along with Rabbi Mordecai KaplanJohn Patrick Foley (M.A.) - American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church (2007–2011); President of Pontifical Council for Social Communications (1984–2007)Herbert S. Goldstein (B.A., M.A.) - prominent rabbi and Jewish leaderBenedict Groeschel (Ph.D. 1971) - Catholic priest, author, psychologist; co-founder of Franciscan Friars of the RenewalJoseph Herman Hertz (Ph.D.) - Jewish Hungarian-born rabbi and Bible scholar; Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom (1913–1946) during World War I and World War IIArthur Hertzberg (Ph.D. 1966) Conservative rabbi; prominent Jewish-American scholar and activistMordecai Kaplan (M.A., Ph.D.) - rabbi; co-founder of Reconstructionist Judaism, along with Rabbi Ira EisensteinArchbishop Leontios of Cyprus - Archbishop of Cyprus (1947)James Francis Aloysius McIntyre - American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church (1953–1979); Archbishop of Los Angeles (1948–1970)Thomas Merton (B.A. 1938, studied for M.A.) - 20th-century Catholic writer; student of comparative religions; trappist monk; poet; author of The Seven Storey MountainIn Jin Moon (B.A.) - president of Unification Church of the United States (2009–)Frederick Buckley Newell (M.A. 1916) - Bishop, Methodist ChurchPaula Reimers (M.A. 1971) - rabbiHenry Y. Satterlee (A.B. 1863) - first Episcopal Bishop of Washington (1896–1908); established Washington National CathedralMichael Schudrich (M.A. 1982) - Chief Rabbi of PolandMendel Shapiro (J.D.) - Jerusalem lawyer and Modern Orthodox rabbi; author of a notable halakhic analysisMilton Steinberg (Ph.D. 1928) - rabbi and novelistDiosdado Talamayan (M.A. 1970) - Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tuguegarao (1986–) in the province of Cagayan on the island of Luzon, PhilippinesGeorge W. Webber - President of New York Theological SeminaryHazen Graff Werner - Bishop, the Methodist ChurchJan Willis (Ph.D.) - African-American Buddhist and Buddhist scholar at Wesleyan University; called influential by Time magazine, Newsweek (cover story), and Ebony MagazineArchitecture, arts and literature
See also: Notable alumni of Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia College of Columbia University (Artists and architects; and Writers) and Columbia Law School (Arts and Letters) for separate listing of more than 90 architects, artists, and writers
Max Abramovitz (1931) - 1961 Rome Prize; designed Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, the United Nations complex, and the Assembly HallAravind Adiga (B.A. 1997) - author of The White Tiger and winner of the 2008 Man Booker PrizeMitch Albom (M.A., M.B.A.) - author, journalist, screenwriter, dramatist, Tuesdays with Morrie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, For One More DayChester Holmes Aldrich (Ph.B. 1893) - architect and director of the American Academy in Rome from 1935 until his death in 1940Jacob M. Appel (M.A., M.Phil.) - author (Creve Coeur) and playwright (Arborophilia, The Mistress of Wholesome)John Ashbery (M.A. 1951) - poet; MacArthur Fellowship, National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, Pulitzer Prize for PoetryIsaac Asimov (B.S. 1939, Ph.D. 1948) - science fiction author, I, RobotPaul Auster (B.A. 1969) - postmodern author, The New York Trilogy, Moon Palace (named after now-defunct Chinese restaurant near campus)Carole B. Balin (M.Phil. 1994; PhD history 1998) - professor of Jewish history, author, Reform rabbiBéla Bartók - musician, composer, pianist, and early scholar in ethnomusicologyJosh Bazell (M.D.) - novelistJames Blish - science fiction author; Nebula Award, Hugo Award; Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame (2002)Helaine Blumenfeld (Ph.D. 1963) - sculptor working in Britain and ItalyCarlos Brillembourg (M.A. 1975) - architectJim Carroll - writer (The Basketball Diaries), poet, punk rockerJerome Charyn (B.A. 1959) - novelistJonas Coersmeier - award-winning architect and designer; finalist and first runner-up in the World Trade Center Memorial CompetitionTeju Cole (M.Phil.) - novelist, author of Open CityRobin Cook (M.D.) - physician and novelist; novels combine medical writing with thriller genre; his books have sold nearly 100 million copiesJohn Corigliano (B.A. 1959) - musician, composerAgnes Denes - conceptual and environmental artist; Rome Prize, works held in over 40 public museums, including the MoMA, Met and WhitneyKiran Desai (M.F.A. 1999) - novelist, winner of 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and the Man Booker Prize, 1998 Betty Trask AwardE.L. Doctorow (graduate study) - author, National Humanities Medal; thrice winner, National Book Critics Circle Award; Ragtime, Billy BathgateTimothy Donnelly (M.F.A.) - poet, 2012 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award; professor at Columbia UniversityAlden B. Dow (B.A. 1931) - architect; known for his prolific architectural designPamela Druckerman (M.A.) - author and freelance journalist living in Paris, FranceLouis Dudek (Ph.D.) - Canadian poet, academic and publisherClifford Percy Evans (B.A.) - architect based in Salt Lake City, UtahWalter Farley (B.A. 1941) - author, The Black StallionLawrence Ferlinghetti (M.A. 1947) - Beat Generation poet, founder of City Lights BookstoreAmanda Filipacchi (M.F.A) - author, Nude Men, Vapor, Love CreepsRolf G. Fjelde (M.F.A.) - playwright, educator and poet, founding President of the Ibsen Society of AmericaAmanda Foreman - 1998 Whitbread Prize for Best Biography; author, one of The New York Times "Ten Best Books of 2011"Allen Forte (B.A.) - music theorist; Battell Professor of Music, Emeritus at Yale UniversityHal Foster (M.A. 1979) - art critic and historian; faculty at Princeton since 1997; Berlin PrizeNicholas Gage (M.A. 1964) - author, Eleni, A Place For Us, Greek FirePaul Gallico (1919) - author, The Snow Goose, The Poseidon Adventure, The Silent MiaowFederico García Lorca (1929–1930) - poet and playwrightAllen Ginsberg (B.A. 1948) - Beat Generation poet; National Book Award for Poetry for The Fall of America: Poems of These StatesLouise Gluck - United States Poet Laureate (2003–2004), Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Circle Award, Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry, Bollingen Prize, William Carlos Williams AwardPhilip Gourevitch (M.F.A. 1992) - recipient of the National Book Critics Circle Award, editor of The Paris ReviewEdwin Granberry (1920) - writer of the Buz Sawyer comic stripBette Greene (B.A.) - 1975 Newbery Honor, 1973 Golden Kite Award, New York Times Outstanding Book Award, ALA Notable Book AwardIsmail Gulgee (engineering) - Pakistani artist noted for his paintings and Islamic calligraphy; qualified engineerElizabeth Hardwick (attended) - writer; co-founder of The New York Review of BooksAnthony Hecht (M.A.) - Pulitzer Prize–winning poet, United States Poet Laureate (1982–1984), 1983 Bollingen Prize, 1988 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, 1997 Wallace Stevens Award, 1999/2000 Frost MedalJoseph Heller (M.A. 1949) - author, Catch-22Henry Beaumont Herts (attended) - architect, known for theater designsDaniel Hoffman (B.A. 1947, M.A. 1949, Ph.D. 1956) - poet, essayist, United States Poet Laureate (1973–1974)Henry Hornbostel (B.A. 1891) - architect; designed more than 225 buildings, bridges, and monuments in the United StatesLangston Hughes (engineering) - writer and poetZora Neale Hurston (B.A. Barnard; graduate study, two years, CU) - author, folklorist, anthropologistEly Jacques Kahn - commercial architect; designed numerous skyscrapers in New York City in the twentieth centuryRockwell Kent (B.A.) - painter, printmaker, illustrator, and writerMaude Kerns (M.A. 1906) - pioneering abstract artist from Portland, Oregon, prolific on the East coastJack Kerouac (College 1940–1942; dropped out) - founder of the Beat Generation movement; author, On the RoadKeorapetse Kgositsile (M.F.A. 1971) - South African poet and political activist; South African National Poet Laureate in 2006Benjamin Kunkel (M.F.A.) - novelist, founder of n+1Leroy Lamis (M.A.) - sculptor and digital artist known for his Plexiglas sculpturesUrsula K. Le Guin (M.A. 1951) - author of science fiction, fantasy novels; 1973 National Book Award for Young People's Literature; five Hugo awards, six Nebula awardsAlan Lomax (graduate study) - ethnomusicologist, 1986 National Medal of Arts; 2000 Library of Congress Living Legend Award; National Book Critics Circle AwardDiego Luzuriaga (Ph.D. 1996) - Ecuadorian composer; 1993 Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowship for Music Composition recipient, composer of first Ecuadorian opera, 2006 recipient of the Eugenio Espejo National Prize.Edward MacDowell - composer, professor of musicPatricia McCormick (M.S. 1985) - author for young adults; 2012 National Book Award (Young People's Literature), finalistCarson McCullers - author, The Heart Is a Lonely HunterTerrence McNally - playwright; winner of four Tony Awards, an Emmy Award, a Rockefeller Grant, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Hull-Warriner AwardWilliam March - author; highly decorated U.S. Marine; Company K, The Bad SeedJohn Matteson (PhD.) - Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer (2008)Kate Millett (Ph.D. 1970) - author of Sexual Politics, feminist and artistFereydoun Motamed (M.A. 1952) - linguist, Louis de Broglie award winner from the French Academy (1963)Isamu Noguchi - sculptorGeorgia O'Keeffe (attended TC 1914–15, studied with Arthur Wesley Dow, TC 1916) - artist; Presidential Medal of Freedom, National Medal of ArtsSharon Olds (Ph.D.) - National Book Critics Circle Award; T.S. Eliot Prize; Lamont Poetry Prize; Poet Laureate, State of New York (1998–2000)Ron Padgett (B.A.) - poet; 2009 Shelley Memorial Award; member New York SchoolCampion A. Platt (B.S. Arch) - architect; on Architectural Digest's 2010 list of Top 100 Architects and Designers in the WorldJohn Russell Pope (B.S. Arch 1894) - Rome Prize; designed the National Archives, the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC, the West Building of the National Gallery of ArtAntoine Predock (B. Arch.) - architect, Rome Prize (1985); AIA Gold Medal (2006), National Design Award (2007)Richard Price (M.F.A.) - novelist and screenwriterGregory Rabassa (Ph.D.) - literary translator from Spanish and Portuguese to English; 2006 National Medal of Arts; inaugural U.S. National Book Award (Category Translation)David Rakoff (B.A. 1986) - Canadian-born writer based in New York City; 2011 Thurber Prize for American HumorClaudia Rankine (M.F.A. 1993) - poet; winner of the Jackson Poetry Prize; professor at Pomona CollegeJames Renwick, Jr. (B.A. 1836, M.A. 1839) - Gothic Revival architect; designed St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York and the Smithsonian Institution Building in Washington, D.C.Mark Rudman (M.F.A.) - poet; National Book Critics Circle Award in poetryKaren Russell (M.F.A. 2006) - author, a National Book Foundation "5 Under 35" young writer honoreeFriedrich St. Florian (M. Arch. 1961) - Austrian-American architect; Rome Prize; National World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C.J.D. Salinger - author, The Catcher in the RyeKarenna Gore Schiff (J.D. 2000) - author, journalist, and attorneyDavid Serero (M.S. Arch) - French architect; Rome PrizeVijay Seshadri (M.F.A. 1988) - winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for PoetryRobert Silverberg (B.A. 1956) - science fiction author; five Nebula Awards, four Hugo Awards, the prestigious Prix Apollo; 1999 inductee into Science Fiction Hall of FameMona Simpson (M.F.A.) - novelist, essayistUpton Sinclair - populist and Pulitzer Prize–winning author, The Jungle; presidential candidateLaurinda Hope Spear (M.S. Arch 1975) - architect and landscape architect; Rome Prize; one of the founders of ArquitectonicaWilliam Jay Smith - United States Poet Laureate (1968–1970); Rhodes ScholarRobert A. M. Stern (B.A. 1960) - postmodern architect; Dean of the Yale University School of ArchitectureMary Stolz (1936–38) - writer of fiction for children and young adults; Newbery Honors (1962, 1966); 1953 Child Study Children's Book AwardHunter S. Thompson - author, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; creator of Gonzo JournalismMelvin B. Tolson (M.A.) - Liberian Poet Laureate; central character (played by Denzel Washington) in the movie The Great Debaters (2007)Wells Tower (M.F.A.) - writer of fiction and non-fiction, two Pushcart PrizesErica Simone Turnipseed (M.A.) - writerCharles Van Doren (M.A., Ph.D. 1955) - author, English professor whose national disgrace was the subject of the Oscar-nominated film Quiz ShowMark Van Doren (Ph.D. 1920) - Pulitzer Prize–winning poetEric Van Lustbader (B.A.) - author of thriller and fantasy novels; The Ninja; continuation of the Bourne series by Robert LudlumEudora Welty (Business, 1930–31, hon. LHD 1982) - Pulitzer Prize–winning author, The Optimist's DaughterFred F. Willson (B.A. 1902) - architect, Bozeman, Montana; designed many buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesHana Wirth-Nesher (M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D. 1977) - literary scholar and Professor of American and English Studies at Tel Aviv UniversityHerman Wouk (B.A. 1934) - Pulitzer Prize–winning author, War and RemembranceGeorge Wyatt (B.A. 1971) - sculptorMako Yoshikawa (B.A. 1988) - author, One Hundred and One Ways (1999), a national bestseller translated into six languagesRoger Zelazny (M.A. 1962) - science fiction author; The Chronicles of Amber series; three Nebula awards, six Hugo awardsSee also: Notable alumni of Columbia College of Columbia University (Actors; Musicians, Composers, Lyricists; Playwrights, Screenwriters, and Directors) and Columbia University School of the Arts
Casey Affleck (B.A. 1998) - Academy Award-winning actor, Manchester by the SeaKathryn Bigelow (M.F.A. 1981) - two Academy Awards: director, producer, The Hurt Locker; 2010 Time 100; first female to win Academy Award for directingSidney Buchman (B.A. 1923) - screenwriter, won an Academy Award for writing Mr. Smith Goes To WashingtonElinor Burkett (M.A. 1988) - Academy Award-winning producer of Music by PrudenceJames Cagney (upon the death of his father, dropped out) - two Academy Awards: Best Actor White Heat and Yankee Doodle Dandy; Presidential Medal of FreedomBill Condon (B.A. 1976) - Academy Award-winning writer, Gods and Monsters, Chicago; director, Kinsey and DreamgirlsJohn Corigliano (B.A. 1959) - Academy Award; composer of classical music; 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Music; 2009 Grammy AwardAdam Davidson (M.F.A 1991) - Academy Award-winning director for Best Short Subject, The Lunch DateI.A.L. Diamond (B.A. 1941) - co-winner of an Academy Award for writing The ApartmentTan Dun (Ph.D.) - Academy Award-winning Chinese contemporary classical music composer; scores for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and HeroDede Gardner - Academy Award-winning co-producer of 12 Years A SlaveWilliam Goldman (M.A. 1956) - two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter; novelist, playwrightOscar Hammerstein II (A.B. 1916, studied at Law School 1916–17) - lyricist and librettist; winner of two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, and two Grammy Awards, including musicals such as the Pulitzer–winning Oklahoma!, The King and I and The Sound of Music; collaborator with Richard RodgersHoward Koch (LL.B.) - Academy Award-winning screenwriter of CasablancaJennifer Lee (M.F.A.) - Academy Award-winning co-screenwriter and co-director of FrozenWilliam Ludwig (B.A. 1932) - screenwriter; co-winner, Academy Award for Interrupted Melody (1955); founder of Screen Writers Guild (known now as Writers Guild of America)Sidney Lumet (undergraduate studies interrupted by service during World War II) - Academy Award-winning film director (nominated five times)Herman J. Mankiewicz (B.A. 1917) - won an Academy Award for co-writing Citizen Kane; older brother of Joseph L. MankiewiczJoseph L. Mankiewicz (B.A. 1928) - won four Academy Awards, including Academy Award for Best Director; younger brother of Herman J. MankiewiczGraham Moore (B.A. 2003) - won an Academy Award for writing "The Imitation Game"Veronica Nickel (M.F.A. 2010) - Academy Award-winning co-producer of Moonlight (2016 film)Edmond O'Brien (B.A., Drama) - Academy Award-winning actor, The Barefoot ContessaAnna Paquin (on leave of absence, attended first year) - Academy Award-winning actress, The Piano and X-MenRichard Rodgers (1923) - composer of musicals; winner of one Academy Award, 11 Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Emmy Awards and two Grammy Awards; one of two persons to win an EGOT and a Pulitzer, including the Pulitzer Prize–winning Oklahoma!, The King and I, and The Sound of Music; collaborator with Oscar Hammerstein IIMaureen Ryan (M.F.A. 1992) - co-produced Academy Award-winning documentary, Man on WireFranklin Schaffner (studied law, education, interrupted by service during World War II) - Academy Award-winning film directorThelma Schoonmaker (studied for M.A.) - three-time Academy Award-winning editor for Raging Bull, The Aviator, and The DepartedDavid O. Selznick (G.S. 1923) - three-time Academy Award-winning producer of Gone with the Wind, Rebecca, and King KongKarl Struss (B.A. 1912) -Academy Award-winning cinematographer, Sunrise: A Song of Two HumansSteve Tesich (M.A. 1967) - Academy Award-winning screenwriter, Breaking AwayAllie Wrubel (graduate study in music) - composer, musician, and songwriter, Academy Award ("Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah"); Songwriters Hall of FameAJ (에이제이) (current student) - singer, member of Korean pop group U-KISSEmanuel Ax (B.A. 1970) - pianist, won Avery Fisher prize at age 30, won three Grammy Awards along with cellist Yo-Yo Ma; awarded John Jay Award by the UniversityBabydaddy, born Scott Hoffman (B.A) - member of the glam rock band Scissor SistersRamin Bahrani (B.A. 1996) - director and writer Man Push Cart, Chop Suey, and Goodbye SoloChris Baio - musician, member of indie band Vampire WeekendMason Bates (B.A.) - composer of symphonic music; Chicago Symphony's Mead composer in residence (2010–12)Rostam Batmanglij - musician, member of indie band Vampire WeekendWill Beech (B.A., current student) - stage actorKelly Killoren Bensimon (GS 1998) - author; former model; former editor of Elle Accessories; cast member of The Real Housewives of New York CityAlbert Berger (SoA 1983) - Academy Award-nominated producer of Cold Mountain, Little Miss SunshineJeremy Blackman (B.A. 2009) - actor, MagnoliaSorrell Booke (B.A. 1949) - actor, best known as "Boss Hogg" on the TV series The Dukes of HazzardPat Boone (B.S. 1957) - singer and actorJesse Bradford (B.A. 2002) - actorJoshua Brand (M.A. 1974) - Emmy Award-winning creator of St. Elsewhere, I'll Fly Away, and Northern ExposureDavid Brown (M.A. 1937) - Academy Award-nominated film producer, Jaws, The Sting, Cocoon, Driving Miss DaisyCara Buono (B.A. 1993) - actress, Third WatchWendy Carlos (M.A. 1966) - composer and synthesizer pioneerVanessa Carlton - singer, songwriterSoman Chainani - author of The School for Good and EvilLisa Cholodenko (M.F.A. 1998) – screenwriter and film director, Laurel Canyon, The L WordPeter Cincotti - pianist, singer, songwriter, actor, modelSpencer Treat Clark (B.A. 2010) - actor, Gladiator, Mystic River, and UnbreakableBen Cooper - actor of film and televisionFederico A. Cordero (M.A., economics) - guitarist of classical musicJoseph Cross - actor, MilkOssie Davis (GS 1948) - Golden Globe-nominated actor and activist, Do the Right ThingBrian Dennehy (B.A. 1960) - actor, First Blood, Tommy Boy, Romeo + Juliet, RatatouilleBrian De Palma (B.A. 1962) - movie director, Carrie, Scarface, Carlito's Way The UntouchablesR. Luke DuBois (B.A. 1997, M.A. 1999, D.M.A. 2003) - musician, composer/artist, member of the Freight Elevator QuartetTodd Duncan (M.A.) - baritone opera singer and actorFred Ebb (M.A. 1957) - lyricist who collaborated with John Kander on such Broadway musicals as Cabaret, Chicago, Woman of the Year and Kiss of the Spider Woman and the soundtracks of Funny Lady and New York, New YorkPeter Farrelly (M.F.A. 1986) - filmmaker, with his brother Bobby Farrelly, There's Something About Mary, Dumb and DumberAdriana Ferreyr - Brazilian actressWilliam Finley (B.A. 1963) - actorMatthew Fox (B.A. 1989) - Golden Globe-nominated actor, Lost, Party of FiveJames Franco (M.F.A.) - actor, Golden Globe Award; James Dean; Spider-Man trilogy; Pineapple Express, MilkDan Futterman (B.A. 1989) - actor, The Birdcage, Judging AmyBernard Garfield (M.A. 1950) - bassoonist and composerArt Garfunkel (B.A. 1965, art history; M.A. 1965, mathematics; ABD) - Grammy-award winning singer, poet, Golden Globe-nominated actor, songwriter of Simon and GarfunkelAllen Ginsberg (A.B. 1948) - Beat Generation poet, National Book Award for Poetry; The Fall of America: Poems of These StatesGreg Giraldo (B.A. 1987) - comedianJoseph Gordon-Levitt (attended four years in GS; did not graduate) - actor, 3rd Rock from the Sun, (500) Days of SummerLauren Graham (Barnard College; B.A. 1988) - actress, Gilmore GirlsJames Gunn (M.F.A.) - film director (Slither); screenwriter (Dawn of the Dead, Scooby-Doo); novelist (The Toy Collector)Jake Gyllenhaal (attended first two years) - Academy Award-nominated actor, Brokeback Mountain, star of Donnie Darko, JarheadMaggie Gyllenhaal (B.A. 1999) - Golden Globe and Academy Award-nominated actress, Crazy Heart, Secretary, The Dark KnightKatori Hall (B.A. 2003) - playwright, journalist and actress; The MountaintopEd Harris (attended first two years) - Golden Globe-winning and Academy Award-nominated actor, The Truman Show, A Beautiful MindLorenz Hart - Broadway lyricist, collaborator with Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II; wrote such songs as "Blue Moon", "The Lady Is a Tramp", "My Funny Valentine"Utada Hikaru (did not graduate) - Japanese pop singer; fashion modelLauryn Hill (attended first year) - Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, musicianNicole Holofcener (M.F.A.) - film and TV director, screenwriter, Friends With Money, Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls, Six Feet UnderKatie Holmes (attended a summer session) - actressFamke Janssen (B.A. 1992) - actress, GoldenEye, X-MenJim Jarmusch (B.A. 1975) - filmmaker, Dead Man, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Broken FlowersJulia Jones (B.A.) - Native American actress, The Twilight Saga: EclipseJohn Kander(M.A.) - lyricist who collaborated with Fred Ebb on such Broadway musicals as Cabaret, Chicago, Woman of the Year and Kiss of the Spider Woman and the soundtracks of Funny Lady and New York, New YorkJean Kelly (B.A. 1994) - actressAlicia Keys (attended first year) - Grammy Award-winning singer, musician, composerSimon Kinberg (M.F.A.) - screenwriter Mr. & Mrs. Smith, X-Men: The Last StandEzra Koenig - musician, member of indie band Vampire WeekendJoseph Kosinski (GSAPP) - television commercial and feature film director best known for his computer graphics and computer generated imagery workJoel Krosnick (B.A. 1963) - cellist; member of the Juilliard String Quartet; chairman of Cello Department at Juilliard SchoolRobert Kurka (M.A. 1948) - composer, musician; the opera and instrumental suite The Good Soldier SchweikTony Kushner (B.A. 1978) - Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright, Angels in AmericaClaire Labine (M.F.A.) - head writer of Ryan's Hope, One Life to Live, General Hospital, Where The Heart Is, Guiding LightYves Lavandier - screenwriter, director (Yes, But...), script doctor and author of Writing DramaMichael Lehmann (B.A. 1978) - director, Heathers, Hudson HawkSean Lennon (attended) - singer and songwriter, son of John Lennon and Yoko OnoAl Lewis (Ph.D. 1941) - actor, The Munsters; basketball scout; New York gubernatorial candidate; restaurateurYo-Yo Ma (transferred to Harvard University) - cellistJames Mangold (M.F.A. 1991) - filmmaker, Girl, Interrupted and Walk the LineRobert Maschio (B.A. 1988) - actor, ScrubsKate McKinnon (B.A. 2006) - actress and comedianTerrence McNally (B.A. 1960) - dramatist, winner of four Tony Awards, an Emmy, a Pulitzer Prize, and two Guggenheim FellowshipsMax Minghella (B.A. 2009) - actor, starred in Syriana and Art School ConfidentialGreg Mottola (M.F.A. 1991) - film director, SuperbadRachel Nichoadls - actress, modelRonald Noll (B.A., M.F.A c.1950) - conductor, music director, and television music supervisorLena Park (B.A. 2010) - Korean R&B singerDiane Paulus (M.A. SoA 1997) - 2013 Tony Award; director of theater, opera; Artistic Director, American Repertory Theater, Harvard University (2009–)Amanda Peet (B.A. 1995) - actress, The Whole Nine YardsKimberly Peirce (M.F.A. 1996) - filmmaker, Boys Don't CryAnthony Perkins - actor, best known as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's PsychoMartin Quigley, Jr. (B.A. 1939) - movie trade periodical publisher, author, politician, spyJames Rebhorn (M.F.A 1972) - actorPaul Robeson (J.D. 1923) - Basso cantante concert singer, multi-lingual actorEmmy Rossum (B.A. 2008) - actress, ShamelessCameron Russell - fashion modelGeorge Segal (B.A. 1955) - Academy Award-nominated actor, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Just Shoot Me!Jeffrey Sharp (M.F.A.) - filmmaker, Boys Don't Cry, You Can Count On MeJenny Slate (B.A. 2004) - actor, former cast member of Saturday Night LiveScott Smith (M.F.A. 1990) - author and screenwriter, A Simple PlanSarah Steele - actress, SpanglishJulia Stiles (B.A. 2005) - actress, Save the Last Dance, Mona Lisa SmileRichard Stoltzman (studied for Ph.D. in music) - clarinetistStephen Strimpell (B.A., J.D.) - actor, star of the cult television classic Mister TerrificRider Strong (B.A. 2004) - actor, Boy Meets WorldAaron Schwartz (M.F.A.) - actor, director and copyright lawyer in TorontoCraig Timberlake (M.A.) - stage actor, opera singer, and later Columbia faculty memberChris Tomson - musician, member of indie band Vampire WeekendDarko Tresnjak (B.A. 1998) - theatre directorClaire Unabia (G.S.) - contestant in Cycle 10 of America's Next Top ModelMario Van Peebles (B.A. 1978) - actor and director, New Jack City, BAADASSSSS!Brian Weitz (B.A., M.P.A) - musician, member of band Animal CollectiveCharles Wuorinen (B.A. 1961, M.A. 1963) - musician, pianist, and composerRemy Zaken (B.A. 2011) - Broadway actressCinta Laura (B.S. 2014) - Indonesian actress, singer, and modelSee also: Notable alumni of Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia College of Columbia University (Journalism and media figures; and Publishers), and Columbia Law School (Journalists) for separate listing of more than 175 journalists, media figures, and publishers
R.W. Apple (B.S. 1961) - Senior Correspondent, Associate Editor, former Washington Bureau chief, New York TimesMarcus Brauchli - managing editor, The Wall Street JournalA'Lelia Bundles (M.A. journalism) - journalistGreg Burke (M.A. journalism) - senior communications adviser with the Vatican's Secretariat of State (2012–)Diann Burns (M.A. journalism) - television news anchor; nine-time Emmy Award winnerMay Cutler (M.A. journalism) - Canadian publisher and journalist, founder of Tundra Books and the first Canadian woman to publish children's booksJamal Dajani (B.A. Political Science) - Director of Middle Eastern Programming, Link TV, Producer of Mosaic: World News from the Middle East winner of a Peabody AwardYuval Elizur (M.S. Journalism) - journalist; covers the Israeli economy, globalization, and economic warfare; author of 8 booksMax Frankel (B.A.) - executive editor, New York TimesMelissa Fung (M.A., journalism) - Canadian CBC News journalistNicholas Gage - investigative reporter, foreign correspondent, The New York Times (1970–80); journalist, The Boston Herald Traveler, The Wall Street JournalRobert Giles - curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at HarvardCaroline Glick (B.A. 1991) - American-Israeli journalist; deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem PostKen Hechtman - maverick journalist jailed by the Afghanistan's Taliban government as a suspected spy in 2001Jay Irving - reporter, cartoonist; father of Clifford Irving who is best known for perpetrating hoax biography of Howard HughesEdward Klein (B.A., M.A. Journalism) - former foreign editor of Newsweek; former editor in chief of The New York Times Magazine; bestselling authorLeonard Koppett - sports writer, columnist, authorSteve Kroft - 60 Minutes; winner of three Peabody Awards and nine Emmy AwardsRobert Krulwich (J.D. 1974) - media journalist, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, Emmy Award, George Polk AwardHoward Kurtz (M.A. Journalism) - journalist and author with a special focus on the media; the nation's "most influential media reporter"Joseph Lelyveld (M.A., Journalism) - executive editor, New York TimesAndy Levy - ombudsman, Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld, Fox News ChannelA. J. Liebling (M.A. Journalism) - journalist closely associated with The New Yorker from 1935 until his deathThomas Lippman - journalist, authorRobert Lipsyte (B.A. 1957) - winner of an Emmy Award in 1990, host of The Eleventh Hour on PBS, correspondent for The New York Times and ABC Nightly NewsHenry Demarest Lloyd (J.D.) - "the father of investigative journalism"John R. MacArthur (B.A. 1978) - President of Harper's Magazine, political authorCynthia McFadden (J.D.) - ABC news anchor, George Foster Peabody AwardJohn McWethy - five Emmy Awards, Overseas Press Club AwardSuzanne M. Malveaux (M.S.) - television news reporter; former White House correspondent for CNNGabriele Marcotti (M.A., Journalism) - football writer for The Times, The Sunday Herald, La Stampa, Il Corriere dello Sport, host of Five Live Sport on FridaysAndrés Martinez (J.D.) - editorial page editor of the Los Angeles TimesMatthew Miller (J.D.1986) - columnist and author, The Two Percent SolutionJohn L. O'Sullivan - editor of the Democratic Review during the 1840s; coined the phrase "Manifest Destiny"Martin Perlich - radio broadcaster and writerTed Rall (B.A. 1991) - editorial cartoonist, Pulitzer finalist, columnist, pundit, author of Revenge of the Latchkey KidsWayne Allyn Root - creator of Spike TV, Discovery Channel, CNBC; Executive Producer and host of Wayne Allyn Root's Winning Edge and King of Vegas; anchorman and host of Financial News NetworkClaire Shipman (B.A. 1986) - Senior National Correspondent for ABC; winner of an Emmy Award]for her CNN coverage of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989; her work contributed to CNN winning a Peabody Award for its coverage of the Soviet coup attempt of 1991Howard Simons - former curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at HarvardAllan Sloan - seven-time winner of Gerald Loeb AwardRichard Smith (M.I.A., M.S journalism 1970) - CEO of NewsweekNeil Strauss (B.A. 1991) - journalist; author of The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup ArtistsSreenath Sreenivasan (M.S. 1993) - academic administrator, professor and technology journalistArthur Hays Sulzberger (M.S. 1993) - publisher of The New York Times (1935-1961)Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Sr. (B.A. 1951) - publisher and businessman; former publisher of The New York Times; and chairman of the board of The New York Times CompanyRon Suskind (M.A. 1983) - journalist, authorTiziano Terzani - reporter and correspondentDina Temple-Raston - NPR's counterterrorism correspondentLiz Trotta (CSJ) - journalist, three Emmy Awards and two Overseas Press Club awardsMariana van Zeller (M.A. journalism 02) - Portuguese journalist; 2011 Livingston Award; 2010 Peabody Award; 2009 Webby AwardSteven Waldman (B.A.) - political journalist; senior advisor to the Chairman of the United States Federal Communications Commission (October 2009–)Richard Watts, Jr. - longtime theatre critic for the New York PostGideon Yago (B.A. 2000) - MTV News correspondentJohn Ashbery (M.A. 1951) – National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle AwardJohn Berryman – National Book Award, Bollingen PrizeKaren Brazell (Ph.D.) – National Book AwardRobert Caro – National Book Award, two National Book Critics Circle Awards, Francis Parkman PrizeE.L. Doctorow – National Book Award, National Humanities Medal; three National Book Critics Circle AwardsJason Epstein (B.A. 1949) – National Book Award; co-founded The New York Review of BooksPaula Fox – National Book Award (1983), Hans Christian Andersen Medal (known as the "Nobel Prize for children's literature")Peter Gay (M.A. 1947, Ph.D. 1951) – National Book AwardAllen Ginsberg – National Book Award; one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950sStephen Jay Gould – National Book Award, National Book Critics AwardLillian Hellman (attended) – National Book Award, 1976 Edward MacDowell Medal and Paul Robeson AwardHerbert Kohl – National Book AwardJerzy Kosinski (B.A. 1965) – National Book AwardJane Kramer (M.A.) – National Book Award, Emmy Award for documentary filmmaking, National Magazine AwardJoseph Wood Krutch (M.A., Ph.D.) – National Book AwardChristopher Lasch – National Book AwardJoseph P. Lash (M.A. 1932) – National Book Award, Francis Parkman PrizeUrsula K. Le Guin – National Book Award, five Hugo awards, six Nebula awardsOscar Lewis (Ph.D.) – National Book AwardSalvador Luria – National Book Award, Nobel LaureateBernard Malamud – twice winner of National Book Award, O. Henry AwardRalph Manheim – National Book AwardRobert Nozick – National Book AwardWalker Percy (CUCPS, MD 1941) – National Book AwardGregory Rabassa (Ph.D.) – National Book Award, National Medal of Arts (2006)Robert V. Remini (M.A. 1947, Ph.D. 1951) – National Book Award; appointed Historian of the United States House of RepresentativesEdward Seidensticker (M.A.) – National Book AwardFrancis Steegmuller (B.A. 1927) – twice winner of National Book AwardGerald Stern (M.A. 1949) – National Book Award, Ruth Lilly Poetry PrizeT.J. Stiles (Ph.D. ABD) – National Book Award (2009)William Troy – National Book AwardTim Weiner (M.A.) – National Book Award (2007)Eudora Welty – National Book Award, Presidential Medal of Freedom, National Medal of ArtsHans Zinsser (A.B. 1899, A.M. 1903, M.D. 1903) – National Book Award; bacteriologist and immunologistLeroy F. Aarons – Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting (shared)Elie Abel – Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting (shared)Herbert Agar – Pulitzer Prize for HistoryAyad Akhtar – 2013 Pulitzer Prize for DramaJohn Ashbery – Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle AwardDean Baquet (B.A. 1978) – Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting (1988); managing editor for news operations, The New York TimesWilliam M. Beecher (M.S.) – Pulitzer Prize–winning former Washington correspondent for the Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, New York TimesJohn Berryman – Pulitzer Prize for poetryKatherine Boo – Pulitzer Prize for Public ServiceLouis Bromfield – Pulitzer Prize for Early AutumnEthan Bronner – Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory JournalismGeraldine Brooks – Pulitzer Prize for FictionEdwin Burrows – Pulitzer Prize for History in 1999 for the book Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898Robert Neil Butler – Pulitzer Prize for General Non-FictionRobert Campbell – Pulitzer Prize–winning architectural criticRobert Caro – twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize for BiographyHodding Carter – Pulitzer Prize for his editorialsMargaret Clapp – Pulitzer Prize for BiographyRobert Coles (M.D.) – Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction (1973); Presidential Medal of Freedom, National Humanities MedalJohn Corigliano – Pulitzer Prize for Music, Academy Award, Grammy AwardHolland Cotter (M.Phil) – Pulitzer Prize for Criticism (2009)Richard Ben Cramer – Pulitzer Prize for International ReportingLawrence A. Cremin – Pulitzer Prize for History, Bancroft PrizeJustin Davidson – Pulitzer Prize for CriticismBob Drogin – Pulitzer Prize for Public ServiceWill Durant – Pulitzer Prize for Literature, Presidential Medal of FreedomJim Dwyer – twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize (for Commentary and for Spot News Reporting)Jesse Eisinger (B.A. 1992) – 2011 Pulitzer Prize for National ReportingAndrea Elliott – Pulitzer Prize (2007); reporter, New York TimesEric Foner – 2011 Pulitzer Prize for History, Lincoln Prize, and twice winner of the Bancroft PrizeSue Fox (M.S. 1998) – Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting (2004)Glenn Frankel – Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, authorMax Frankel – Pulitzer Prize for International ReportingRobert Giles – twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize (under his editorship), current curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at HarvardLouise Gluck – 12th U.S.[Poet Laureate, Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Circle Award, Bollingen PrizeJuan Gonzalez – Pulitzer Prize, George Polk AwardCharles Gordone – Pulitzer Prize for DramaOscar Hammerstein II – twice winner of the Pulitzer PrizeAnthony Hecht – U.S. Poet Laureate, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Bollingen Prize, Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, Frost MedalEllis Henican (CSL) – Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting (shared) (1992)Marguerite Higgins – first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting (1951)Jim Hoagland – twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize (for International Reporting and for Commentary)Richard Hofstader – twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize (for History and General Non-Fiction)Michael Holley – Pulitzer Prize for Meritorious Public Service (team)Tony Horwitz – Pulitzer Prize for National ReportingRichard Howard – Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, American Book Award, Pen Translation PrizeNigel Jaquiss – 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative ReportingMargo Jefferson – Pulitzer Prize for CriticismWilliam Jorden – Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting (shared) and U.S. Ambassador to PanamaFrederick Kempe – twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize (both team)Glenn Kessler – twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize (for Spot News Reporting)Tom Kitt – Pulitzer Prize for Drama; Tony AwardCarolyn Kizer – Pulitzer Prize, poet, three-time winner of the Pushcart Prize, Frost MedalEdward Kleban – Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Tony Award, Drama Desk AwardDavid Kocieniewski (M.A. Journalism 1986) – 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory ReportingTony Kushner – Pulitzer Prize for Drama, two Tony Awards, Emmy Award, Whiting Writers' AwardJoseph P. Lash (M.A. 1932) – Pulitzer Prize for Biography (1972)Joseph Lelyveld – Pulitzer Prize, journalistLeonard Levy (Ph.D.) – 1969 Pulitzer Prize for HistoryDavid Levering Lewis – twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography, Bancroft Prize, Francis Parkman PrizeSteve Liesman – Pulitzer Prize (team leader) for International ReportingSteve Lohr (JRN 1975) – 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory ReportingZhou Long – 2011 Pulitzer Prize for MusicCarleton Mabee (Ph.D) – 1944 Pulitzer Prize for BiographyBernard Malamud – Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, O. Henry AwardJohn Matteson – Pulitzer Prize for BiographyTerrence McNally – Pulitzer Prize, four Tony Awards, Emmy Award, four Drama Desk Awards, two Obie AwardsEileen McNamara – Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting, Yankee Quill AwardLouis Menand – Pulitzer Prize for History, Francis Parkman PrizeSteven Millhauser – Pulitzer Prize for FictionPaul Moravec – Pulitzer Prize for MusicTad Mosel – Pulitzer Prize for DramaAmy Ellis Nutt (M.A.) – 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Feature WritingMirta Ojito – Pulitzer Prize for National ReportingSharon Olds – 2013 Pulitzer Prize for PoetryDele Olojede – Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, first African-born winner of the Pulitzer prizeTim Page – Pulitzer Prize, music criticGregory Pardlo - 2015 Pulitzer Prize for PoetryMichael Pupin – Pulitzer Prize, physicistMatt Richtel – 2010 Pulitzer Prize for National ReportingRichard Rodgers – twice winner of the Pulitzer PrizeCarlos P. Romulo – Pulitzer Prize in CorrespondenceWendy Ruderman – 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative ReportingMorrie Ryskind – Pulitzer Prize for DramaEli Sanders (1999) – 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Feature WritingCarl Emil Schorske – Pulitzer Prize for General Non-FictionWilliam Schuman – Pulitzer Prize for Music, president of the Juilliard School of Music, president of Lincoln CenterLouis Simpson – Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Prix de RomeUpton Sinclair – Pulitzer Prize, wrote over 90 books in many genres, his novel Oil! was the basis of There Will Be Blood (2007)R. Jeffrey Smith – Pulitzer Prize for Investigative ReportingTracy K. Smith (M.F.A. 1997) – 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; 2006 James Laughlin Award; 2005 Whiting Writers' AwardPaul Starr – Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction, Bancroft Prize, Goldsmith Book PrizeT.J. Stiles – 2010 Pulitzer Prize for BiographyRon Suskind – Pulitzer Prize for Feature WritingWilliam Taubman – Pulitzer Prize for Biography, National Book Critics Circle AwardEdwin Way Teale – Pulitzer Prize for General Non-FictionAllan Temko – Pulitzer Prize, architectural criticJohn Kennedy Toole – Pulitzer Prize for FictionAnne Tyler – Pulitzer Prize (Breathing Lessons), National Book Critics Circle Award (The Accidental Tourist)Irwin Unger – Pulitzer Prize for HistoryCarl Clinton Van Doren – Pulitzer Prize, biographerMark Van Doren – Pulitzer PrizeBill Vlasic (JRN 1982) – 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory ReportingMike Wallace – Pulitzer Prize for HistoryCharles Warren – Pulitzer Prize for HistoryTim Weiner – Pulitzer Prize for National ReportingEudora Welty – Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Presidential Medal of Freedom, National Medal of ArtsDamon Winter (B.A.) – Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography (2009)C. Vann Woodward (M.A. 1932) – Pulitzer Prize for History, Bancroft PrizeHerman Wouk – Pulitzer Prize for FictionCharles Wuorinen – Pulitzer Prize for Music, Guggenheim FellowshipsBrian Yorkey – 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama; 2009 Tony Award for Best ScoreThe following alumni are fellows of the MacArthur Fellows Program (known as the "genius grant") from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. As this is an interdisciplinary award, fellows are listed here as well as in their fields of accomplishment.
John Ashbery (M.A. 1951) - poet; MacArthur FellowshipJacqueline K. Barton (Ph.D. 1979) - chemist; 1991 MacArthur FellowshipTerry Belanger (M.A., 1964; Ph.D. 1970) - historian; history of books, manuscripts, and related objects; 2005 MacArthur Fellowship; founding director of Rare Book SchoolEdet Belzberg (M.A., 1957) - documentary filmmaker; 2005 MacArthur Fellowship; won Special Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival (2001)Paul Berman (M.A.) - leading writer on politics and literature; MacArthur FellowshipSeweryn Bialer (Ph.D.) - political scientist; 1983 MacArthur FellowshipKatherine Boo (B.A.) - journalist and author; 2002 MacArthur FellowshipRogers Brubaker (Ph.D. 1990) - sociologist; 1994 MacArthur FellowshipRobert Coles (M.D. 1954) - author, child psychiatrist, and professor at Harvard University; 1981 MacArthur FellowshipWafaa El-Sadr (MPH) - infectious disease physician; 2008 MacArthur Fellowship; 2009 Rolling Stone's "100 People Who Are Changing America," Scientific American's "10: Guiding Science for Humanity" and Utne Reader's “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World”Irving Feldman (M.A. 1953) - poet and professor of English; 1992 MacArthur FellowshipRandall Forsberg (B.A.) - expert in defense and disarmament as used for promoting democratic institutions; 1983 MacArthur FellowshipStephen Jay Gould (Ph.D. 1967) - paleontologist, author; 1981 MacArthur Fellowship; Linnean Society of London's Darwin–Wallace Medal (2008); Paleontological Society Medal (2002); Charles Schuchert Award (1975); Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science (twice – 1983, 1990)Rosanne Haggerty (M.A. Arch.) - housing and community development leader; 2001 MacArthur FellowshipShirley Heath (Ph.D. 1970) - linguistic anthropologist; 1984 MacArthur Fellowship]John Hollander (B.A.) - poet, 1990 MacArthur Fellowship, Bollingen Prize (1983); Poet Laureate, State of Connecticut (2006–2011)Richard Howard (B.A. 1951) - poet, literary critic, essayist, translator; MacArthur Fellowship; PEN Translation Prize; Poet Laureate, State of New York (1994–97)David Keightley (Ph.D.) - sinologist, historian; 1986 MacArthur FellowshipHarlan Lane (B.S., M.S. 1958) - psychologist; 1991 MacArthur FellowshipLawrence W. Levine (M.A., Ph.D.) - historian; 1983 MacArthur FellowshipDavid Levering Lewis (M.A. 1959) - Professor of History; MacArthur FellowshipRalph Manheim - English translator of major German, French works; 1983 MacArthur Fellowship; PEN Translation Prize (1964); PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for TranslationCampbell McGrath (M.F.A. 1988) - poet; MacArthur Fellowship; Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, Pushcart Prize, three Academy of American Poets PrizesDinaw Mengestu (M.F.A.) - novelist and writer; 2012 MacArthur FellowshipRichard A. Muller (B.A.) - physicist; 1982 MacArthur Fellowship; known for astrophysics, radioisotope dating, optics and climate changePepon Osorio (M.A. 1985) - Latino artist; 1999 MacArthur FellowshipGeorge Oster (Ph.D.) - mathematical biologist; 1984 MacArthur FellowshipRosalind P. Petchesky (Ph.D.) - political scientist; 1995 MacArthur FellowshipTerry Plank (Ph.D. 1993) - geologist, volcanologist and professor, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory; 2012 MacArthur FellowshipAnna Curtenius Roosevelt (Ph.D.) - archaeologist; 1988 MacArthur Fellowship; Curator of Archaeology, Field Museum (1991–02)Meyer Schapiro (B.A., Ph.D.) - Lithuanian-born American art historian; MacArthur Fellowship; known for forging new art historical methodologiesStephen Schneider (B.S. 1967, Ph.D., mechanical engineering, plasma physics, 1971) - environmental biologist, climatologist; 1992 MacArthur Fellowship; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to which Schneider made significant contributions, shared in the 2007 Nobel Peace PrizeCarl Emil Schorske (B.A. 1936) - cultural historian; 1981 MacArthur FellowshipRicardo Scofidio (M.Arch. 1960) - founder, principal, Diller Scofidio + Renfro; in 1991, one of the first architects to win MacArthur Prize "genius grant"Sally Temple (postdoctoral fellowship) - developmental neuroscientist; innovator in field of stem cells, specifically neural stem cells; 2008 MacArthur FellowshipCamilo José Vergara (M.A. 1977, Ph.D. not yet awarded) - writer, photographer, documentarian; 2002 MacArthur Fellowship; 2010 Berlin PrizeAlisa Weilerstein (B.A. 2004) - cellist; 2011 MacArthur FellowshipAnders Winroth (M.A., Ph.D.) - professor of medieval history, Yale; 2003 MacArthur FellowshipIrene J. Winter (Ph.D.) - art historian; 1983 MacArthur FellowshipLawrence S. Wittner (B.A. 1962; Ph.D., in history, 1967) historian; MacArthur FellowshipEric Wolf (Ph.D.) - anthropologist; MacArthur FellowshipCharles Wuorinen (B.A. 1961, M.A. 1963) - composer; 1985 MacArthur FellowshipJan Drewes Achenbach (post-doc research) - mechanical engineer; National Medal of Science (2005)Fay Ajzenberg-Selove (M.D. 1904) - German-American physicist; recipient, 2007 National Medal of ScienceKenneth Arrow (M.S., Ph.D.) - economist; National Medal of Science (2004), John Bates Clark Medal (1957), von Neumann Theory Prize (1986); Arrow's impossibility theoremFrancisco J. Ayala (Ph.D. 1964) - evolutionary biologist and geneticist, National Medal of Science (2001)John Backus (B.S., mathematics, 1949) - co-inventor of Fortran programming language, National Medal of Science (1975), ACM Turing Award, Draper PrizeJacqueline K. Barton (Ph.D. 1979) - chemist; National Medal of Science (2011); NSF Waterman Award (1985), ACS Gibbs Medal (2006), Weizmann Women & Science AwardBaruj Benacerraf (B.S.) - Venezuelan immunologist, National Medal of ScienceKonrad Emil Bloch (Ph.D. 1938) - biochemist; 1988 National Medal of ScienceWallace Smith Broecker (B.S. 1953, Ph.D. 1958) - Crafoord Prize in Geoscience, National Medal of ScienceShu Chien (Ph.D. 1957) - biological scientist, engineer; National Medal of Science; National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, American Academy of Arts and SciencesMildred Cohn (M.S., Ph.D.) - biochemist, National Medal of ScienceDaniel C. Drucker (B.S., M.S., Ph.D. 1939) - mechanical engineer; authority on theory of plasticity; National Medal of Science; Timoshenko Medal; Drucker MedalVal Logsdon Fitch (Ph.D.) - nuclear physicist, National Medal of ScienceMilton Friedman (Ph.D. 1946) - economist; John Bates Clark Medal (1951); National Medal of Science (1988); Presidential Medal of Freedom (1988)James Glimm (Ph.D.) - mathematical physicist, National Medal of Science, Priestley MedalLouis Plack Hammett (Ph.D.) - physical chemist; creator, Hammett equation, Curtin-Hammett principle; National Medal of Science, Priestley MedalMichael Heidelberger (B.S., Ph.D. 1911) - immunologist, Lasker Award, National Medal of ScienceRoald Hoffman (B.S. 1958) - chemist, National Medal of ScienceElvin A. Kabat (Ph.D.) - biomedical scientist; National Medal of Science; one of the founding fathers of modern quantitative immunochemistryRudolf E. Kálmán (Ph.D. 1957) - electrical engineer, mathematical systems theorist; National Medal of Science; Kyoto Prize; IEEE Medal of HonorJoshua Lederberg (B.S.) - molecular biologist; National Medal of Science (1989), Presidential Medal of Freedom (2006)Leon M. Lederman (Ph.D.) - experimental physicist, National Medal of Science, Presidential Medal of FreedomRobert Lefkowitz (B.A. 1962, M.D. 1966) - physician, Shaw Prize, National Medal of ScienceRaymond D. Mindlin (B.A., B.S., C.E., Ph.D.) - mechanician, National Medal of Science, Presidential Medal for MeritWalter Munk (undergrad attendee) - physical oceanographer; Crafoord Prize in Geoscience; National Medal of Science, Kyoto Prize, Vetlesen PrizeFrank Press (M.A., Ph.D.) - geophysicist, National Medal of ScienceJulian Schwinger (B.A., M.D.) - theoretical physicist, National Medal of ScienceWarren G. Smirl, M.D. - general surgeonAlfred Sturtevant (Ph.D.) - geneticist, National Medal of SciencePatrick Suppes (Ph.D. 1950) - philosopher, 1990 National Medal of Science; contributions to philosophy of science, theory of measurement, foundations of quantum mechanicsJohn G. Trump (M.S.) - high-voltage engineer and physicist; National Medal of Science; National Academy of EngineeringHarold Varmus (M.D. 1941) - Director, National Institutes of Health; Nobel Laureate; National Medal of Science; president and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer CenterEvelyn M. Witkin (Ph.D.) - geneticist; National Medal of Science; National Academy of Sciences; Thomas Hunt Morgan MedalJan Drewes Achenbach (post-doc research) - mechanical engineer; 2003 National Medal of Technology; ASME MedalEdwards Deming (faculty 1988–93) - statistician; 1987 National Medal of TechnologyWalter Lincoln Hawkins (postgraduate research) - chemical engineer, chemist; 1992 National Medal of Technology; first African-American member, National Academy of Engineering; National Inventors Hall of FameRobert Ledley (B.S., M.S. 1950) - professor of physiology and biophysics; 1997 National Medal of Technology; National Inventors Hall of Fame; pioneered use of electronic digital computers in biology and medicine; research lead to invention of whole-body CT scanner;Arun Netravali (faculty) - computer engineer; 2001 National Medal of Technology; 1991 IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal; President of Bell Laboratories (1999-2001) and former Chief Scientist for Lucent TechnologiesSee also: Notable alumni of Columbia College of Columbia University (Scientists and inventors) for additional listing of more than 28 scientists and inventors, Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science for additional listing of more than 55 scientists, engineers, computer scientists and inventors, and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons for additional listing of more than 100 physicians
Saul Amarel (M.S. 1953, Ph.D. 1955) - computer scientist and pioneer in artificial intelligenceRoy Chapman Andrews (M.A.) - dinosaur bone hunter; Cover of Time Magazine, October 29, 1923Virginia Apgar (M.D. 1933) - effectively founded the field of neonatology; created the Apgar score used to evaluate the health of newborn babiesEdwin Howard Armstrong (B.S. 1913) - inventor of radio circuitry such as the regenerative circuit and FM radio; pioneer in feedback amplifiers; first Institute of Radio Engineers (now IEEE Medal of Honor); 1941 Franklin Medal, 1942 Edison Medal; National Inventors Hall of FameOswald Avery (M.D. 1904) - discoverer of DNA's role in transmitting genetic informationT. Romeyn Beck (M.D.) - forensic medicine pioneerH. I. Biegeleisen (B.S.) - physician and vein expert, pioneer of phlebologyIra Black (B.A. 1961) - neuroscientist and stem cell researcher who served as the first director of the Stem Cell Institute of New JerseyThomas Berry Brazelton (M.D.) - pediatrician; Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment ScaleThomas H. Chilton (B.A. 1922) - chemical engineer; a founder of modern chemical engineering practice; Chilton and Colburn J-factor analogyMarie Maynard Daly (Ph.D. 1947) - first African-American woman to earn a doctorate in chemistryCharles Drew (M.D. 1940) - inventor of blood plasma preservation systemHelen Flanders Dunbar (Ph.D. 1929) - important early figure in U.S. psychosomatic medicineNoam Elkies (B.S.) - three-time Putnam Fellow; mathematician, co-creator of Schoof–Elkies–Atkin algorithm; chess masterJoseph Engelberger ( B.S. 1946, M.S. 1949) - engineer and entrepreneur, often credited with being the father of robotics; 1997 Japan PrizeDavid Eppstein (M.S. 1985, Ph.D. 1989) - computer scientist, mathematicianJames C. Fletcher (B.S.) - physicist, 4th and 7th Administrator of NASAFerdinand Freudenstein (Ph.D.) - mechanical engineer, "father of modern kinematics"; National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of ScienceTom Frieden (M.D., MPH) - Director of U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2009–); N. Y. City Health Commissioner (2002–09)Elmer L. Gaden (B.S., M.S., Ph.D.) - father of biochemical engineering; fifth recipient of 2009 Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize; National Academy of EngineeringAlfred Norton Goldsmith —(Ph.D.) - electrical engineer; IEEE Medal of HonorGordon Gould (work toward Ph.D., did not complete) - inventor of the laserBenjamin Graham (B.A. 1914) - father of modern security analysis and value investing, taught Warren BuffettWilliam Stewart Halsted (M.D.) - thought by many to be the most innovative, influential and important US surgeonTsuruko Haraguchi (Ph.D. 1912) - psychologistWalter Lincoln Hawkins (postgraduate research) - chemical engineer, chemist; first African-American member, National Academy of Engineering; 1992 National Medal of Technology; National Inventors Hall of FameGustav A. Hedlund (M.A.) - mathematician, one of the founders of symbolic and topological dynamicsJean Emily Henley (M.D. 1940) - wrote the first German anesthesia textbook after World War IIHerman Hollerith (B.S. 1879, Ph.D.) - statistician who developed a mechanical tabulator; founder of one of the companies that later merged and became IBMRobert Jastrow (B.A, M.A. Ph.D.) - astronomerArthur Jensen (Ph.D. 1956) - known for work in psychometrics and differential psychology; educational psychologist who argued for heritability of intelligenceEdward Kasner (Ph.D. 1899) - mathematician, coined the term googol; Kasner metric, Kasner polygonMarshall Kay (Ph.D. 1929) - geologist; known for stratigraphy; 1971 Penrose MedalRobert Ledley (B.S., M.S. 1950) - professor of physiology and biophysics; pioneered use of electronic digital computers in biology and medicine; research lead to invention of whole-body CT scanner; National Medal of Technology; National Inventors Hall of FameKai-Fu Lee (B.S. 1983) - prominent figures in Chinese internet sector; established China division, Microsoft Research; establishing China research division for GoogleJohn W. Marchetti (A.B., B.S. 1925; E.E. 1931) - radar pioneer combining government and industrial activitiesWinifred Edgerton Merrill (Ph.D. 1886) - first American woman to receive a Ph.D. in mathematicsRobert Mills (B.A.) - Putnam Fellow; physicist, specializing in quantum field theory, the theory of alloys, and many-body theory; Yang-Mills fieldsRobert Moog (B.S.E.E.) - pioneer of electronic music, best known as the inventor of the Moog synthesizerJoel Moses (B.A., M.A.) - MIT Provost and Institute Professor, author of MacsymaWilliam Nierenberg (Ph.D.) - Putnam Fellow; physicist, worked on Manhattan Project; director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (1965–86)Edward Lawry Norton (M.S. 1925) - electrical engineer, discovered the Norton equivalent circuitBedabrata Pain (M.S., Ph.D., Applied physics) - Indian inventor; CMOS image sensor, active pixel sensor, 87 invention patents; film directorWilliam Barclay Parsons (B.S. 1879) - civil engineerMichael I. Pupin (B.S. 1883) - physicist and physical chemist; IEEE Medal of Honor, Edison Medal for his work in mathematical physics; Pulitzer Prize for his autobiographyHyman G. Rickover - father of U.S. nuclear submarine fleet; Enrico Fermi Award; U.S. Navy four-star admiralOra Mendelsohn Rosen (M.D. 1960) - cell biology researcherRuth Schmidt (M.S. 1939, Ph.D. 1948) - geologistBenjamin Spock (M.D. 1929) - pediatrician, author of The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care; Olympic rowerGeorge Clark Southworth (graduate study) - radio engineer; pioneering contributions: microwave radio physics, radio astronomy, waveguides; IEEE Medal of HonorPaul Stelzer (M.D. 1972) - cardiothoracic surgeon and expert in the Ross procedureJohn Stevens (A.B. 1768) - built first steam railroad, responsible for first patent law in the U.S.John Stone Stone (1886–1888) - mathematician, physicist, inventor; influential in developing wireless communication technology, IEEE Medal of HonorHing Tong (Ph.D.) - mathematician, algebraic topology; theoretical physics; known for providing original proof of Katetov–Tong insertion theoremJoseph F. Traub (Ph.D.) - computer scientist; National Academy of EngineeringNeil deGrasse Tyson (MPhil. 1989, Ph.D. 1991) - astrophysicist, science communicator; first and current Director of the Hayden PlanetariumRoy Vagelos (M.D.) - mastered three professions: medicine, science, and businessAllen Whipple (M.D.) - surgeon known for pancreatic surgery bearing his name (the Whipple procedure), as well as Whipple's triadVictor Wouk (B.A. 1939) - scientist and engineer; pioneer in the development of electric and hybrid vehiclesLotfi A. Zadeh (Ph.D. 1949) - mathematician, electrical engineer, computer scientist, artificial intelligence researcher; founder of fuzzy mathematics, fuzzy set theory, fuzzy logic; IEEE Medal of Honor; National Academy of EngineeringBruno H. Zimm (B.S. 1941, M.S. 1943, Ph.D. 1944) - polymer chemist and DNA researcher; in statistical mechanics, the Zimm–Bragg modelAstronauts and aviators
Kenneth D. Bowersox (M.S. 1979)Kevin P. Chilton (M.S. 1977)Amelia Earhart (attended one semester, 1920)William G. Gregory (M.S. 1980)Gregory H. Johnson (M.S. 1985)Michael J. Massimino (B.S. 1984)Story Musgrave (M.D. 1964)Eugene H. Trinh (B.S. 1972)Carmen Twillie Ambar (J.D.) - ninth woman to lead Douglass College and 13th president of Cedar Crest CollegeFrederick A.P. Barnard - president of Columbia; Chancellors of the University of Mississippi; namesake of Barnard CollegeLee Bollinger (JD 1971) - current president of Columbia; former president of University of Michigan; former Provost of Dartmouth College; First Amendment scholar; defendant in two key affirmative action cases in the United States Supreme Court; Chair of the Board of Federal Reserve Bank of New York (2011)H. Keith H. Brodie (M.D.) - chancellor (1982–1985) and president (1985–1993) of Duke UniversityHarold Brown (B.S., M.S., Ph.D.)—physicist; former president of Caltech; former dean, School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins UniversityNicholas Murray Butler (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.) - president of Columbia University; Nobel Laureate; president of Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceColin Campbell (J.D.) - 13th president of Wesleyan UniversityMargaret Clapp (Ph.D 1937) - president of Wellesley College (1949–1966)James S. Coles (B.S. 1936, Ph.D.) - former president of Bowdoin CollegeMichael Crow (faculty) - president of Arizona State UniversityColgate Darden (1923) - chancellor of College of William and Mary (1946–47); president of University of Virginia (1947–59); namesake of Darden Graduate School of Business AdministrationNicholas Dirks (faculty) - 10th chancellor-designate of University of California, Berkeley; professor of anthropology and history; Dean of faculty of arts and sciencesLivingston Farrand (M.D.) - 4th president of Cornell University and University of Colorado; public health advocateJohn Henry Fischer (M.S. 1949, Ph.D. 1951) - president and dean of Teachers College, Columbia University for fifteen years; as school superintendent, made Baltimore the first large American city to desegregate its public schoolsJames C. Fletcher (B.A.) - president of University of Utah; head of NASALether Frazar (Ph.D.) - president of University of Louisiana at Lafayette and McNeese State University; Lieutenant Governor of LouisianaEllen V. Futter (J.D. 1974) - president of Barnard College (1980–93); president of American Museum of Natural HistoryGordon Gee (J.D., Ed.D.) - former president of Brown University; former chancellor of Vanderbilt University; twice president of, Ohio State University; president of the University of Colorado at Boulder and West Virginia UniversityFrank Goodnow (LL.B. 1882) - president of Johns Hopkins UniversityRalph Waldo Emerson Jones (M.A.) - president of historically black Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana, 1936-1977Thomas Kean (M.A.) - president of Drew University; head of 9/11 CommissionEamon Kelly (Ph.D.) - former president of Tulane UniversityGrayson L. Kirk (faculty) - president of ColumbiaGeorge Latimer (LL.B.) - regent of University of MinnesotaJoshua Lederberg (B.A. 1944; graduate study) - former president of Rockefeller University; Nobel Prize–winning biologist; National Medal of Science; Presidential Medal of FreedomRonald D. Liebowitz (Ph.D. 1985) - president of Middlebury College (2004—)Peter Likins (faculty) - electrical engineer; president of University of Arizona; former president of Lehigh UniversityJohn V. Lombardi (M.A. 1964, Ph.D. 1968) - president of University of Florida (1990–1999); chancellor of University of Massachusetts Amherst (2002–2007); president of Louisiana State University System (2007–present)Seth Low (B.A. 1870) - president of Columbia University; chairman of Tuskegee Institute (1907–1916)James L. McConaughy (Ph.D. 1913) - president of Wesleyan University and Knox CollegeAlfred Thayer Mahan (attended two years) - president of U.S. Naval War College; author of The Influence of Sea Power upon HistoryAnthony Marx (faculty) - president of Amherst CollegeMartin Meyerson (B.A.) - president of the University of Pennsylvania; acting chancellor of University of California, Berkeley; president of State University of New York at BuffaloJ. Hillis Miller, Sr. (Ph.D. 1933) - fourth president of University of Florida (1947–1953)Robert A. Millikan (Ph.D. 1895) - early president of Caltech (1921–1945); Nobel Prize–winning physicist; first to measure the charge of the electronChristina Hull Paxson (M.A. 1985, Ph.D. 1987)—19th president of Brown University (2012–); former Dean and Professor of Economics & Public Affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International AffairsMario Laserna Pinzon (B.A.) - founded the Universidad de Los AndesPeter Pouncey (Ph.D. 1969) - classicist; former president of Amherst CollegeJehuda Reinharz (B.S.) - president of Brandeis UniversityNicanor Reyes, Sr. (Ph.D.) - founder and first president of Far Eastern University in Manila, PhilippinesThomas Hedley Reynolds (M.A. 1947, Ph.D. 1953) - historian; president of Bates CollegeJudith Rodin (Ph.D.) - psychologist; chancellor and former president of University of Pennsylvania; president of Rockefeller Foundation; former provost of Yale UniversityBrian C. Rosenberg (M.A., Ph.D.) - 16th president of Macalester College (2003–)David Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville (M.B.A.) - Chancellor of the University of Cambridge (elected October 16, 2011)William Schuman (B.S. 1935) - president of Juilliard School of Music; president of Lincoln Center; inaugural Pulitzer Prize for Music; founded Juilliard String Quartet; awarded National Medal of ArtsBeheruz Sethna (M.Phil., Ph.D) - president of University of West Georgia; Professor of Business at the UniversityJudith Shapiro (Ph.D.) - former president of Barnard College; anthropologistMichael Sovern (B.A., Ph.D.) - president of Columbia University; Dean of Columbia Law School; professor at Columbia Law SchoolLida Lee Tall (B.A.) - sixth president/principal of State Teachers College at Towson (now Towson University)Stephen Joel Trachtenberg (B.A. 1959) - president of George Washington University and the University of HartfordDavid Truman (faculty) - political scientist and educator; former president of Mount Holyoke CollegeAndrew Truxal (Ph.D. 1928) - president of Hood College and Anne Arundel Community CollegeMichael K. Young (Law faculty) - president of University of Utah; former dean of George Washington University Law SchoolSee also: above at Nobel Laureates (Alumni) for separate listing of more than 43 academics and theorists, Notable alumni at Columbia College of Columbia University (Academicians), Columbia Law School (Academia: University presidents and Legal Academia), and Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Economists-Natural Scientists, Social Scientists) for separate listing of more than 163 academics and theorists
Mortimer Adler (Ph.D.) - founder of the Great Books movementClaude Ake (Ph.D. 1966) - Nigerian political scientistKenneth Arrow (M.S., Ph.D.) - economist; John Bates Clark Medal, National Medal of ScienceE. Digby Baltzell (Ph.D.) - sociologist, credited with the popularization of the acronym WASPJacques Barzun (B.A. 1927, Ph.D. 1932; faculty 1932–75) - historian; 2003 Presidential Medal of Freedom; 2010 National Humanities MedalSteven M. Bellovin (B.A.) - computer scientist; one of originators of USENET; co-inventor, Encrypted key exchange password-authenticated key agreement methodsRuth Benedict (Ph.D.) - cultural anthropologist, author of The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, a World War II-era study of Japanese cultureTheos Casimir Bernard (Ph.D.) - accomplished practitioner of yoga and Tibetan Buddhism; scholar of religion; explorerWalter Block (Ph.D.) - Austrian School free market economistKaren Boroff (Ph.D.) - Dean, Stillman School of Business, Seton Hall UniversityJoseph Campbell (B.A., M.A.) - mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religionJohn Maurice Clark (Ph.D 1910) - economistRobert C. Clark (Ph.D. 1971) - Dean and Professor of Law, Harvard Law School (1989–2003)Margaret Cuninggim - served as Dean of Women at the University of Tennessee and at Vanderbilt UniversityRobert Dallek (M.A. 1957, Ph.D. 1964) - historian specializing in American presidents; winner of Bancroft PrizeWm. Theodore de Bary (B.A.) - East Asian studies expertJohn Dewey - philosopher, developed theory of pragmatismDonna Robinson Divine (Ph.D. 1971) - political scientistNorman Dorsen (B.A. 1950) - Professor of Law at NYU Law School (Constitutional Law, Civil Liberties, and Comparative Constitutional Law)Irwin Edman (B.A., Ph.D. 1964) - philosopher and writerRichard Epstein (B.A. 1964) - considered one of the most influential legal thinkers of modern timesYael S. Feldman (PhD. 1981) - Abraham I. Katsh Professor of Hebrew Culture and Education and Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York UniversityCharles Ferster (M.A., Ph.D.) - behavioral psychologistMoses Finley (M.A., Ph.D.) - historian noted for his work on the ancient economyJoshua Fishman (Ph.D.) - distinguished linguist specializing in social linguistics, language and culture, and YiddishRichard Florida (Ph.D. 1986) - urban studies theorist; created concept, creative class and its implications for urban regenerationGilberto Freyre (M.A. 1922) - Brazilian sociologist, cultural anthropologist and historianMilton Friedman (Ph.D.) - free market economist; John Bates Clark Medal, National Medal of Science, Presidential Medal of FreedomAllan Gotthelf (Ph.D. 1975) - philosopher, and a recognized authority on the philosophies of both Aristotle and Ayn RandLynne Hanley (M.A.) - literary criticEdward Harris (B.A. 1971) - inventor of the Harris matrixSidney Hook (Ph.D 1927) - philosopher of the Pragmatist school; Presidential Medal of FreedomJ. C. Hurewitz (M.A. 1937, Ph.D. 1950) - Middle East scholar, Columbia faculty 1950–84Jane Jacobs (two years of graduate studies) - urban theoristIra Katznelson (B.A. 1966) - political scientist and historian; When Affirmative Action Was White (2005)Donald Keene (B.A. 1942) - Japanese studies expertRuth Landes (Ph.D. 1935) - author, City of Women (1947)Paul Lazarsfeld - major figure in 20th-century American sociology; founder of Columbia University's Bureau of Applied Social ResearchHarvey J. Levin (M.A. 1948, Ph.D. 1953) - communications economics pioneerSeymour Martin Lipset (Ph.D. 1949) - sociologistMargaret Mead (M.S. 1924, Ph.D. 1929) - anthropologist; Presidential Medal of Freedom; Kalinga PrizeRobert Nozick (A.B. 1959, summa cum laude) - philosopherMarvin Opler (Ph.D. 1938) - anthropologist and social psychiatristMichael Oren (B.A., M.A.) - historian and author; Israeli ambassador to the United StatesCharles Patterson (M.A., Ph.D.) - author and historianRichard Popkin (B.A. 1950, Ph.D.) - academic philosopher, specialized in the history of enlightenment philosophy and early modern anti-dogmatismAlvin Poussaint (B.A. 1956) - professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; author of numerous books on child psychiatryFrank Press (M.A., Ph.D.) - geophysicist, work in seismic activity and wave theory, counsel to four U.S. Presidents.Steven Rubenstein (B.A. 1984, M.A. 1986, Ph.D. 1995) - anthropologistJames R. Russell (B.A.) - Ancient Near Eastern scholar; professor at Harvard UniversityNaomi Sager (B.S.E.E., 1953) - computational linguist; professor at New York University; pioneer in the field of natural language computer processingEdward Sapir (B.A. 1904, M.A. 1905, Ph.D. 1909) - linguist and anthropologist, co-creator of Sapir-Whorf hypothesisAndrew Sarris (B.A.) - film critic; a leading proponent of the auteur theory of criticism; controversialistNathan A. Scott, Jr. (Ph.D.) - literary scholar and founder of the theology and literature doctoral program at the University of ChicagoAnwar Shaikh (M.A., Ph.D. 1973) - Professor of Economics; professor at The New School for Social Research of New YorkPatrick Suppes (Ph.D.) - philosopher, National Medal of ScienceLionel Trilling (B.A. 1925, M.A. 1926, Ph.D. 1938) - literary criticImmanuel Wallerstein (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.) - sociologistEugene P. Watson (advanced study 1960) - namesake of the library at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LouisianaPhilip L. White (MA 1952, Ph.D. 1954) - nationality historian and political activist in Austin, TexasSean Wilentz (B.A. 1972) - Chair of American Studies at Princeton University; winner of the Bancroft Prize in historyJay Winter (B.A. 1966) - World War I scholar at Yale UniversityThomas Woods (M.Phil., Ph.D.) - historianAaron D. Wyner (Ph.D. 1963) - information theorist noted for his contributions in coding theoryHoward Zinn (M.A., Ph.D.) - historianMario Ančić (LL.M. 2013) - former Croatian professional tennis player and current NBA executiveRoone Arledge (B.A.) - pioneer of sports and news broadcasting with ABC]; Monday Night Football, 20/20; winner of 37 Emmy AwardsNorman Armitage - 17-time national champion sabre fencer, and six-time OlympianKyra Tirana Barry (B.A. 1987), Team Leader for United States Women's National wrestling teamLou Bender (B.A. 1932, LL.M. 1935) - pioneer player with Columbia Lions and in early pro basketball; later a trial attorneyWilliam Campbell (B.A.) - Chairman of the Board (incumbent as of 2009) and former CEO of Intuit, Inc.; head football coach, Columbia University, 1974–79José Raúl Capablanca - world chess champion (1921–27)Isadora Cerullo - 2016 Olympic rugby playerGary Cohen (B.A.) - New York Mets television play-by-play announcerEddie Collins (CC 1907) - Baseball Hall of Fame second basemanCaryn Davies (J.D. 2013) - rower, stroke seat in women's eight; gold medals, 2012 Summer Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics; silver medal, 2004 Summer OlympicsAnnie Duke - professional poker playerLou Gehrig (1921–23) - baseball player for the New York Yankees; enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, suffered from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ("Lou Gehrig's Disease")Bruce Gehrke (B.A.) - NFL player with New York GiantsVitas Gerulaitis - professional tennis playerEdward P. Hurt - Morgan's football, basketball and track coachMax Kellerman (B.A. 1998) - ESPN Radio host in Los Angeles and HBO boxing analystDan Kellner - four-time All-American, NCAA foil champion; national champion; two-time Pan American gold medalist; silver medalist; Maccabiah silver medalistSandy Koufax - Baseball Hall of Fame pitcherShaul Ladany (Ph.D 1968) - world-record-holding Israeli racewalker; Bergen-Belsen survivor; Munich Massacre survivor; Professor of Industrial EngineeringMaya Lawrence (M.A.) - fencer; bronze medal in the women's team épée, United States Fencing Team, 2012 Summer OlympicsHoward Lederer - professional poker player; brother of Annie DukeSid Luckman (B.A.) - football quarterback, enshrinee of the Pro Football Hall of FameJames M. "Jim" McMillian (B.A.) - NBA basketball playerCliff Montgomery (B.A.) - football quarterback; enshrinee in College Football Hall of Fame; captain and MVP of Rose Bowl-winning squad; Silver Star recipient in U.S. NavyTroy Murphy (B.A. expected December 2015) - former NBA playerDave Newmark - NBA basketball playerMark Pope (M.D. Class of 2010) - former NBA player; left Columbia before graduation to pursue a coaching career; now head coach at Utah ValleyPaul Robeson - football All-American, attorney, musician, activistArchie Roberts (B.A. 1942) - played with the Miami Dolphins; subsequently became a cardiac surgeonBob Sheppard (M.A. 1933) - sports announcer, "Voice of the Yankees"William Milligan Sloane - founder of the United States Olympic CommitteeKeeth Smart (Business School) - silver medal, fencing, 2008 Summer OlympicsDavid Stern (J.D.) - NBA Commissioner, 1984–2014Cristina Teuscher (B.A. 2000) - Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer, 1996Jenny Thompson (M.D. 2006) - former competition swimmer; won 12 medals, including eight gold medals, in 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 Summer OlympicsLeRoy T. Walker (M.A.) - first black president of the United States Olympic Committee (1992–1996)Marcellus Wiley (B.A. 1997) - football player, Pro Bowl defensive endJames L. Williams (B.A.) - world-class fencer; Olympic silver-medal winner, 2008See also: notable alumni of Columbia Law School (Activism) and Columbia College (Miscellaneous) for a separate listing of more than 50 activists
Bella Abzug (LL.M. 1947) - social rights activist and a leader of the women's rights movementAnna Baltzer - public speaker and Jewish-American pro-Palestinian activistMark Barnes (LL.M. 1991) - advocate for public healthcare law at the state and national levels; co-founded the first AIDS law clinicEdward Bassett (LL.B. 1886) - one of the founding fathers of modern-day urban planningLee Bollinger - advocate for affirmative action, defendant in Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. BollingerRobert L. Carter (LL.M. 1941) - civil rights activist, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund general counsel, in which capacity he argued Brown v. Board of Education IIJulius L. Chambers (LL.M. 1964) - civil rights leader, attorney, and educator; third President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational FundFelix Cohen (1928) - advocate for Native American rights, fundamentally shaped federal Native American law and policyRoy Cohn (LL.M. 1947) - conservative lawyer who became famous during the investigations of Senator Joseph McCarthy into alleged Communists in the U.S. governmentRobert Cover (J.D. 1968) - civil rights and international anti-violence activist, professor at Yale Law SchoolAnnie Elizabeth Delany (D.D.S. 1923) - dentist and civil rights pioneer; subject, New York Times bestselling oral history, Having Our SaySarah Louise Delany (B.A. 1920, M.A. 1925) - educator and civil rights pioneer; subject, New York Times bestselling oral history, Having Our SayDaniel DeLeon (LL.M. 1878) - socialist newspaper editor, politician, trade union organizer; regarded as forefather of idea of revolutionary industrial unionismAlbert DeSilver (LL.B. 1913) - a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)William Dudley Foulke (LL.B. 1871) - reformer; principal reformers, New York State and federal civil service systems; early president of American Suffrage AssociationRuth Bader Ginsburg (LL.B.) - women's rights advocate, co-founded the Women's Rights Law Reporter; co-authored the first law school casebook on sex discrimination; as chief litigator of the ACLU's women's rights project, she argued six cases before the U.S. Supreme CourtJack Greenberg (B.A. 1945, LL.B. 1948) - second President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; argued 40 civil rights cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including Brown v. Board of Education (1954)Arthur Garfield Hays (LL.B. 1905) - civil liberties activist, general counsel for the ACLU, notable trials included Scopes Trial, trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, and Scottsboro caseDorothy Height (graduate study) - administrator, educator, and social activist; president of National Council of Negro Women for forty years; Presidential Medal of Freedom; Congressional Gold MedalCharles Evans Hughes, one of the co-founders of the National Conference of Christians and Jews to oppose the Ku Klux Klan, anti-Catholicism, and anti-SemitismBen Jealous (B.A.) - Rhodes Scholar; president and chief executive officer, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) (2008–)Wang Juntao (Ph.D. Pol. Sci., 2006) - one of alleged heads of 1989 Tiananmen Square protestsSteve Kelly, legal advocate for litigants who could not afford an attorney and for public housing tenants; consumer advocateRushworth Kidder (Ph.D.) - founded the Institute for Global EthicsWilliam Kunstler (LL.B. 1948) - civil rights and human rights activist; director, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) (1964–1972); co-founded, Center for Constitutional RightsEugene Lang (M.S. 1940) - philanthropist, Presidential Medal of FreedomCharles K. Lexow, first attorney for the Legal Aid Society of New York City; brother of Clarence Lexow (class of 1872)Li Lu (1996) - one of the student leaders of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests, first student at Columbia to simultaneously receive B.A., M.B.A., and J.D. degreesVilma Socorro Martínez - served for almost ten years as president and general counsel of Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational FundMeghan McCain (B.A. 2007) - blogger and daughter of Arizona senator John McCainJames Meredith (L.B. 1968) - American civil rights movement figure, first African-American student at the University of MississippiConstance Baker Motley (LL.B. 1946) - attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (1945–64); Manhattan Borough president (1964–66)Kelly Overton, animal rights activistAntonia Pantoja (M.S. 1954) - Presidential Medal of Freedom; educator, social worker, feminist, civil rights leader and founder of ASPIRAMarshall Perlin (LL.B. 1942) - civil liberties lawyer, defended Soviet spies Julius and Ethel RosenbergAnika Rahman (J.D. 1990) - president and CEO, Ms. Foundation for Women (2/2011)Paul Rapoport (J.D. 1965) - co-founder of the New York City Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Services Center and the Gay Men's Health CrisisMichael Ratner (J.D. 1969) - human rights activist on national and international level, current president of the Center for Constitutional Rights (co-founded by William Kunstler in 1969) - National Law Journal named him as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in the United States (2006)Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf (B.A. nuclear engineering, 1969) - American Sufi imam, author, and activistIsaac Rice, U.S. chess patronPaul Robeson (LL.B. 1923) - civil and human rights activist, international social justice activist, writer, Spingarn MedalTheodore Roosevelt - progressive reformer, conservationist, a leader of the Republican Party and the Progressive PartyMenachem Z. Rosensaft (1979) - a leader of the Second Generation Movement of children of Jewish survivorsBrad R. Roth (LL.M. 1992) - social and human rights activist, critic of torture policies in the administration of George W. BushCharles Ruthenberg (1909) - founder of the Communist Party of America (1919)Mikheil Saakashvili (LL.M. 1994) - founder and leader of the United National Movement in Georgia (country), leader of the bloodless "Rose Revolution"Theodore Shaw, civil rights leader, attorney, and educator; former 5th President and Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational FundArthur B. Spingarn (A.B. 1897) - leader in fight for civil rights for African Americans, third president of NAACPJoel Elias Spingarn (A.B. 1895) - educator, literary critic, and civil rights activist; second president of NAACP; established Spingarn MedalAbby Stein (B.A. expected 2019) - trans activist, educator, model, and speaker. First Openly trans person, and rabbi, from an Ultra Orthodox Jewish community.Leon Sullivan (M.A. 1947) - Presidential Medal of Freedom; civil rights activist; anti-apartheid activist; long-time GM board member; Baptist ministerFranklin A. Thomas - president of the Ford Foundation (1976–91)Judith Vladeck (1947) - civil rights advocate, particularly on behalf of women; helped set new legal precedents against sex discrimination and age discriminationFaye Wattleton (M.S. 1967) - president of the Center for the Advancement of Women, National Women's Hall of FameCharles Weltner (1950) - advocate for racial equality, second individual to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage AwardGrace Adler — Will & GraceAlexis Castle - CastleMatt Camden and Ruthie Camden - 7th Heaven; originally from Glenoak went to Columbia Med School.Dr. Eric Foreman – House, attended undergraduate school at ColumbiaMatthew Murdock, Esq. - Marvel Comics superhero Daredevil; Columbia Law SchoolDr. Victor Von Doom, Dr. Doom, Marvel Comics supervillainMarshall Eriksen (alumnus of Columbia Law School) - How I Met Your MotherDr. Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic - leader of the Marvel Comics superhero team the Fantastic FourRoss Geller — Friends; has a Ph.D. in paleontology from ColumbiaSaskia Kupferberg - The Sopranos; attended Columbia College, Columbia UniversityAlex Mercer - video game Prototype; alumna of ColumbiaPeter Parker — Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films; Columbia University physics studentMeadow Soprano — The Sopranos; alumna of Columbia College, Columbia UniversityJessie Spano — Saved by the BellAsuka Sugo Future GPX Cyber Formula; Columbia University alumnaWill Truman — Will & GraceSerena van der Woodsen - Gossip GirlBlair Waldorf - Gossip GirlJeff Winger - Community; his diploma from Columbia Law School is discovered to be from the country of Colombia, and he is forced to attend Greendale Community College
