Looking for fun and enriching events in New York City this summer? Columbia Summer Session has you covered!
This year’s summer public events at Columbia include dynamic conversations featuring Columbia’s senior faculty and notable leaders discussing their work in areas from sustainability and public policy to arts, culture, and finance. Drawing on the summer “Focus Areas,” the series launches June 5 on World Environment Day with a conversation led by Sustainability Management program director and SPS vice dean Steve Cohen with leaders in sustainability from across NYC’s public and private sectors. Columbia’s School of the Arts professor and award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang will discuss his adaptation of the book Billion Dollar Whale with journalism professor Winnie O’Kelley, who helped break the story of one of the biggest financial frauds in history.
“The public event series is an opportunity for our students and community members to hear directly about the work our faculty does and the impact it has outside of the classroom,” says Troy Eggers, dean of the Columbia University School of Professional Studies. “These events provide a fantastic venue to learn more about Columbia’s diverse faculty, what inspires them, and how they engage with the world beyond our campus.”
The Sounds of Summer Fest is a live music program showcasing up-and-coming New York City artists. All events are free and open for registration. Please see below for more event details.
Check out a few of our Columbia Summer Session events below.
SPS Summer Public Event: Public Affairs and Sustainable Futures
June 5, 2024
5:30–6:30 p.m.
Reception to follow
Venue: Pulitzer Hall, Lecture Hall
Explore how sustainable futures are being shaped through public policy, sustainable infrastructure design, and finance for renewable energy. Moderated by Senior Vice Dean Steve Cohen, director of the M.S. in Sustainability Management program.
SPS Summer Public Event: The Whale of Wall St.
June 18, 2024
5:30–6:30 p.m.
Reception to follow
Venue: Low Library, Faculty Room
How do you tell a story of unprecedented global financial fraud committed by an elusive international fugitive?
In this conversation, Columbia Professors Winnie O’Kelley and David Henry Hwang will discuss the challenges of chronicling one of the generation's greatest financial frauds, perpetrated over the course of a decade by a mild-mannered Wharton School graduate and captured in the international bestseller Billion Dollar Whale. O’Kelley will speak on how she reported on the scandal for The New York Times, and Hwang will share his experience adapting the book for television. RSVP here.
Sounds of Summer Fest Concert: The Rakiem Walker Project, featuring GLRYA
June 12, 2024
12:30–2:00 p.m.
Venue: Lerner Hall, Wang Pavilion
For the first concert in this year’s Sounds of Summer series, join us on June 12 for live music by the Rakiem Walker Project. From jazz to R&B to soul, the Rakiem Walker Project delivers authentic New York City sounds. DJ Kenny Parker will open the event with a 30-minute set. RSVP here.
The next concert in the series will be on July 24.
