On a night when Columbia College shone a spotlight on some of its most successful alumni, the lights shone brightest on a man whose tireless efforts on behalf of the College have made him a fixture on campus and in every aspect of undergraduate life. Gerald Sherwin, CC '55, joined four of his fellow alumni in receiving the John Jay Award, which recognizes the professional achievements of College graduates.
The gala, black-tie affair, held at the posh midtown Plaza Hotel, is the College's most glamorous event of the year, and last night did not disappoint. Presitigious alumni rubbed elbows with professors, administrators, and a select group of undergraduate students while sipping wine and dining on a luxurious three-course meal.
The annual event helps support the John Jay Scholars program, which offers aid and opportunities to some of the College's most promising students. Last night's event raised nearly $700,000 for the fund.
Most of the event was dedicated to honoring alumni and the College, but the evening was not without its moment of drama. John Jay Award-winner John Corigliano, CC '59, a composer who won an Oscar for his score to the film The Red Violin, briefly silenced the crowd with his muted but nonetheless unexpected criticism of Columbia's Middle Eastern Studies program.
Corigliano said that what made Columbia unique when he was a student was the openness of the faculty to ideas with which they did not agree.
"I didn't know it at the time, but I felt encouraged to go on and be a composer because I wasn't discouraged by the kind of fundamentalist 'there is only one way' kind of composing," Corigliano said. "I say this because throughout this country there has been an enormous, enormous amount of publicity about the various departments of Middle Eastern Studies, and about the fact that the anti-Israeli policy in these [departments] is enormous. And one can say that of the department of Middle Eastern languages and cultures at Columbia, that that's true here."
Corigliano warned that, whatever professors' personal beliefs, they must accept all views in their classrooms.
Corigliano's comments drew raised eyebrows but also sustained applause.
The evening belonged, however, to Sherwin, who made his career in advertising but has dedicated his life to the College. Sherwin, who recently completed a term as president of the College Alumni Association, is famous on campus for attending seemingly every Columbia event, especially basketball games, both home and away.
"When you get to know Columbia as I have, you go to many, many events, and there's this guy who's always there," said University President Lee Bollinger as he introduced Sherwin, who drew a massive ovation.
Sherwin, who said he had "lived and breathed Columbia" since high school, said his professors "made me think, analyze, and express myself." Before his speech, he said he was honored to receive the award from the institution he cares about so deeply. "I think it means more than people realize," Sherwin said. "I really believe that the College ... made me what I am today."
The other winners were similarly appreciative. David Altchek, CC '78, an orthopedic surgeon who pioneered the groundbreaking "Tommy Johns" elbow surgery, thanked Columbia for helping him achieve such success.
"I'd like to thank Columbia for disciplining my mind while increasing its range," Altchek said. "I'd like to thank Columbia for being in Manhattan. ... I'd like to thank Columbia for helping me make friends for life."
Mark Lehman, CC '73, a member of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which is charged with helping lower Manhattan rebuild from Sept. 11, said he was "proud, but ... also humbled at the same time," to receive the award. Lehman recounted the story of his first visit to Columbia as a high school senior, when he toured the campus and ate at V&T's Pizzeria.
"I knew right at that dinner that there was absolutely no question where I was going to go to school," Lehman said.
Joseph Greenaway, Jr., CC '78, a federal district court judge in New Jersey and chair of the Black Alumni Council, said he was "walking among giants" in receiving the award.
The evening concluded with a brief speech by Mary Rozenman, CC '03, a John Jay scholar who has done pioneering research in chemistry, and who also completed an undergraduate thesis on Russian literature by the end of her sophomore year.
Rozenman said Columbia had helped her life take a course she had never expected. She entered Columbia as a pre-med, intending to become a doctor, but fell in love with literature and, later, with chemistry.
"I feel I have understood the value of keeping an open mind," Rozenman said. "Even with the core, I knew that I needed to branch out even more from the sciences."
Rozenman was just one of many people who paid tribute to both the breadth and depth of a Columbia education. Columbia College Dean Austin Quigley stressed the importance of learning beyond the classroom.
"The College education isn't just a classroom education, but an experiential education," Quigley said.
Last night was a celebration of both kinds of learning. Quigley said the night was a celebration of the past, present, and future of the College.
"The College really exists not just in terms of its current students but in terms of all the people who have studied at Columbia in the past," Quigley said before the dinner. "So this is an opportunity for the former students of the College and the present students of the College to get to know each other and to get some sense of the tradition of being a student at Columbia."