Student Life

The Brown Institute for Media Innovation is a collaboration between Columbia University and Stanford University, designed to encourage and support new endeavors in media. Brown awards renewable fellowships to postgraduate or graduate students who create engineering prototypes, innovative media products, or carry out related research. Brown also offers Columbia and Stanford communities the opportunity to submit proposals for Magic Grants. It looks for ideas that are original and have the potential to bring true innovation in the media world, like  Alyson Martin and Nushin Rashidian ’10 M.S. Cannabis Wire, and Jika Gonzalez ’14 M.S. “Cuba Interconectada.”

The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma serves as a resource center and global network of journalists, journalism educators and health professionals dedicated to improving media coverage of trauma, conflict and tragedy. Dart provides travel and lodging assistance through a competitive process that allows students to participate in specialized training workshops on topics that include covering youth violence, suicide and gun violence. It hires a work-study student each academic year to help with editorial content and program promotion. Dart encourages students to pitch blog posts or feature stories for publication on its website.

The Thought Leaders Series brings to the Journalism School journalists and media leaders who will address current issues and concerns. The series, which takes place most Tuesdays in the fall semester, is designed to complement what students are learning in their classes and provide them the opportunity to meet leading practitioners.

The Alfred I. duPont Center for Broadcast & Digital Journalism sponsors many events at the school including the Film Fridays series, that screens a documentary and invites filmmakers to discuss their work like Alex Gibney, Joshua Oppenheimer, Barbara Kopple and Rachel Boynton ’97 M.S. It also holds a lecture series with current duPont winners at the School for students in January. duPont has also started a podcast series, OnAssignment, based on recorded J-School events, which duPont Fellows help produce.

Hearst Digital Media Lectures examine the changing media industry with an emphasis on digital media and online journalism, and supports the Hearst Digital Media Professional-in-Residence who participates in classes and programs, critiques student work, and delivers two lectures during the school year. The series and residency are sponsored by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. Recent Hearst Digital Medial Professionals-in-Residence include Ken Lerer, Steven Berlin Johnson, Krishna Bharat, Rebecca MacKinnon, Amanda Cox, Mario Garcia, Kevin Delaney, Meredith Artley and Melissa Bell. 

The Poliak Center for the Study of First Amendment Issues was established in 1983 by Saul Poliak J'26 and Janice Poliak. Programs organized by the Poliak Center include The First Amendment Breakfast Series and an annual Poliak Lecture. The Poliak Center also provides sponsorship for two named professorships: The William J. Brennan Jr. Visiting Professor of First Amendment Issues, a chair named after the late Supreme Court justice, is now held by George Freeman. The James Madison Visiting Professor on First Amendment Issues is now held by Vanessa Gezari.

The Lorana Sullivan Lecture Series, founded in 2014, is held in honor of the award-winning, pioneer of investigative journalism, Lorana Sullivan J’64.  The series is designed to enhance the role of women in business and financial reporting and generally to improve the quality of investigative journalism. Recent speakers include Dean Steve Coll, Bethany McLean and Diana Henriques.

The Henry Pringle Lecture is named for a long-time faculty member of this school, a Pulitzer Prize winner in biography and a reporter for The Washington Post.  The Pringle Lectures were endowed by the school’s alumni in Washington, D.C. following Pringle’s death in 1958. The annual guest lecturer is asked to speak to graduates on Journalism Day, the day before graduation, on any aspect of Washington politics, public affairs or the media. Recent speakers include Jorge Ramos,  Jane Mayer, Carol Rosenberg, Jim VandeHei and David Brooks.

Fall 2017 Semester

• Essential Columbia Policies
• Gender-based Misconduct Policies
• Campus Smoking Areas
• International Travel Policies