Dear Alumni, Members and Friends of the Columbia community

In the spring of 1995, the Asian Columbia Alumni Association (ACAA) was formed in response to the growing Asian Columbia alumni population and the need to support each other within the Columbia family. Almost 20 years later, we recount our finest memories: mentoring programs, lectures, scholarships, picnics, welcome back receptions, lunar new year banquets, and many more. ACAA has evolved with every step of our journey together.

On April 30 we will celebrate and highlight all the milestones of ACAA’s 20-year journey at a commemorative gala. The evening is hosted by Sree Sreenivasan ’93JRN, currently the Chief Digital Officer of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sree was the ACAA Welcome Back Reception speaker in October 2015, and was a much-loved member of the Columbia community during his tenure as the Dean of Student Affairs of the Journalism School. On April 30, we’ll have the opportunity to share his joy and wisdom under the great dome of the Memorial Low Library Rotunda. 

Your participation will make all the difference. Since ACAA was founded in 1995, from our first gala in 2002, to the present day, ACAA has been committed to supporting the Asian Columbia Alumni community. To celebrate this momentous year, we hope to have the entire community with us as we celebrate the past and chart the future. We also planned pre gala events including Treasure Tours of the East Asian Library, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Open Forum, and Student show case. 

We will be honoring and celebrating some of our members with the Columbia Impact Award, the ACAA Heritage Award, and the Rising Lions Award.  Dr. Victor Cha ’83CC, ’88SIPA, ’92GSAS, ’93SIPA, ’94GSAS, will be honored with the Columbia Achievement Award. There will be music, dancing, and a photo booth to capture our glamorous black-tie moments.

We look forward to celebrating with you!

Date & Time: 

Saturday, April 30, 2016

6:00-9:00 p.m.

Location:

Low Memorial Library, Columbia University

Pre-Gala Programming Opportunities: 

For those interested in reconnecting with Columbia’s beautiful campus and some of its current students, ACAA will be hosting a multitude of pre-gala events, including:

1) A Treasure Tour of the East Asian Library ( 4:00PM-5:00PM or  5:00PM-6:00PM)

During this private tour the C.V. Starr East Asian Library will open its Treasure collection for the ACAA community. The C.V. Starr East Asian Library owns many rare and unique rare and unique assets in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, and Western languages. We will have access to the Rare Book and Special Collections Reading Room, which houses rare book collections.

2) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Open Forum (5:15 - 6:00PM)

This forum will examine Trends and Opportunities in Innovations and Entrepreneurship in the U.S. and Asia: a networking event for alumni and students interested in meeting and exchanging ideas with fellow Columbians who are actively engaging in or interested in participating in Innovation Start-Ups and Entrepreneurship.

3) CU Lion Current Student Showcase (5:00 - 5:45PM)

Come to our Student Showcase and hear from current students all about the great work they are doing both in and outside of Columbia University. Selected from a diverse group of students from various schools of Columbia, our student presenters will take you on a tour of their passions and missions including world-changing projects, artistic pursuits and intercultural exchanges in their 10-minute showcase. Participants include the founder of CU China Dance, recipients of Forbes “30 under 30s” in the healthcare category and the Japan Study Student Association.

Those interested in any of these free pre-gala  events may register here.  

Best,

ACAA's Presidents (1995-2016):

Chester Lee,  '70SEAS, '74BUS (10 Founders Representative)
Conrad Lung, '72CC (President 1995-1996)
Dana Wu, CC'91, SIPA '92 (1997-1998)
Elayne Garrett, '64BC (President 1998-1999)
William Chan, '86CC (President 1999-2001)
Camilla Hsiung, '89BC (President 2002-2004)
Jackie Quan, '93CC (President 2004-2006)
Pauline Lem, '96BC (President 2007-2015)
Yiting Shen, '01 & '02SEAS  (Current President)