COLUMBIA FAMILY ORIENTATION 2026
SATURDAY, AUGUST 29
International First-Year Students Family Orientation Check-In
Alfred Lerner Hall, Broadway Lobby (enter via Broadway at 115th Street)
3:00–6:00 p.m.
Check in to receive your name badge, swag, and printed schedule.
Dinner for First-Year International Students and Families
Alfred Lerner Hall, Roone Arledge Auditorium (enter via Broadway at 115th Street)
4:00–6:00 p.m.
Wear your name badge to enter.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30
Family Orientation Check-In
Alfred Lerner Hall, Broadway Lobby (enter via Broadway at 115th Street)
8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Check in to receive your name badge, swag, and printed schedule.
Coffee and Tea
Hamilton Lawn
8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Wear your name badge to enter.
Capture Your Columbia Moment
Alfred Lerner Hall, North Lobby
9:00–11:00 a.m.
Capture your first day at Columbia! Stop by the photo booth in the North Lobby to commemorate this special milestone with family and friends.
Connect & Thrive: Advising, Support, and Student Life at Columbia
Alfred Lerner Hall, Roone Arledge Auditorium
10:00–10:45 a.m.
Join us for an overview of the Center for Student Advising, Student and Family Support, Residential Life, and Student Engagement. Discover how you can make the most of Columbia’s diverse resources to thrive academically, socially, and personally.
Columbia Engineering Lecture: From SEAS to SPACE
Alfred Lerner Hall, Roone Arledge Auditorium
11:00–11:45 a.m.
Get a taste of the academic experience at Columbia Engineering. Astronaut and Columbia professor, Michael Massimino, will speak about his undergraduate experience at Columbia Engineering, his career as an astronaut, and the new aerospace engineering offerings at SEAS.
Lunch
Hamilton Lawn
10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Wear your name badge to enter.
Columbia College Lecture: Thinking Together - How the Core Creates a Community of Lifelong Learners
Alfred Lerner Hall, Roone Arledge Auditorium
12:00–12:45 p.m.
The Core Curriculum is the heart of the undergraduate experience at Columbia. Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Director of the Center for the Core Curriculum, Larry Jackson, will discuss how the Core creates a community of inquiry and helps students develop the habits of mind that they will use during college and throughout their lives. The discussion will feature works studied in the Core, with a focus on the texts and ideas that students encounter in their first year.
Beyond the Classroom
Alfred Lerner Hall, Roone Arledge Auditorium
1:00–1:45 p.m.
Featuring the Center for Career Education, Undergraduate Research & Fellowships, and Center for Global Engagement, this presentation will focus on how your student can extend their learning beyond the classroom.
Campus Health and Safety Panel
Alfred Lerner Hall, Roone Arledge Auditorium
2:00–2:45 p.m.
Learn about the resources available for students regarding their health, well-being, and safety with panelists from Columbia Health, Public Safety, and Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS).
Campus Resources Fair
TBD
Dinner
Hamilton Lawn
3:45–5:30 p.m.
Wear your name badge to enter.
Convocation
Butler Plaza
6:30–8:00 p.m.
Convocation is the official welcome ceremony for new Columbia College and Columbia Engineering students as they begin their undergraduate journey.
Guest seating opens at 5:30 p.m. and is limited to two (2) guests per student. Only guests with a Convocation sticker on their name badge may enter the designated seating area. Additional guests are welcome to watch the ceremony from the back of the South Lawns.
Families should depart campus after Convocation concludes as students then begin their New Student Orientation Program experience!