INSIDE SIPA

SIPA’s Alumni Day to Also Celebrate
PEPM’s 20th Anniversary

Alumni Day on April 28, 2012 will have an extra special celebration, as the Program in Economic Policy Management (PEPM) celebrates its 20th anniversary. As part of the program, two of the panel discussions will focus on topics of interest to PEPM alumni. Also that evening, a special dinner celebration is planned, with former PEPM director Dani Rodrik as the dinner speaker.

In addition, on Thursday, April 26th, SIPA will recognize three individuals at the annual Global Leadership Awards Dinner: Lisa Anderson, former dean of SIPA and current president of the American University in Cairo; Howard Graham Buffett, philanthropist and founder of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation; and Peter G. “Pete” Peterson, chairman emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, founder and chairman, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, co-founder and chairman emeritus, the Blackstone Group.

Look for more details about these events, 2012 Alumni Day, as well as soon-to-be-announced class reunions around Alumni Day.

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Lawrence Summers Delivers Annual Gabriel Silver Memorial Lecture

Lawrence H. Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University, former Director of the White House National Economic Council, and former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, delivered the Gabriel Silver Memorial Lecture at SIPA on December 1. Summers shared his views on the current economic situation and how to achieve growth.

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Examining the Female Immigrant Business Experience

A book by Professor Paul Thurman looks at how female immigrants fare in the business world.

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Students Study Effects of Earthquake on Haitian Diaspora

A group of students used their Capstone workshops to look at how the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 affected Haitians displaced from their homeland.

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Alumni Profile

10/13/11 New York: SIPA Finance/Economic/Energy Alumni/Student Networking Reception

Ipek Cem Taha

A co-founder of two companies and a founding member of several NGOs, Ipek Cem Taha (MIA 1993) now takes on a new role: head of Columbia’s new Global Center in Turkey.

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UPCOMING EVENTS & PROGRAMS

Washington, DC: SIPA Alumni/Student Networking Reception

The Office of Career Services (OCS) will host the Washington, D.C. Alumni/Student Networking Reception at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown as part of SIPA's 36th Annual Washington, D.C. Career Conference. The event begins at 6:00pm. To attend, please register via the OCS website by clicking here.

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Save the Date!
April 26, 2012, 6:30 p.m.
Global Leadership Awards Dinner

Mandarin Oriental, Columbus Circle, New York, NY

Save the Date!
April 28, 2012, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Alumni Day

Columbia University Faculty House

Save the Date!
April 28, 2012, 6 – 9 p.m.
PEPM 20th Anniversary Dinner

Columbia University campus

RECENT ALUMNI EVENTS

DC Fall Happy Hour

Nearly 100 alumni from around the Washington, DC area got together at SIPA’s Fall Happy Hour, held at Public on November 9th. Attendees were able to network, see former classmates, and catch up with their fellow alumni.

SIPA Energy and Environment Alumni/Student Networking Reception

The Office of Career Services (OCS) held its annual Energy and Environment Alumni/Student Networking Reception at the Scandinavia House on November 10, 2011. More than 80 people attended this event.

ALUMNI COUNCIL NEWS

December 2, 2011 Council Meeting

On December 2nd, the SIPA Alumni Council held the first-ever meeting of its entire board. Consisting of 55 members, including a 15-member executive committee, the Council works with SIPA on developing ways to bring alumni together with each other and with students.

The four standing committees of the Council are working on plans to expand the programs offered to alumni. As part of Alumni Day, the Events Committee, chaired by Sham Mustafa (MPA '06), is looking to develop reunions around the weekend as well as other events that bring alumni together.

The Career and Mentoring Committee, chaired by Aaron Singer (MPA '04), is building on its programs mentoring both alumni and students, and will hold a reception in March in New York for alumni either already involved or interested in becoming involved.

Anuj Shah (MIA '05), who heads the Communications and Outreach Committee, will work with his committee in two main areas: developing the first-ever survey of SIPA alumni; and establishing a group of admissions ambassadors to help the school identify and attract the best possible applicants.

Finally, the Governance and Nominating Committee, headed by Allison Cooke Kellogg (IF '72, MIA '73), will continue to refine the Council’s procedures and look to fill any open positions.

The Alumni Council is chaired by Roger Baumann (IF '84, MIA '85). If you have any questions about the Council, please contact Scott Pesner, SIPA’s Director of Alumni Affairs.

CAREERS

SIPA's Lifelong Career Services

SIPA's Office of Career Services (OCS) is dedicated to providing lifelong services to our alumni. OCS offers resources for alumni that are specifically designed to meet your career development needs, including: job postings on SIPAlink, SIPA's online job database; career resources both online and in the office; individual career advising by appointment; the Alumni Career Development Webinar Program; the SIPA Alumni and Student Network on LinkedIn; and the comprehensive SIPA Global Connections Alumni Directory.

SIPAlink enables you to search for recently posted jobs and learn about OCS events that are open to alumni. To register, click here. Recently posted jobs include:

• Human Rights Adviser, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Vienna, Austria (Job ID: 37384)
• Director, External Relations, Independent Diplomat, New York, NY (Job ID: 37372)
• Social Policy and Economic Specialist , United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Florence, Italy (Job ID: 37438)
• Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, Africare, Washington, DC (Job ID: 37366)

Have You Joined SIPA on LinkedIn Yet?

The Office of Career Services and the Office of Alumni Affairs encourage you to network with fellow SIPA alumni through SIPA's official LinkedIn group: the SIPA Alumni and Student Network. With more than 3,700 members and growing fast, our LinkedIn group includes graduates from diverse career fields and is an excellent tool for networking and obtaining informational interview contacts.

Only SIPA alumni and current students are allowed to join the SIPA Alumni and Student Network on LinkedIn, and all applicants for the group are authenticated through SIPA. If you have a LinkedIn profile, please join us here.

The use of LinkedIn does not affect the SIPA Global Connections Alumni Directory, which lists more than 17,000 alumni around the world, and is available to all SIPA alumni.

SIPA Media Watch

Geoffrey Heal: Sustainable Masdar City is “Hardly a Model for Others”

Bloomberg, December 8, 2011
 

Douglas Almond’s Research into The Low Female Birth Rate Among Asian-American Women

Forbes, December 5, 2011
 

Scott Barrett on Climate Change Talks

NPR, November 28, 2011
 

Mahmood Mamdani comments on the popularity of Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni

New York Times, November 25, 2011

alumni notes

Have you logged onto SIPA's Global Connection Alumni Directory to update your class note? What are you waiting for? All you need is your UNI and password. (If you forgot them, you can access them here.) Post your note today and stay connected with your 17,000+ fellow alumni in 156 countries.

Mikel Herrington (MIA '91, IF '91) has been named Peace Corps country director of Bulgaria. Mikel Herrington worked for almost 14 years with the Corporation for National and Community Service, where he spent most of his tenure in the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) program.

David R. Claussenius (MIA '86) has been named Peace Corps country director of Thailand. David Claussenius joined Save the Children/U.S. as deputy director for Asia Pacific region in 1988 and has subsequently held several leadership positions with the organization.

Nathaniel Hurd, (MIA '06) has become the Washington DC-based policy advisor for Conflicts and Disasters, World Vision US. World Vision is a leading Christian international relief and development organization. Nathaniel advises World Vision, and represents the agency with Congress and US Government, on areas like breaking disasters, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Haiti, civil-military relations, and more.

James Bruno (MIA '74), Amazon bestselling novelist, has published a political thriller centering on Afghanistan. "Tribe" is an American take on John Le Carré’s gray world of espionage, a meditation on the bigger issues of trust and betrayal and how to find room for patriotism or integrity in a world of runaway egos and ambition.

Wendy R. Anderson (MIA '04) has been appointed to the Senior Executive Service as special assistant to the deputy secretary of defense, Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Washington, D.C. Anderson previously served as special assistant to the under secretary of defense in Washington.

A. Michael Hoffman (MIA '73) has been elected chairman of the American Academy in Berlin. The Academy was founded by the legendary late diplomat Richard C. Holbrooke, who was also its longstanding chairman. He succeeds Karl M. von der Heyden and Dr. Henry Kissinger, who have served as co-chairmen since 2009. Hoffman is co-founder and chairman of the London-based private equity partnership Palamon Capital Partners.

Muriel Asseraf (MIA '04) has been appointed by the American Jewish Committee as its first permanent official in Brazil and has relocated to Sao Pãulo.

Stay Connected

Stay Connected

We want you to continue to remain in touch with SIPA.

For the latest news about SIPA and discussion about international affairs and public policy, "like" the Columbia| SIPA Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @SIPA_Alumni (new!) and @ColumbiaSIPA.

If you haven't joined the SIPA Alumni and Student LinkedIn group, you're missing the opportunity to connect with fellow alumni from around the world and SIPA's spectacular student body. Share your ideas, post a question, or help mentor a current student. If you already have a LinkedIn profile, all you have to do is go here and ask to be let in. This group is run by the Office of Career Services and the Office of Alumni Affairs.

Finally, we'll send you e-mails about SIPA and other Columbia events in your area, but we can't do that unless we know where you are and how to contact you. Please remember if you move or change your
e-mail to address, to let us know. It's easy—go to http://www.alumniconnections.com/SIPA and complete the information there.

GIVING TO SIPA

Make a Lasting Impact

The 2012 SIPA Annual Fund is off to a great start this year and is on pace to set a new record, having raised $137,000 to date. Many thanks to our new donors and to those who have increased their support this year. If you have not yet made your gift to the Annual Fund and would like to do so before the end of the calendar year, you can donate online here, or call the SIPA development office at (212) 851-7448.

One hundred percent of the funds raised for the SIPA Annual Fund provide direct financial support for students. Please consider making a gift today—your support is integral to our mission of educating the next generation of global citizens and public policy leaders.