More than $118,000 was raised in support of veterans’ education through contributions by Columbia University School of General Studies alumni and friends; the funds raised include a challenge match of $50,000. The match initiative was created in support of the Yellow Ribbon Fund, a segment of the GS Annual Fund, in September by Alexander Burns ’13. The fund is an effort to close the gap in tuition costs not covered by the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program.
While Alexander Burns ’13 did not serve in the U.S. military, he has had life-changing experiences growing up and studying alongside veterans.
“Having come from a family of military veterans, and having had the opportunity to study alongside many distinguished and returning veterans who were able to enjoy the same education that I was because of this program, I put for forth this challenge in order to inspire further support of this cause,” Burns said.
The Yellow Ribbon Program is an initiative authorized by the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act that enables private institutions like Columbia University to provide eligible student veterans with a tuition waiver or grant that is matched by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The School of General Studies has participated in the Yellow Ribbon Program since it was established by the federal government in 2009, which has enabled hundreds of women and men who may not have been able to afford a Columbia education otherwise.
“We are thrilled that there has been strong participation, and we are grateful to the supporters and alumni,” Peter J. Awn, School of General Studies dean, said.
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If you are interested in making a contribution to GS, please visit
Giving to Columbia.
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Thank you to donors to the Yellow Ribbon Fund as of Dec. 19, 2013.
Mr. David Anderson
Mr. William Skip Bailey
Ms. Lourdes Esperanza Blanco ’85,’94GSAS, ’97GSAS
Mr. Azar Charles Boehm ’12
Bulldog Ventures, LTD
Mr. Benjamin Hart Cheslak ’10
Mrs. Anita D. Christy ’88
Ms. Sally Ann Corning ’87BUS
Ms. Mason Covell Beard ’04, 09BUS
Mr. David M. Crumb ’13SCE
Joel R. Daven, M.D. ’71
Ms. Lindsey Dean
Mr. Thomas Dillenberg ’62GS and Mrs. Martha Dillenberg
Mr. Philip W. Ehrlich ’88
David Michael Epstein, Esq. ’85
Ms. Eleanor Renee Evans ’67, ’77SW, ’78BUS
Ms. Patricia A. Forelle ’09
Mr. Edward F. Gillis ’69
Mr. Dale Joseph Gump ’13
Ms. Mary Hadd
Ms. Jill Marie Galas Hickey
Ms. Elizabeth Barrett Hollister ’07
Mr. Erik Andersen Holst, Current Student
Mr. Peter S. Kim ’09
Mrs. Dorothy Korek ’80
Mr. Jimmy Leung ’01
Mr. Eric Leverone
Ms. Carolyn J. Lyle ’67
Allison F. Magliocco ’97 and Joseph J. Magliocco
Mr. Robert Alvin Martin Jr. ’87, ’91GSAS
Mr. Milton S. Meshirer ’54
Mr. Loren Jeffrey Myers, Current Student
Mr. James R. Mulally ’80BUS
Mr. Sean Jeremy O'Keefe ’10
Dr. Jonathan T. Orr
Katharine B. Rase, MSW, LCSW ’71
Mr. William Sloan Phelan Jr. ’08
Ms. Kathryn Ashmun Pitrone ’02
Kevin A. Quinn ’86CC, ’91BUS
Mr. Raymond Dyer Ridley
Mr. Jerry Rivera, Current Student
Mr. Curtis Rodgers
Ms. Audrey Ruth Rosenblatt ’04
Ms. Donna Marie De Santis, Current Student
Ms. Karen Adele Sendler ’94CC
Dr. Andrea R. Solomon ’87CC
Mr. Larry S. Stewart ’65
Mrs. Nannette Stewart
Dr. Judith Hertz Tanenbaum ’83, P: CC14
Mr. William Tanenbaum ’14CC
Mrs. Frances Taplett
Lt. John Cawley Taplett ’05
Mr. Dirk A. Vanderlaan, Current Student
Ms. Tiffani Watts, Current Student
Patricia A. Wesley, M.D. ’66
Mr. Nicholas Michael White ’12
Mr. Steve Zhao, Current Student
Mr. Zhuo Zheng , '07
Ms. Xuanyi Zou, Current Student
