News

Jun 24, 2026

News

In the northeast corner of the Morningside campus, the sculpture Le Marteleur by Constantin Meunier, a gift from the Class of 1889 at the former School of Mines, greets visitors to the engineering school, though the statue has moved multiple times since its installation - and not always easily.

Jun 10, 2026

News

In April of 1776, the Committee on Safety ordered the King’s College governors (or trustees) to close the College in six days so the building could be used as a hospital. Meet the Class of 1776, who instead completed courses from a home on Wall Street.

Jun 1, 2026

In the media, Video

Columbia University's Revolutionary War history told in a diploma: University archivist Jocelyn Wilk shares a recent acquisition in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library - a 1775 diploma from King's College, the predecessor to Columbia.

Jun 1, 2026

In the media

As the United States marks its semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, Columbia News reflects on the story of a University that began before the nation itself. Discover archival treasures in the Libraries that help readers explore the past through rare documents and collections.

May 27, 2026

News

Days after the Regents of the former King's College decreed that the school would be known as Columbia College, the committee made its first faculty appointment: a professor of the French language. University archivists address why a French instructor was the very first professor at Columbia.

May 26, 2026

In the media

What 1976 reveals about 1776 (and 2026): The American Bicentennial at Columbia, revisited. Columbia News reports on a new exhibition in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library that explores how the University marked the United States’ 200th birthday in 1976.

May 12, 2026

News

The once-disputed location of the 1776 Battle of Harlem Heights, a "much-needed morale boost" for the Continental Army in the American Revolution, was confirmed to have taken place in present-day Morningside Heights through the meticulous work of Columbia College alum Lincoln Diamant, 1943CC.

Apr 28, 2026

News

Did you know that the original engraving of the King's College seal, the predecessor to Columbia University, was lost for over 120 years? The Libraries recounts the history of the seal, which was believed to be lost until the early 20th century and is now held by the University Archives.

Apr 25, 2026

In the media

How well do you know the history of Columbia Commencement? From graduation tchotchkes to special speakers, Columbia News consults the Libraries' University Archives to test readers' knowledge of one of Columbia's most cherished traditions.

Apr 16, 2026

In the media

The Society of American Archivists (SAA) "presents 250 for the 250th, an online repository that tells the story of our country in documents," including a 1776 register of admissions from the University Archives that "explains why there were no admissions at King’s College for the year 1776."

Apr 14, 2026

News

King’s College, the colonial predecessor to Columbia, educated many men who helped forge the new nation during the American Revolution, but graduates of the College were also lost during the conflict, including the first fallen alumnus, Harman Rutgers.

Mar 31, 2026

News

As Columbia nears its annual Commencement ceremonies in May, University archivists reflect on the ceremony 100 years ago when, in 1926, the University first celebrated Commencement as "an out of doors exercise," before which it was held indoors.

Mar 18, 2026

News

The University Archives has recently processed more than 1,400 bibliographical files as part of an addition to the Office of Public Affairs records, including 1950s press coverage of "Chief Cyclotron Officer" Miriam Levin.

Mar 16, 2026

In the media

To mark 250 years of American independence, Columbia News brings together the many ways in which the University engages with this national legacy, including archival treasures in the Libraries that explore the past through rare documents and collections.

Nov 19, 2025

News

A football championship revisited: University archivists share a "'you-gotta-be-kidding' coincidence in Columbia football history" and the Lions' two shared Ivy League Championships - the first in 1961 and, more recently, in 2024.

Oct 21, 2025

News

View the digital archives of two vital University publications, Spectator and The Record, in a collection that contains nearly 18,000 issues, including editions that date to 1877, and total more than 136,000 digitized pages.

Sep 26, 2025

News

An impressive new acquisition by the University Archives is a 1775 King's College diploma belonging to John William Livingston, which also provides insights into the College presidency of Rev. Myles Cooper.

Aug 13, 2025

News

University archivists tell the tale of a long-lost Columbia tradition: In the 19th century, students celebrated the birth of the first child born to a member of the class, the Class Baby, and presented the new father with a silver cup known as the Baby Cup.

Jun 12, 2025

News

Columbia College students in the late 19th century harnessed the emerging art of photography to collect classmates' images in keepsake volumes, a selection of which are currently on view in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

May 26, 2025

Social

This Memorial Day, we pause to remember those who died serving in the United States military, including members of our own Columbia community: The Columbia Roll of Honor, maintained by the University Archives, recognizes students and alumni who sacrificed their lives during military service.

May 15, 2025

News

University archivists recently processed the alumni files in the Columbia School of Library Service records, which include materials related to the coursework of groundbreaking librarian, curator, and cataloger Dorothy (Burnett) Porter Wesley, B.S. 1931, M.S. 1932.

May 1, 2025

News

University archivists introduce Florence Ellen (F. E.) Harpham, the first woman to become a member of the Columbia faculty in 1896 as a "computer" in the Department of Astronomy; her work included analysis of the some of the earliest celestial photographs taken in the United States.

Jan 30, 2025

In the media

To mark the 200th anniversary of the Columbia College Alumni Association (CCAA), Columbia College Today visited the University archives to learn more about the origins and early history of the organization - and found just how much alumni have shaped the College and its community.

Jan 9, 2025

News

To mark the 100th anniversary of the Morgan Library and Museum as a public institution, University archivists remember its first director, Belle da Costa Greene, as "a key partner and contributor" to library exhibitions at Columbia throughout the early 20th century.

News

The Hammerman: A Moving Statue

King’s College Class of 1776

Columbia University's Revolutionary War History Told in a Diploma | Columbia Close-Up

The U.S. Semiquincentennial and Columbia University

1784: Columbia College en Français?

What 1976 Reveals About 1776 (and 2026): The American Bicentennial at Columbia, Revisited

1776: Battle of Harlem Heights

Lost and Found: The King’s College Seal

How Well Do You Know the History of Columbia’s Commencement?

SAA 250 for the 250th: 1776 Register of Admissions | University Archives

1776: First Fallen Alumnus

Commencement: An Out of Doors Exercise

Now Available | OPA Biographical Files

The U.S. Semiquincentennial and Columbia University

A Football Championship Revisited

Explore Columbia's Archival Newspapers

New Acquisition | A King’s College Diploma from 1775

The Baby Cup

On View | Windows into the Past: Columbia College Class Albums, 1856-1890

Memorial Day | Columbia Roll of Honor

Now Available | Columbia School of Library Service Records

Meet Flora Harpham

A Salute to the CCAA

Belle da Costa Greene and Columbia

News

Subscribe to the Libraries' Monthly Newsletter.

The Hammerman: A Moving Statue

King’s College Class of 1776

Columbia University's Revolutionary War History Told in a Diploma | Columbia Close-Up

The U.S. Semiquincentennial and Columbia University

1784: Columbia College en Français?

What 1976 Reveals About 1776 (and 2026): The American Bicentennial at Columbia, Revisited

1776: Battle of Harlem Heights

Lost and Found: The King’s College Seal

How Well Do You Know the History of Columbia’s Commencement?

SAA 250 for the 250th: 1776 Register of Admissions | University Archives

1776: First Fallen Alumnus

Commencement: An Out of Doors Exercise

Now Available | OPA Biographical Files

The U.S. Semiquincentennial and Columbia University

A Football Championship Revisited

Explore Columbia's Archival Newspapers

New Acquisition | A King’s College Diploma from 1775

The Baby Cup

On View | Windows into the Past: Columbia College Class Albums, 1856-1890

Memorial Day | Columbia Roll of Honor

Now Available | Columbia School of Library Service Records

Meet Flora Harpham

A Salute to the CCAA

Belle da Costa Greene and Columbia