Most graduates think fondly of their Alma Mater. But Alma Mater means something more to Columbia students and graduates. Since the founding of King’s College in 1754, she has served as a human representation of the university’s mission. With the 1903 unveiling of Daniel Chester French’s bronze statue of the figure, Alma Mater became the school’s ambassador and most familiar symbol, greeting the thousands of visitors that entered the university’s gates. Perched on the steps of Low Library, the statue of Alma Mater bore witness to a century of rapid change on Columbia’s campus.

Yet Alma Mater has history much older than Columbia University itself. One can trace the term Alma Mater back to eleventh century Europe. Founded in 1088, the University of Bologna is considered to be the oldest western university. Its motto, “Alma Mater Studiorum,” (translated: “nourishing mother of studies”), is the first known use of the term in reference to the university from which one graduated.

Content written by Julie Golia, PhD 2010