Best wishes to all for the holidays and for 2025! As I conclude my first semester as President of EPIC, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on the Fall semester of 2024 and share a quick preview of what’s ahead in Spring semester 2025.
First, a shout-out to everyone who contributed to our successful semester:
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Abdalla Hassan, our Assistant Director, first and foremost.
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Ginny Pappaioanou, who led weekly online yoga sessions and organized in-person yoga sessions.
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Daniel Thys, for organizing the Douglas Chalmers Graduate Scholars Lectures.
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Peter Messeri, who curated the EPIC Conversations.
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Connie Nathanson, who led the Drama Society.
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Steven Stellman and Carolyn Greenberg, for leading the chamber music program.
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Linda Lewis, who stepped up to serve as Vice President of EPIC, participated in all our events, and contributed to much of the back-office planning.
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The Political Science Department, which generously hosted the Douglas Chalmers Graduate Scholars Lecture (special thanks to Kay Achar).
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The Columbia Law School, which allowed us to use the Jerome Greene Annex.
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The Music Performance Program in the Music Department, which curates the student concert each term (thanks to Magdalena Stern-Baczewska).
I also want to acknowledge the continuing support of the Office of the Provost, especially Amy Rabinowitz, Associate Provost and Director of the Office of Work/Life (who made space available for in-person yoga), and Dennis Mitchell, Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement and Senior Advisor to the President.
Thanks to all of these efforts, we reached increased levels of activity and participation this semester. In addition to our Annual Meeting and our Winter Party earlier this week, both of which attracted unprecedented attendance, EPIC organized a webinar on Retirement Finances, which had 60+ attendees. Other events—including EPIC Conversations, Midday Talks and More, the student classical music concert, chamber music performances, and the Douglas Chalmers Lecture—had 15–20 attendees each, with hybrid formats attracting equally robust online participation.
Our Retiree Medical Benefit Advocacy Committee—comprising Eli Noam, Alice Kessler-Harris, Jane Spinak, Peter Strauss, Carol Sanger, and Michael Feiler—achieved significant progress this semester. The retiree medical benefit increased from $900 to $1,500, and eligibility was expanded to include those who retired in 2012 or later. Last week, we had a productive meeting with Katrina Armstrong, Acting President of the University, to raise awareness of this issue. Our efforts to expand eligibility further and increase the subsidy to align with peer institutions are ongoing. This fall, we forged a valuable partnership with the Arts and Sciences Policy and Planning Committee, whose support enabled our meeting with the President. Next semester, we anticipate analyzing the Trust Fund numbers to help determine the feasibility of further increases.
Our Spring program is nearly complete. It will feature:
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An EPIC Conversation with Eric Foner.
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A talk by Jeanne Stellman about her Vietnam Veteran study.
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A presentation by Vidya Dehejia on Indian art.
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A documentary screening on Isaiah Sheffer, the founder of Symphony Space, led by Ethel Sheffer.
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A student concert and a Douglas Chalmers Graduate Scholars Lecture.
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Opportunities for EPICureans to engage in chamber music, participate in the Drama Society, and join weekly yoga sessions (or all three!).
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A panel discussion on retirement asset management and investment strategies, organized by Eli Noam, early in the new year.
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We will close the semester with a talk by George Rupp, President Emeritus of Columbia, on his tenure at the International Rescue Committee, and our annual Spring Reception the week after Commencement.
On the fundraising front, we are making excellent progress. Many thanks to those who have contributed so generously!
As we all look forward to the holiday break, EPIC will take a well-earned pause. Best wishes for good health, happiness, liberty, justice, and peace for all in the year ahead.
Sincerely,
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