Columbia University

Upcoming FORUM EVENT

Recent FORUM EVENT

Is the "Grind" Overrated?

Watch This Forum

April 20, 2026

6:00 pm ET

Low Library Rotunda

A conversation on achievement culture and the good life.

Student life is organized around pressure, deadlines, and comparison. Self-optimization and grinding out your work are praised as the best way to get ahead. But is all this good for us? Join us for a conversation with two of Columbia's most beloved professors as they share their personal journeys of finding meaning and purpose within demanding careers. Bring your questions, grab some free dinner, and explore how "grindset" culture shapes our humanity, our relationships, and our sense of self.

Dinner provided.

SPEAKERS:

MODERATOR:

Lydia Dugdale

Dorothy L. and Daniel H. Silberberg Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Director of the Center for Clinical Medical Ethics

Columbia University

BIO

MODERATOR:

James Valentini

Henry L. and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Chemistry

Columbia University

BIO

MODERATOR:

Seth Freeman

Adjunct Associate Professor of International and Public Affairs; Assistant Clinical Professor

Columbia University; New York University Stern School of Business

BIO

co-sponsors:

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This Event is Fully Booked, Registration is CLosed.

Upcoming FORUM EVENT

Recent FORUM EVENT

Should We Bash the Core?

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April 2, 2025

7:00pm ET

Low Rotunda

The Opportunities and Limits of the Western Canon for Moral and Spiritual Formation

A conversation on the Western Canon, merits of a liberal arts education, and process of moral and spiritual formation within the University.

Dinner will be provided and there will be time for audience Q&A.

SPEAKERS:

MODERATOR:

Angel Adams-Parham

Associate Professor of Sociology

University of Virginia

BIO

MODERATOR:

Roosevelt Montás

John and Margaret Bard Professor in Liberal Education and Civic Life

Bard College

BIO

MODERATOR:

Dhananjay Jagannathan

Associate Professor

Hunter College, The City University of New York

BIO

co-sponsors:

REGISTER

This Event is Fully Booked, Registration is CLosed.

Upcoming FORUM EVENT

Recent FORUM EVENT

How Do You Build the Life You Want?

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April 17, 2024

7:00pm ET

Low Library

Columbia and Yale faculty discuss virtue, philosophy, and living well in light of death.

Dinner and Levain cookies provided.

SPEAKERS:

MODERATOR:

Shelly Kagan

Professor of Philosophy

Yale University

BIO

MODERATOR:

Justin Hawkins

McDonald Agape Post-Doctoral Fellow in Medical Ethics

Columbia Center for Clinical Medical Ethics

BIO

MODERATOR:

James Valentini

Henry L. and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Chemistry

Columbia University

BIO

co-sponsors:

REGISTER

This Event is Fully Booked, Registration is CLosed.

AUGUSTINE COLLECTIVE PUBLICATION

The Columbia Witness

OUR MISSION

To proclaim the life and power of God’s truth to the Columbia community

and beyond through diverse Christian voices and ideas.

OUR VISION

A campus that witnesses the subversive person of Jesus

and accepts the reality of the Gospel.

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What conversations would you like to have on your campus?

Events are planned and led by student teams. Contact us to learn about hosting a Veritas Forum event at your campus.