<p>I’m sure you’ll get much more informative stories from other people, but I do get the impression that Columbia alumni aren’t as active or loyal as alumni from other comparable schools. (You need only look at Barack Obama for evidence–he graduated from CC in 1983 and has reportedly not been back since, and rarely talks about his Columbia days.) There are plenty of reasons for this…two of them always come to mind for me. First off, as you mentioned, Columbia doesn’t have such a strong or proud athletic identity–not much to bring alumni back year after year. And secondly, not to beat a dead horse, but I’m sure we’re still seeing the effects of the 1968 riots that alienated many alumni and discouraged them from giving to the school. The rift that event created among alumni certainly disrupted the school’s sense of pride and tradition.</p>
<p>It seems that’s getting better, though. As New York has improved its fortunes over the past two decades, Columbia has become a hotter school than it’s ever been and is attracting (and therefore turning out) more and more intensely active and motivated students–students that, I think, will get more excited in later years about being loyal to a college. Plus there have been major efforts over the past decade to attract alumni (and their money) back to the school. I think Columbia alumni will build a stronger presence in the coming decades.</p>