Colgate University

Community

Students

It starts on arrival day.

As first-year students pull onto campus, fellow students stand atop the stone Colgate University marker as a welcoming committee — banging pots and pans, cheering on the new students, and prodding them to honk their horns if they love Colgate. That is what students do: they love Colgate. They are serious about learning and about having fun, and they chose a school that embraces both. They are passionate and ambitious. They channel that drive into everything. Colgate students seek out connections, share warm hellos on the walk to class, and feel part of this university for life. They create a whir of energy. That is Colgate spirit.

Members of the Colgate community attend Charter Day at the Memorial Chapel.
Students participate in the Senior Honor Society Residential Commons Field Day activities.
Students and their family members enjoy campfires, fireworks and making smores at several locations around campus during Family Weekend.

Inclusivity

Opportunities abound for Colgate students to explore, understand, and appreciate culture and identity. Because of this, students can learn to make connections and communicate well across their different experiences, identities and backgrounds, which can help build a stronger community, and empower students to embrace and celebrate their strengths and those of their peers.

Student-favorite ALANAPalooza, hosted by the Africana, Latin, Asian, and Native American (ALANA) Cultural Center, kicks off Colgate’s academic year. Brown bag lunches offer a platform to discuss challenging topics. Today’s leaders and activists are special guests on campus, sitting down for dinner, joining classes, offering thoughts and insights. These countless activities and resources — and the staff, faculty, and peer mentors who support them — bring a diverse community together in the spirit of personal growth and discovery.

International students get to know each other during Orientation and learn about the support provided by the Office of International Student Services.
The Center for Women's Studies brings together Colgate alumnae for a panel discussion.
ALANAPalooza is a tradition that unites the campus community in a celebration of multicultural life at Colgate.

Living at Colgate

What makes living at Colgate so uncommon is what the University does to give first-year and second-year students something in common: a community within a community. Beyond the hall in which they live, students belong to one of four residential commons, groupings that allow them to have support, make friends, and feel connected early in their college life. The activities are optional, but they usually draw a crowd: weekly dinners with faculty, ski trips, study groups, trivia nights, provocative discussions, weekend brunches.

This is part of how Colgate prepares people for life. Living in a close community means learning the skills of empathy, sociability, flexibility, and respect for others. Beyond the commons, most every student lives in Colgate housing, an offering that is guaranteed for all four years.

RESIDENTIAL COMMONS SAMPLE ACTIVITIES

Intellectual Curiosity

Fireside Chat, Big Question Series, Faculty Dinners

Arts and Culture

Coffeehouses, International Dinner, Talent Show

Environment and Sustainability

Colgate Unplugged, LED Exchange Program

Recreation and Wellness

Halloween Trick or Trot, Dodgeball, Chess Tournament

Community Engagement

MLK Day of Service, Commons Formal

Fraternities and Sororities

Part of a long-standing tradition at Colgate, the first chartered fraternity dates back to 1856. About 25 percent of students belong to one of the five fraternities and three sororities.

Amythyst Kiah performs at Colgate as part of the Coffeehouse Music Series at the Brown Commons Social House.
Members of Hancock Residential Commons.
Students at Frank Dining Hall during the lunch hour.

Faculty

Students at Colgate tend to refer to their courses by the name of the person who teaches them.

That shorthand reflects what students feel — a personal connection to the classes because of the professors. The faculty are not just known for their achievements; they are actually known by the students in a real way, every day. Beyond their research and teaching success, the faculty have developed a proud reputation for who they are: approachable, invested, involved, and inspiring.

Priscilla Van Wynsberghe, associate professor of biology, instructs students in FSEM 126: The Biology of Women: Sex, Gender, Reproduction & Disease.
David Dudrick, George Carleton Jr. professor of philosophy, instructs challenges of modernity in Lathrop Hall.
Beth Parks, associate professor of physics and astronomy, and a student look at an electronic game in the Robert H.N. Ho Science Center.
95%
Faculty with PhD or highest degree in their field

Elodie Fourquet, associate professor of computer science, instructs a computer science class in Lathrop Hall.

Sam Rosenfeld, assistant professor of political science, teaches War and the Shaping of American Politics in Lawrence Hall.

Alumni

Even by college standards, where many universities have proud and passionate followers, the alumni of Colgate are more than loyal.

They are famously loyal. And that means the students of Colgate can count on support from one of the most inspiring and successful group of leaders in America. Colgate alums provide mentoring, internships, and constant engagement with undergraduates, tailored right down to their areas of interest.

At more than 35,000 strong, Colgate alumni are leaders of business, literature, finance, entertainment, and more. Each year, dozens return for a weekend devoted to giving career counsel to Colgate sophomores — just one of many examples of how Colgate alumni are involved and invested in the alma mater they love.

35K
Number of Colgate alumni globally
100%
Percentage of funding from alumni and parents in the construction of the new $16.4 million Benton Hall
99%
Percentage of last year’s class secured jobs, admission to graduate schools, fellowships and scholarships, military or volunteer service within nine months of graduation
90%
Graduation rate, among the highest in the country

Amy Dudley ’06

Head of communications at Shef

Daniel Green ’06

Founder and CEO of Green Sports Management

Debra Locastro ’05

Strategy and operations for Google Ads at Google Inc

Silvia Alvarez ’96

SVP, associate director, international and domestic communications at Major League Baseball Players Association

Gloria Borger ’74

American journalist and columnist; chief political analyst at CNN

Nick Kokonas ’90

Founder and owner of Alinea, Next, The Aviary, and Roister; founder and CEO of Tock, Inc.

Other Notable Alumni

Athletics

  • Rob Stone ’91, Lead Studio Host at FOX Sports
  • Mark H. Murphy ’77, president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers
  • Tad Brown ’86, CEO of the Houston Rockets
  • Kiira Dosdall ’09, plays professionally for Metropolitan Riveters of National Women’s Hockey League
  • Adonal Foyle ’99, 13-year NBA player and current community ambassador for Golden State Warriors
  • Daniel Green ’06, founder and CEO of Green Sports Management
  • David Lloyd ’83, studio host at ESPN
  • Lauren Schmetterling ’10, Olympic gold medal–winning rower

Business and Entrepreneurship

  • Jenna Kramer ’10, associate policy researcher, RAND Corp
  • Samantha Radocchia ’11, co-founder of Chronicled Inc.; Forbes 30 under 30
  • Tim Spence ’01, Digital Banker of the Year (American Banker), president and CEO at Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Jon Sendach ’98, executive director, North Shore University Hospital
  • Carmine Di Sibio ’85, elected global chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young Global Ltd.
  • Nick Kokonas ’90, founder and owner of Alinea, Next, The Aviary, and Roister; founder and CEO of Tock, Inc.

Politics and Advocacy

  • Maggie Dunne ’13, founder of Lakota Children’s Enrichment; Forbes 30 under 30
  • Peter Feldman ’04, commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
  • Evan Kramer ’09, asst. superintendent of data, assessment, and research at DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education
  • David Kusnetz ’09, litigation associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
  • Nicol Turner Lee ’90, senior fellow, governance studies and director, Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution
  • Rob Sobelman ’08, Assistant U.S. Attorney

Science and Tech

  • Spencer Charles ’11, product operations manager at Google Inc.
  • Matthew Culbreth ’09, associate creative director at Peloton
  • Jason Rand ’07, global travel brand partnerships at Pinterest
  • Clarissa Shah ’10, managing counsel at LinkedIn
  • Kim Sass ’12, associate architectural job captain, HLW

Media and Publishing

  • Jennifer Levene Bruno ’94, SVP, group publishing director, and chief revenue officer, Hearst Magazine
  • Kristin Koch ’05, editor in chief of Seventeen Magazine
  • Bob Woodruff ’83, Correspondent at ABC News
  • Kim Edwards ’81, New York Times bestselling author, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
  • Gloria Borger ’74, American journalist and columnist; chief political analyst at CNN
  • Stephen Burke ’80, executive vice president of Comcast; president and CEO of NBCUniversal
  • Matt Renner ’01, VP of production at National Geographic, Free Solo

Academics

  • Michèle Alexandre ’96, civil rights scholar, dean of Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and professor of law
  • Denniston Reid ’94, chief schools and innovation officer at Excellence Community Schools
  • Kevin Ross ’94, president of Lynn University
  • Henry Zymeck ’82, principal of M.S. 245 in NYC; featured in the New York Times
  • Andrea Maldonado ’97, founder and director of international admissions at the National Student Leadership Conference
  • Drea Finley ’13, inaugural dialogue facilitator at Williams College

Arts

  • Joe Berlinger ’83, Academy Award nominated, and Peabody- and Emmy-winning filmmaker
  • E. Garrett Bewkes IV ’10, publisher of National Review
  • Journalist Amanda Terkel ’04, Washington editorial director at Huffington Post
  • Julie Cohen ’86, director of RBG, a biopic following the life and achievements of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2019 Oscars
  • Chris White ’91, executive producer of PBS's award-winning documentary series POV and America Reframed on WORLD Channel; winner of multiple Emmy Awards, and executive producer of the Academy Award– nominated film Minding The Gap

Start your lifelong connections

The Colgate community is essential to the experience students have, not just during their four years on campus – but for the rest of their lives. Take the next step to be part of the supportive and loyal Colgate community.

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