October 2, 2017
EPIC News and Events
From the President's Desk

It is difficult to write an upbeat message on the heels of yet another mass murder, that itself follows on the heels of devastating natural disasters, but it is at difficult times that the value of community and learning and wisdom are particularly important. This Thursday, Oct. 5, we begin our inspiring series of lectures by exceptional young scholars who are completing their studies at Columbia. Kunal Sachdeva, a doctoral candidate at the Business School, will talk to us about his work on the relationship between wealth and gaps in life expectancy. Sachdeva is an accomplished young man, with an M. Fin. from MIT’s Sloan School and two bachelor degrees (Economics and Electrical Engineering) from Queen’s University in Canada. I am looking forward to it.
 
The program committee in meeting immediately after to plan future lectures and activities. If you have suggestions, please let us know  .
 
Thursday morning is also EPIC Yoga day – and remember we are starting a new 45-minute class for those with limited flexibility or mobility issues. The class meets at 11:15. You can  contact Prof. Emerita Ginny Papaioannou ( vep1@columbia.edu ) for more information.
 
This year the Muslim and Jewish New Year fell on exactly the same day, September 21. Many communities chose to use the intersection as an opportunity to recognize the commonalities of seemingly disparate communities. I am going to focus on this positive energy – and not death and destruction – as I personally move forward.
 
Have a good day.
 
J eanne Mager Stellman, President, EPIC
Professor Emerita & Special Lecturer
Mailman School of Public Health
First Thur sday Graduate Scholar Talk Thursday, Octob er 5
First Thursday Graduate Scholar Talk October 5
EPIC's first First Thursday Graduate Scholar Talk of the year will be presented by Kunal S. Sachdeva, Ph.D. candidate in Columbia Business School, on the subject "Linking the Wealth and Longevity Gap: Evidence from the Life Settlement Market"

More information about  First Thursday Graduate Scholar Talks  and the  full schedule of Fall 2017 talks  is available on our website.

12:15 - 2:00 p.m.
Ward H. Dennis Room
602 Lewisohn Hall
Guests welcome!


Complimentary lunch provided
Columbia's Justice-in-Education Initiative
Tuesday, October 10
Geraldine Downey, Director of the Center for Justice at Columbia; and Eileen Gillooly, Executive Director of the Heyman Center for the Humanities, will tell us about the Justice-in-Education Initiative , a collaboration between the Center for Justice and the Heyman Center, along with the Media and Idea Lab of the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race. The project provides educational opportunities to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated persons and integrates the study of justice into the Columbia University curriculum. Please click here for an article about the initiative that appeared in Columbia magazine in Summer 2017.

Tuesday Talks  address topics across the academic spectrum as well as issues of particular importance to the retired academic community. Attendees can continue their discussions at lunch in the Faculty House Dining Room, at a special EPIC reduced rate.

Photo: Justice in Education Initiative, Columbia University
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Faculty House, Garden Room 2

Guests welcome!

EPIC Musicians and Music Lovers: Let's Play!
A note from Professor Emerita Carolyn Greenberg

Music is a means of bringing us together for enjoyment and friendship. Because many EPIC members have a special love of music, we are undertaking a new music initiative for members and their families, both instrumentalists and vocalists. We would like to plan both periodic and ongoing sessions, perhaps performing for EPIC members at a recital or at the annual reception. We are also interested in re-invigorating our collaboration with the Columbia Music Department and Columbia student music groups. 
Another goal is for us to develop a system for publicizing and attending musical events together, at Columbia and elsewhere. We will explore working with the Columbia Arts Initiative to obtain group tickets to certain performances.

If you are interested in working on growing the EPIC music initiative, please contact me at  cpg2@columbia.edu  with your name, your instrument/vocalist, and your comments or suggestions. We will plan an initial gathering at my Manhattan apartment in the early Fall semester, to meet one another and to exchange information and ideas.
Yoga for All
Chair/Beginner Sessions; Additional CUMC Session
EPIC Yoga is expanding to include two new classes:

  • A 45-minute Chair Yoga/Beginner class for those who would like the benefits of yoga but have limited flexibility or mobility issues. This is a gentle form of yoga practiced while seated on a chair or standing using a chair for support. No mats or equipment necessary. The class would be Thursday mornings at 11:15 at the Faculty House on the Morningside Campus

  • A one-hour, mixed-level class similar to the one offered at the Faculty House to be held at the Medical Center campus. This class is suitable for beginners or experienced yogis alike. Time and day to be arranged.

If you are interested in either of these options, please contact Ginny Papaioannou for more information.