Announcements

New Club Website is Live!
At long last, the new Club website has officially launched! Click here to view the new website. This month's newsletter also marks our transition to the new NationBuilder format. We're still getting things off the ground as we develop a new template, but comments about the website and newsletter are welcome! Please e-mail Theresa Quintanilla and Eric Lukas with your thoughts.

Jeffrey Sachs to Address Club in May
We are excited and delighted to announce that we have official confirmation that Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, the renowned development economist and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia, will be speaking to the Club in May! At this point, we have no further details, but we will keep you informed as we receive more information from Morningside Heights. We expect to have substantial turnout from members for this event, and as we get closer to the spring we will have a call for members to volunteer with the logistics of this event. Stay tuned!

Columbia Campaign Wraps Up with Record Haul
By now all of you should have received a message from President Bollinger about the results from the seven-year Columbia Campaign. However, it bears repeating that the University raised more than $6.1 billion from donors, an Ivy League record for a single fundraising campaign. With more than 200,000 donors contributing, including several members of this Club, it is an impressive achievement and a testament to the strength of the greater Columbia community.

Club Member to Attend CAA Board Retreat in February
Our own George Worthington SIPA '78, CBS '93 will join fellow members of the Columbia Alumni Association Board in New York next week. The Board will develop and discuss a multi-faceted strategic plan for alumni outreach and strengthening connections, and we look forward to hearing more about the plan when George returns to Houston.

Upcoming Events

Business School Alumni Dinner and Drinks - February 6
Calling all CBS alumni! Join alumni of the business school for dinner and drinks on Thursday, February 6. Details are as follows:
When: Thurs., February 6, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
RSVP: https://groups.gsb.columbia.edu/ac-houston/rsvp?id=202950 
Cost: Pay as you go
For questions, please contact Alan Cordova, CBS '08 at acordova08@gsb.columbia.edu

February InterClub - February 18
Hosted by Columbia
When: Tues., February 18, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Where: The Pastry War, 310 Main Street, Houston

February InterClub 2.0 - February 25
Hosted by Columbia and MIT
When: Tues., February 25, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Where: Bar Sorrel at Sorrel Urban Bistro, 2202 West Alabama Street, Houston

Wine Seminar and Tasting, co-sponsored by My Table magazine - February 27
Come join Club members for an evening of education and tastings of central Texas wine! Paul Bonarrigo, CEO of the Messina Hof Winery in Bryan, will be presenting and leading the activities. Details are as follows:
When: Thurs., February 27, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Where: The Tinderbox, 3622 Main Street, Houston
RSVP: http://houston.alumni.columbia.edu/calendar
Price: Tickets will be $20 until February 20th, $25 after and at the door. Space is limited so RSVP soon!
For questions, please contact Maria Java, Social Work '06 at [email protected]

Come Run with Club Members in the 2014 ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run! - March 1
Maria Java has formed a team of Club members for the ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run on March 1, 2014. The run includes 5k and 10k distance options. Club members are welcome to join and can register here: http://www.active.com/houston-tx/running/distance-running-races/conocophillips-rodeo-run-10k-5k-2014. Club members must register individually online and make sure to choose "Columbia University Alumni Club of South Texas" as the team name when registering. Registration is $30 per runner and will increase to $35 per runner as Race Day draws near. Packets containing race numbers and other information can be picked up by runners in the days prior to the start of the race (more information will be e-mailed to participants by the Run Committee after registration). For questions or further information, please contact Maria at [email protected]. See you at the starting line!

Columbia Business School Energy Forum - Early March
Columbia Business School will be hosting an energy forum in Houston during the first week of March. Exact dates, speakers, and venue remain to be determined, but we will keep Club members posted as we receive further details!

Columbia Business School at SXSW - March 7-11
The Business School is considering hosting an event during the SXSW Interactive Conference next month in Austin. In order to gauge interest for an event, CBS has put together a survey for alums who intend to be in Austin for the conference. If you're a CBS alum who plans to be at SXSW, please fill out the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BLSVMJQ

Alumni News

Club Member Attends Sundance
Cressandra Thibodeaux, MFA '97 attended the 2014 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah last month. Cressandra is the executive director of 14 Pews, an art-house theater in the Heights. She has expressed interest in screening several of the short films submitted by Columbia graduates at Sundance, and we may have further details soon on a possible Club event there. For more information on 14 Pews and for a list of upcoming screenings, click here.

Welcome to John Dean Alfone 
The Club would like to extend a warm welcome to John Dean Alfone, CC '97, who recently moved to Houston from New Orleans. John is a video production producer with professional experience in the motion picture and television industries who operates his own company, Corsair Media Productions, producing videos for various clients in the Gulf Coast region. Last year, he attended a Columbia Alumni Association event where he co-produced a video for an event called  "Houston Impact Investing". He looks forward to working with any local alumni on their video production needs.