Columbia, S.C.:
Columbia College kicked off Fall Orientation Weekend Friday, August 25, with faculty and staff pitching in to help our Class of 2010 move into residence halls to begin their college careers.  Move-In Day* is a family event for most first-year students, and an opportunity for the campus community to welcome them with a helping hand. Fall Orientation is a comprehensive five-day program to assist our first year students in understanding how to navigate this important life transition. Classes begin on Wednesday, August 30.
 
Fall 2006 begins an extraordinary year at
Columbia College for several reasons:
The Class of 2010, with about 270 students, is among the largest first-year classes in the history of the College. In addition, this class will be followed throughout their college career as part of the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education. Columbia College is one of 18 liberal arts institutions throughout the country selected to participate in the study. The four-year, multi-million dollar study will focus on the impact of liberal arts education, exploring how students develop during their college years and how key educational experiences promote this development. The Wabash Study of Liberal Arts Education is sponsored and led by the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
 
Also, Columbia College begins an exciting school year with one million dollars in recent contributions from several donors. The contributions will support projects such as improvements to the J. Drake Edens Library, technology upgrades, scholarships, and facility improvements.

Recent Major Contributions to Columbia College include:

• Blue Cross/Blue Shield, supporting software technology improvements
    
• Mrs. Rita Vandiver, supporting library improvements through “Friends of the Library”
    
• Anonymous, to match new gifts or gift increases received from alums, up to $100,000.     
    
• Jenzabar Foundation, supporting software technology and training
    
• Ms. Ruth Emmala Miller Estate, undesignated
    
• Mrs. Alawee Tucker, lead gift supporting facility improvements and scholarships for FY 06-07
    
• Mrs. Annie Laurie George, supporting library improvements through “Friends of the Library”