In late October, over a hundred Columbia alumni attended the annual Cocktail Party organized by the recently established Alumni Club Chile to honor renowned economist Joseph Ramos with the first Outstanding Columbia University Alumnus award.
Born in Philadelphia, United States in 1938, Ramos completed all his academic life at Columbia University, where he obtained a Ph.D. in Economics (1968), a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (1960), and a Bachelor of Arts (1959). After receiving Chilean citizenship by special grant, he was elected dean of Universidad de Chile's Facultad de Economía y Negocios (FEN) for the 2002-2006 period. During his tenure, he led a renewal process that included improvements in infrastructure, technology, curricula, and the introduction of mandatory courses in English. Following his tenure as dean, he founded the School of Talents in 2013, an initiative under FEN that identifies outstanding students from vocational-technical high schools, providing them with comprehensive support to enter, succeed in, and graduate from higher education.
During the event, Alvaro Saieh, Chairman of Chile’s CorpGroup and an art collector, spoke about his passion for New York City and his relationship with the Metropolitan Museum and The Shed arts center.
See pictures of the event here.
