Welcome back EPDers! 

We hope you had an amazing winter break, with a chance to rest, recharge, and have some fun!  We’re excited to kick things off this semester with the first issue of our spring newsletter.  There are great things in store: varied courses, timely events here at SIPA and elsewhere, and many other opportunities to make the most of the months ahead — and we can’t wait to share them with you.  For those still finalizing their spring course schedule, please see the list below of EPD courses with spaces available.  Among many great courses, we highly recommend Prof. Savita Bailur's U6914 Policies and Practices in Human-Centered Digital Development -- a terrific opportunity to learn from Prof. Bailur and other eminent experts how to thoughtfully apply technology (including AI) to achieve development outcomes.

Looking ahead, we encourage first-year students to join our course advising session this Thursday, Jan. 23 at 1-2 pm in IAB Room 1302.  On Wednesday, Jan. 29 starting at 6:15 pm, we'll welcome back all EPD students and faculty with a reception on the 15th floor of SIPA. And on Friday, Jan. 31, at noon - 1 pm in IAB 1027, students interested in development consulting should join our career chat with EPD alumnus Zaki Raheem (a senior consultant with DAI).  Sign up on the Campus Groups to let us know if you are coming.

Here’s to an amazing start to the spring semester and an incredible year filled with opportunities, growth, and success!

This week’s newsletter includes:

• EPD Courses with Available Seats
• Important Spring 2025 Registration Reminders
• EPD Events
• Resources
• Things to Do in the City!
• EPD Office Hours

EPD Courses with Available Seats 

EPD Core Courses (with openings)

EPD Focus Area Courses (with openings)

INAF U6914 Policies and Practices in Human-Centered Digital Development
Instructor: Savita Bailur (bio)
Course dates/times: Thursday, 6:10 - 9:00 PM (Jan 30 - April 3)
Call #: 12336 | View in Vergil

INAF U6736 Innovations in Development Finance (short course)
Instructor: Radha Kulkarni (bio)
Course dates/times: Fri/Sat, Jan 31 & Feb 1, Feb 7 & 8, and Feb 14 & 15 (1:30 - 3:50 PM)
Call #: 10577 | View in Vergil

INAF U6454 Fighting Corruption: Concepts and Strategies
Instructor: Richard Nephew (bio)
Tuesday, 2:10 - 4:00 PM
Call #: 16260 | View in Vergil

INAF U8354 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Development
Instructors: Bryanna Millis (bio) and Dan Langfitt (bio)
Course dates/times: Friday, 1:30 – 4:20 PM (Jan 24 - April 18)
Call #: 16259 | View in Vergil

INAF U6163 African Development Strategies: Policies, Institutions and Governance
Instructor: Akbar Noman (bio)
Wednesday, 2:10 – 4:00 PM
Call #: 10575 | View in Vergil

INAF U6774 Public Policy and Inequality in Developing Countries
Instructor: Marcelo Medeiros Coelho de Souza (bio)
Section 2: Thursday, 4:10 - 6:00 PM
Call #: 16269 | View in Vergil

Important Spring 2025 Registration Reminders 

The start of classes this week is the beginning of the add/drop (change of program) period. During this time students can “shop” courses and continue to adjust their course schedule. The last day to add/drop full semester SIPA courses via SSOL is Friday, January 31st. Please ensure that your schedule is finalized by this date. Below is an overview of important information to ensure a smooth start to your classes:

• For students expecting to graduate in May 2025, please make sure you are on track to complete all of your EPD requirements as you finalize your spring course schedule. In particular, if you still need to satisfy your core political development requirement and foreign language requirement. Please review your Stellic profile and contact Vida (hh2655) as soon as possible if you have any questions regarding your progress.
• Cross Registration: Please consult the SIPA cross-registration page for detailed information on how to register at other Columbia University schools/departments. If the school/department in which you are interested is not included on the site, you will need to contact them directly to confirm their cross-registration process.
• Course Evaluations & Courseworks: We advise you to review both the course syllabi and course evaluations when choosing your courses and finalizing your schedule. The courseworks pages for Spring 2024 courses, will be accessible to all students until the end of the change of program period on January 31st. After this date, a course’s courseworks page will be restricted to students who are officially registered for the specific course.
• Changing a Concentration/Specialization: Students can submit a request to change their concentration/specialization via the concentration/specialization change form. There is a limit of one submission per semester. 
• Grading Options: Students can opt to take courses for letter grade or pass/fail or request to audit (R-credit) a course. Courses that will be used to meet core, concentration, or specialization requirements must be taken for a letter grade. Courses taken as an audit (R-credit), will count toward your 18-credit maximum but do not count toward your graduation credits. An overview of grading options is located here.
• Maximum Credit: Ensure that your registration does not exceed the maximum credits allowed by your program. Registering for credits beyond the maximum requires advisor permission and will result in additional tuition charges on a per-point basis. Information about these charges can be found on the Student Financial Services page.
• Short Courses: Short courses can be registered anytime prior to the first session. Short courses must be dropped a day prior to the second class session.

EPD and Other Events 

Lessons from the Inflation Shock w/ Ben Broadbent

EPD Course Advising Session 

EPD Welcome Back Reception

Career Talk in Development Consulting with Zaki Raheem

Resources

FREE SIX-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION TO IMPACT ENTREPRENEUR

Prof. Jeff Ashe alerted us to a special offer being extended to faculty and students in selected universities for a six-month premium subscription to the Impact Entrepreneur platform, which includes access to their digital magazine, events, conversations and job board.  Any interested SIPA students, staff and faculty can sign up through this link: https://impactentrepreneur.com/membership-account/membership-checkout/?level=1 The free discount code is: Columbia6MonthFree

Things to Do in the City!

Embark on a VR expedition across Egypt at Horizon of Khufu

Discover Ancient Egypt like never before with Horizon of Khufu, brought to life using invaluable research from Harvard’s renowned Giza Project. Step into a world of grandeur as you explore mastabas, the tombs of ancient monarchs, the majestic Nile River, and more. Immerse yourself in the rich history and stunning visuals of this extraordinary journey.  Tickers are sold here. 

NYC Restaurant Week

January 21 – February 9

NYC Restaurant Week is a semiannual program that celebrates New York City’s world-famous dining scene. Participating restaurants citywide offer menus at a special price for lunch and/or dinner, inspiring diners to try something new (and even break bread in a different borough). More information here. 
 

EPD Office Hours

José Antonio Ocampo, EPD Co-Director
jao2128@columbia.edu
Office hours: https://tinyurl.com/ocampo-officehours
 
Eugenia (Jenny) McGill, EPD Co-Director & EPD Workshop Director
em419@columbia.edu
Office hours: https://tinyurl.com/mcgill-oh

Vida Huimin Herling, EPD Concentration Manager
hh2655@columbia.edu
Office hours: https://calendar.app.google/HxfRugCoHHu4bq5C7
 
Semon Makar Zekry (MIA/EPD), Program Assistant
sam2481@columbia.edu
Office hours: TBD  (email for appointment)

Talia Rosenberg (MIA/EPD), Program Assistant
tcr2135@columbia.edu
Office hours: TBD  (email for appointment)

Your PAs,
Semon and Talia