Notable Alumni of Teachers College at Columbia University

Shirley Chisholm 1924–2005

First black woman elected to U.S. Congress

Master of Arts · Childhood pedagogy · Class of 1951

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, CUNY Brooklyn College

Hafizullah Amin 1929–1979

Afghan communist leader, head of state in 1979

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Nahas Angula 1943–

Former Prime Minister of Namibia

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Thomas Kean 1935–

48th Governor of New Jersey

Also attended: Princeton University, Columbia University in the City of New York

Father: Robert Kean (Harvard University)

Child: Thomas Howard Kean Jr. (Tufts University, Dartmouth College)

Laila Iskander 1949–

Former Egyptian Minister of State for Environment Affairs

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, Columbia University in the City of New York

Sheila Tlou 1950–

Former Botswana health minister and nursing professor

Also attended: University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dillard University

Lee Huan 1917–2010

Former head of Taiwan's executive branch

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Child: Lee Ching-hua (New York University)

Muhammad Fadhel al-Jamali 1903–1997

Former Prime Minister and foreign minister of Iraq

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

John King Jr. 1975–

Former US Secretary of Education, SUNY chancellor

Also attended: Yale University, Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York

Camilo Osías 1889–1976

Filipino politician and President of the Senate

Also attended: Western Illinois University, Columbia University in the City of New York

Nosimo Balindlela 1949–

South African politician, former Premier of Eastern Cape

William Campbell 1940–2016

Chairman of Columbia University trustees and Intuit

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Sylvia Wu 1915–2022

Chinese-American restaurateur and cookbook author

Child: George H. Wu (Pomona College, University of Chicago)

Carl Rogers 1902–1987

Psychologist, a founder of humanistic psychology

Also attended: Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Edward Thorndike 1874–1949

Psychologist at Columbia Teachers College

Also attended: Wesleyan University, Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York

Child: Elizabeth Frances Cope (Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York)

Child: Robert L. Thorndike (Wesleyan University, Columbia University in the City of New York)

Albert Ellis 1913–2007

Psychologist, founder of REBT

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, CUNY Bernard M Baruch College, CUNY--City College

Rollo May 1909–1994

Existential psychologist, author of Love and Will

Also attended: Michigan State University, Columbia University in the City of New York, Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York

Virginia Henderson 1897–1996

Nurse, researcher, theorist and author

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

David Ausubel 1918–2008

Educational psychologist known for advance organizers

Also attended: University of Pennsylvania

William Heard Kilpatrick 1871–1965

Progressive education pedagogue and John Dewey's successor

Also attended: Mercer University, Johns Hopkins University

Robert S. Woodworth 1869–1962

Psychologist who created the Woodworth personality test

Also attended: Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York

Bill Ayers 1944–

Professor, co-founder of the Weather Underground

Also attended: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Bank Street College of Education, Columbia University in the City of New York

Spouse: Bernardine Dohrn (University of Chicago, Miami University-Oxford)

Hildegard Peplau 1909–1999

Nursing theorist of interpersonal relations

Also attended: Bennington College

David Rosenhan 1929–2012

Psychologist known for the Rosenhan experiment

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, Yeshiva University

Richard E. Nisbett 1941–

Social psychologist at the University of Michigan

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Clark Wissler 1870–1947

Anthropologist, ethnologist and archaeologist

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Ella Cara Deloria 1889–1971

Yankton Dakota anthropologist, linguist and novelist

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, Oberlin College

Faye Glenn Abdellah 1919–2017

Nursing research pioneer, Deputy Surgeon General

Irving Janis 1918–1990

Psychologist known for the theory of groupthink

Also attended: University of Chicago, Columbia University in the City of New York

May Edward Chinn 1896–1980

First African-American woman to graduate from Bellevue medical college

Science · Attended until 1921

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, New York University

Tsuruko Haraguchi 1886–1915

Psychologist, first Japanese woman to earn a PhD

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Jiang Menglin 1886–1964

Educator, longtime president of Peking University

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Zhang Boling 1874–1951

Educator and co-founder of Nankai University

Sibling: P. C. Chang (Clark University, Columbia University in the City of New York)

Lin Mosei 1887–1947

Taiwanese academic and educator

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Herman Chan-En Liu 1886–1938

Educator and civic leader in China

Also attended: University of Chicago

Spouse: Liu-Wang Liming (Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York)

Georgia O'Keeffe 1887–1986

Modernist painter, Mother of American modernism

Also attended: School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York

Spouse: Alfred Stieglitz (CUNY--City College)

Sibling: Ida O'Keeffe (Columbia University in the City of New York, University of Virginia-Main Campus)

Art Garfunkel 1941–

Singer and actor of Simon & Garfunkel

Master of Arts · Mathematics education · Class of 1967

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Neil Postman 1931–2003

Media theorist and author of Amusing Ourselves to Death

Also attended: SUNY at Fredonia

Hu Shih 1891–1962

Chinese scholar, writer, diplomat and language reformer

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, Cornell University

Donald Byrd 1932–2013

Jazz trumpeter, composer and vocalist

Also attended: Wayne State University, Columbia University in the City of New York, Manhattan School of Music

Agnes Martin 1912–2004

American abstract painter

Also attended: University of New Mexico-Main Campus, Western Washington University

Karl Struss 1886–1981

Photographer and cinematographer, 3-D film pioneer

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Mary Antin 1881–1949

Author of The Promised Land and immigration activist

Also attended: Barnard College, Columbia University in the City of New York

Spouse: Amadeus William Grabau (Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Norman Cousins 1915–1990

Political journalist, author and world peace advocate

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

William Schuman 1910–1992

Composer and arts administrator

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, The Juilliard School, New York University

Alma Thomas 1891–1978

Painter and art educator

Also attended: Howard University, Columbia University in the City of New York

Charles Alston 1907–1977

Painter and sculptor of the Harlem Renaissance

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, Saint Augustine's University

Spouse: Myra Adele Logan (Columbia University in the City of New York, New York Medical College)

Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal 1946–

Screenwriter and director, Academy Award nominee

Also attended: Barnard College, Columbia University in the City of New York

Spouse: Eric Foner (Columbia University in the City of New York)

Spouse: Stephen Gyllenhaal (Trinity College)

Helena Carter 1923–2000

Film actress in Invaders from Mars

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Anzia Yezierska 1880–1970

Polish-born Jewish-American novelist

Maria Konnikova 1984–

Writer, journalist and poker player

Also attended: Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York

Lynd Ward 1905–1985

Artist known for wordless woodcut novels

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Father: Harry F. Ward (Northwestern University, Harvard University)

Irene Dalis 1925–2014

Mezzo-soprano with a long international opera career

Also attended: San Jose State University

Todd Duncan 1903–1998

Baritone who originated Porgy in Porgy and Bess

Also attended: Howard University, Butler University, Valparaiso University

Soo Yong 1903–1984

Chinese-American actress in 23 Hollywood films

Leonor Orosa-Goquingco 1917–2005

Filipino national artist in dance and choreography

Tao Xingzhi 1891–1946

Chinese educator and reformer

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Maya Lawrence 1980–

Fencer, 2012 Olympic team épée bronze medalist

Also attended: Princeton University

Henry Wittenberg 1918–2010

Olympic champion freestyle wrestler

Also attended: CUNY--City College

Adolph Rupp 1901–1977

Kentucky coach who won four NCAA championships

Also attended: University of Kansas

Helen Kim 1899–1970

Korean educator, feminist and social activist

Also attended: Ohio Wesleyan University

Soon-Yi Previn 1970–

Wife of Woody Allen

Master of Education · Special education

Also attended: Drew University, Rider University, Columbia University in the City of New York

Spouse: Woody Allen (New York University)

Sibling: Moses Farrow (University of Connecticut, Siena University)

Morris Cohen 1910–1995

American convicted of spying for the Soviet Union

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Madie Hall Xuma 1894–1982

African American educator and activist who emigrated to South Africa

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York, Shaw University, Winston-Salem State University

Spouse: Alfred Bitini Xuma (Northwestern University, Minnesota State University-Mankato)

Liu-Wang Liming 1896–1970

Feminist and publisher of Women's Voice

Also attended: Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York

Spouse: Herman Chan-En Liu (University of Chicago, Teachers College at Columbia University)

Cha Liang-Chao 1896–1982

Educator and philanthropist

Also attended: University of Chicago, Grinnell College