“The World Becomes Such a Big Place”

The world opened up for Brian Chang ’93CC when he came to Columbia.

Raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Brian relished Columbia’s academic rigor and an environment that offered unique challenges, from navigating New York City to wrestling with complex political and social conflicts.

Equally important was his exposure to many different points of view. “It had a profound effect on me,” he said. “Yes, it’s exhausting, it’s frustrating at times, but it demands that you look at things in a new way. And once you embrace that process, the world becomes such a big place.”

It’s a lesson he has shared throughout his life and in his medical practice in Sedona, Arizona.  

“This is something I preach to my staff, many of whom have never lived anywhere else other than our town of fewer than 12,000 people,” Brian said. “Leaving everything behind to start a new life takes courage, which is exceedingly difficult if all you know is a small town. I can point to Columbia College for giving me a broad education and a perspective I try to pass on.”

After Columbia, Brian earned an M.D. from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. He completed his internship at Georgia Baptist Medical Center and went on to the Ophthalmology Residence Program Eye and Ear Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He returned to New York to complete his fellowship in glaucoma at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.

Today, he is a glaucoma/cataract surgeon in Sedona, a perfect place for indulging his passion for mountain biking. His wife Carolyn and daughter Mari are active in Rotary International, so “family time is often volunteer time in our local community.”

Inculcated at Columbia, Brian’s commitment to service has been lifelong. 

As an undergraduate, he belonged to several cultural and social organizations, served on the Orientation Committee, as Senior Class Marshall and as resident advisor during his junior and senior years. During medical school and residency, he sat on the Alumni Representative Committee. Later, he volunteered to interview prospective Columbia students.

Today, Brian said, he has reached a point where, “I can slow down to think about where I’ve been and, most importantly, where things are going.”

Referring to the College’s former Dean of Students, “To quote Dean Roger Lechecka, Columbia produces ‘intellectual guerilla fighters,’” he said. “We need leaders who have been taught to look at the underpinnings of complex topics and not blindly follow the cause du jour on Instagram.”

Brian regularly supports Columbia College by making unrestricted gifts each year to the College. “My daughter is my co-conspirator when it comes to donations,” he said. “Our gift to the Columbia College Pride Scholarship Fund last year was her doing. For the coming year, we’ll sit down again and figure out where we can help the most.”

Brian has made the Columbia College Fund the beneficiary of an Individual Retirement Account. Another family co-conspirator, sister Elena Chang ‘97CC, has also included Columbia in her estate plans. Together they are now members of the 1754 Society, a robust community of forward-thinking individuals who support Columbia and ensure its continued preeminence through legacy giving.

Brian hopes that his future gift will strengthen Columbia’s commitment to promoting a diverse student body, which is a cornerstone of Columbia’s educational mission.

“Only 11 percent of the Class of 2025 comes from a rural community,” he said. “I need to support Columbia’s continued mission to look for diverse viewpoints. Only then can we educate future leaders who will bridge the widening social and political gulf that our country faces.”

“I hope that Columbia can look at the urban/rural division in our country and find ways to cross that divide,” he continued. “We need to educate ‘influencers’ who can live in both worlds and address the reasons why so much of the U.S. feels that it has been left behind.”

Brian considers giving to Columbia “crowd funding our future thought leaders” and encourages other alumni to do the same. 

“It doesn't have to be some hefty endowed fund to be important and meaningful,” he said. “It can be as simple as describing your time at Columbia to a young person—which in turn could fuel a desire to explore the larger world.”