The CAA was founded in 2005 with an opening gala at New York's Museum of Modern Art.  In 2007, the CAA launched in Europe with the marquis "CAA Paris 2007" event, featuring a conference with notables such as Kofi Annan, Jeff Sachs, Joe Stiglitz, and Orhan Pamuk, School-based receptions, and a semi-formal gala.

The CAA has grown to support over 100 alumni clubs and shared interest groups, an online Alumni Directory and numerous social networks facilitating unlimited connections, a suite of career resources, and opportunities to connect in person through social, cultural, and intellectual programs.

In 2012, Lee C. Bollinger launched a Presidential Task Force to look at the next five years of the CAA.  The CAA 2017 Strategic Plan, The Big Tent, set out a healthy future for our Columbia connections and the possibilities of our alma mater.

Today, our 2023 Strategic Plan reflects an ambitious effort to map out concrete steps toward better serving and engaging all alumni of Columbia University through Five Areas of Focus:

1. Partnerships
2. Students
3. Segmentation
4. Virtual Engagement
5. Volunteers