Alumni Affairs

Office of Alumni Affairs

A Welcome Message from Laila Maher
Dean of Student and Alumni Affairs

After graduation, the Office of Alumni Affairs provides more than 7000 alumni artists, creators, and leaders with meaningful opportunities to stay connected with the School of the Arts, the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA), and one another through alumni programming, benefits, a monthly newsletter, and collaborations with CAA Arts Access.

The Artists’ Resource Center (ARC), also part of our Office, is a portal containing specially curated funding opportunities and career resources for students and alumni at the Columbia University School of the Arts. Available exclusively to School of the Arts students and alumni, the ARC is host to a database of more than 1,100 grants, scholarships, residencies, and other funding opportunities for artists. The ARC also contains resources for professional artists, from financial and legal services to grantwriting tips and information about joining guilds and unions.

We are the best place to go when you’re not sure what to do or whom to ask your question. Ultimately, the most important thing we do is support and advocate for our students during their time at the School and into their lives as alumni.

Alumni News

This year’s Hampton’s International Film Festival featured two works from Columbia filmmakers: Dua Ji (short film) and Musk (documentary feature).

Professor and playwright Lynn Nottage, the first and only woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice, has been elected to the Pulitzer Prize Board. As a member of the board, Nottage will take part in the judging process determining the finalists and winners for the Pulitzer Prize in all of its categories in both Journalism, Books, Drama, and Music.

Visual Arts alum Heidi Howard '14 will join interactive sound art pioneer Liz Phillips for Live Processing Paint and Sound, a live performance at Roulette on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 8 pm.

Upcoming Alumni Events