A Welcome Message from Laila Maher
Dean of Student and Alumni Affairs
Now more than ever it is crucial for artists to be supported as they pursue their craft. The life of an artist as well as that of a student involves much more than the classroom and the work itself, and this is where the Office of Student Affairs comes in. In addition to guiding new students through the process of transitioning to the School of the Arts, we plan the School-wide orientation, School of the Arts Convocation, and support student groups, events, and activities.
We also play a critical role in connecting School of the Arts students to the larger university and necessary services, and help students navigate many of the central offices including Health Services (which houses the Office of Disability Services, Insurance, Immunization, and Counseling and Psychological Services), Columbia Residential, Public Safety, University Life, the International Students and Scholars Office, and the Registrar's Office. Our office also helps to uphold many of the School and University-wide policies and we manage the School’s disciplinary procedures.
The Artists’ Resource Center, also part of our Office, maintains information on funding opportunities and career resources for students and alumni at the Columbia University School of the Arts, and provides consultations to students and alumni to help them look for professional development opportunities and more.
After graduation, the Office of Alumni Affairs provides more than 7000 alumni artists, creators, and leaders with 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.
Our ultimate goal is to support our students and alums while they pursue their education as valued members of our dynamic community and as they navigate their time after graduation.
Student & Alumni News
Paradise Pawn, the debut novel from Writing alum Meg Richardson '20—out July 14, 2026 with Tin House—follows the inseparable teenage duo, Jackie and Kayla, who hawk everything from luxury jewels to chainsaws at the pawn shop where they help out their fathers in Cherry Beach, Florida.
The Classical Theater of Harlem has announced that its 2026 Uptown Shakespeare in the Park production will be Othello—one of Shakespeare's most emotionally-charged tragedies, exploring power, rage, and racism—directed by Carl Cofield '14 with assistant direction from Kanika Asavari Vaish '22.
La Mar, a stunningly intimate account of community resilience by Mexican filmmaker, journalist, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies, Jean Chapiro '25, has been longlisted for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Student Awards.
A man has been found slumped over the steering wheel of his BMW, dead, in a South Asian enclave of suburban New Jersey—and the Sharmas are at the center of the case. In Men Like Ours, the darkly comic debut novel by Writing alum Bindu Bansinath '23, coming-of-age meets murder mystery as Anita Sharma, her restless teenage daughter Leila, and the women of the neighborhood are roped into the investigation of their friend's death.
The Off-Broadway hit, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls by Playwriting alum Jocelyn Bioh '08, is getting its Broadway bow with leading nonprofit theatre company, Manhattan Theatre Club, this fall.
Fresh off the success of their debut novel, a writer wrestles with disillusionment, despair, and mysterious visions in surreal sophomore novel, Lucid Dreams, by Daphne Palasi Andreades '19.
The 79th Annual Tony Awards concluded the evening of June 7, and Columbia theatre-makers took home some of the night's biggest honors.
Cautionary Tales: A Symphony of Anger/Kòlè, the debut New York solo exhibition by Laurena Finéus '24, which opened last month at Fridman Gallery, considers anger as a form of knowing. On view now through June 19, 2026.
Two books from Columbia alums are featured on this summer reading list from Columbia Magazine. Read more.
This Is Who We Are is a series featuring Columbia University School of the Arts' professors, covering careers, pedagogy, and art-making. Here, we talk with Adjunct Associate Professor of Writing BK Fischer '97 about cranberry morphemes, plasticity, and tap dancing.
An interview with producer and Undergraduate Film alum Gabriel Mayers (CC '17).
Laurie Anderson '72 (BC '69) and Kambui Olujimi '13 are among the 110 artists invited to participate in the Venice Biennale's 61st International Art Exhibition, In Minor Keys, presenting works alongside the likes of Marcel Duchamp and Pauline Oliveros.