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
Columbia alums and their affiliated shows were well-represented at both the Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Let's break it down.
Playwright, librettist, and dramaturg Mo Holmes '26 has been awarded the 2026 Yale Drama Prize for her play Amanda. Holmes’s play was selected by Pulitzer- and Tony-winning playwright and current Yale faculty member Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Past recipients of this prize include playwright and Northwestern faculty member Ariel Stess and playwright Jen Silvers.
Several Columbia graduates and current faculty members are appearing in this year’s lineup at the Venice Film Festival (Biennale Cinema), which opened September 2 and runs through September 12.
Dark Hollow, a new horror film directed by Film alum Daniel Byers '22, has been acquired and distributed by the independent film distribution company Brainstorm Media, with a limited theatrical release starting on September 4, 2026. In addition to Byers as director, the project was assistant directed by Will Pinke '22 and line produced by Fernando Gonzalez Ortiz '22.
Winner of the 2024 International Berkshire Prize and named one of Debutiful’s “2026 Debut Poetry Collections You Need to Read,” Song in Tammuz by Avia Tadmor ’18 is forthcoming on October 1, 2026, from Tupelo Press.
Second-year Writing student Selena Aiyla has just been named the Managing Editor at Office Magazine, a role second to the Editor-In-Chief and Founder of the magazine.
Burlington, Vermont's premiere performing arts center, the Flynn, is partnering with the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize to publish new 10-minute plays and monologues on the state of American democracy by past winners of the prize—the oldest and largest playwriting prize honoring women+ writing for the English-speaking theatre. The civic initiative will conclude with a marathon live performance of the resulting work—Women+ on the Edge of Democracy—at the Flynn this October.
Assistant Professor of Visual Arts Adama Delphine Fawundu '18 is featured in a new exhibition, Never The Same River, at the Ford Foundation Gallery in New York City.
On July 23, 2026, the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) announced the recipients of their 2026 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship program, and among them were five alums and a former faculty member of the School of the Arts.
The National Board of Review (NBR), a New York City-based nonprofit for film enthusiasts, has announced its 2026 Student Grant recipients, honoring 17 emerging student filmmakers from eight New York-area film programs and universities, including two Columbia filmmakers.
Commissioned by the High Line and the CHANEL Culture Fund, Prior Occupants by Visual Arts alum Alison Nguyen '23 will premiere September 8, 2026, as the fifth High Line Originals film and the second High Line Originals co-commissioned with the CHANEL Culture Fund.
Adjunct Assistant Professor Deborah Devyn Chuang '26 is a recipient of the 2026 New Voices Filmmaker Grant for emerging directors from NewFest, New York City's largest LGBTQ+ film festival since 1988.