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
Acting alumna Nadia Sepsenwol ’09 is a resident actor at The Mercury Store who is currently working with Directing alumnus and former Adjunct Professor Robert O’Hara ’96. O’Hara is a prominent playwright and director. He recently directed Jeremy O’Harris’ Slave Play, which premiered on Broadway and was nominated for twelve Tony Awards, including Best Director.
Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform that helps bring creative projects to life, recently featured the short film project Brenda by Undergraduate Writing alumna Bernadette Bridges ('19 CC).
Constructing Futures: Making Ecological Art in a Time of Uncertainty is a biweekly series that features artists who use found materials, natural resources, and the landscape to construct work that addresses the harsh realities of our ecological age.
Wilder Shorts! opens with a pair of people on stage, chatting. An actor, and a stagehand; they’re not in character, they’re simply talking.
Alumna Gina Atwater '11 recently signed a multi-year overall deal with Netflix in which she will create, write, and produce new series and other projects for the streaming service while focusing on content across multiple genres that put traditionally underrepresented characters front and center.
Two films by Columbia filmmakers received an Emmy at the 42nd Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards on September 29, 2021. Belly of the Beast, a feature documentary produced by alumna Angela Tucker '05, took home the Emmy in the Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary category while The Story of Plastic, a feature documentary produced by alumna Kyle Cadotte '17, won in the Outstanding Writing: Documentary category.
The Swallows of Lunetto by alumnus and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Undergraduate Creative Writing Joseph Fasano '08 was recently bought by Mallory Smart at Maudlin House.
Playwriting alumna Ayvaunn Penn ’18 is directing Associate Professor Lynn Nottage’s play Fabulation or, the Re-Education of Undine at Jubilee Theatre. The Jubilee Theatre is a historically Black theater located in Fort Worth, Texas.
Playwriting alumna Kristin Slaney '16 and Film alumnus Jabari McDonald '18 both participated in Outfest’s 2021 Screenwriting Lab as two of eleven writers earlier this month.
No Crying in the Garden, the debut poetry collection by alumna Michelle Dominique Burk ’16, will be published by Barnes & Noble Press on October 15, 2021.
“It’s much more like a rhythm that’s unfolding over time. And so it requires memory. Visual and somatic memory of encountering those works, and it requires that the viewer see both parts of the show,” curator Amy Sadao said of the current installation in Lenfest Center for the Arts.