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
ZORA, the online literary magazine devoted to publishing women of color, recently released the Zora Canon on its website listing the best books by
Five alumni and one current student have been nominated for Oscars by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year.
Keith Mayerson’s Friends and Family exhibit at the Peter Mendenhall Gallery in Pasadena, CA features seven artists from Columbia Universit
Alumna Jessi Jezewska Stevens '18 will publish her debut novel The Exhibition of Persephone Q with Farrar, Straus and Giroux this March.
Our Father, the Devil (Mon Père, Le Diable) (previously titled He That Shall Not Be Named), directed by alumna Ellie Foumbi '17, was selected as on
After their respective premieres at the Cannes Film Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight, both Cancion Sin Nombre (Song Without a Name) by alumna Melina
On January 5th, the Golden Globes ceremony took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles where two films and one mini series by Columbia al
La MaMa’s 58th season honored and celebrated the downtown theatre company’s founder Ellen Stewart by bringing back Professor Andrei Serban’s and El
Recent alumna Josalynn Smith ’19 and current student Gina Hackett both received the 2019 SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship.
On Friday, December 13, Universal brought the horror film, Black Christmas by Barnard alumna Sophia Takal ’07, to theatres with a wide release.
It’s been a successful year for Columbia filmmakers at the DGA Student Film Awards.
Alumna Deborah Chow ’03 became the first woman to direct a live-action installment in the Star Wars franchise when she directed two episodes of Dis