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
Writers in Collaboration is a monthly series covering writers involved in two art mediums and/or working with other artists.
Kareem Fahmy is a Canadian-born director and playwright of Egyptian descent.
Mountainfilm has awarded current student Gabriele Urbonaite its 2019 Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship for her short documentary in development, Solastalgia.
Two films by alumnus Tanuj Chopra ‘06, Punching at the Sun and Chee and T have been named on the LA Times list of “The 20 best Asian American films of the last 20 years.” The list, created by more than 20 Asian American film critics, puts Punching at the Sun at the 25th spot while Chee and T lands in 56th place.
Columbia MFA Acting thesis In the Blood brings conversation around poverty, institutional racism, and motherhood into sharp focus.
Diversity in Film is a bi-weekly series covering underrepresented groups in Film.
The Edge of Democracy, co-written & associate produced by current student Moara Passoni, was nominated for two Critics' Choice Documentary Awards for Best Political Documentary and Best Narration.
Since the film release of Moulin Rouge, Baz Luhrman’s dramatic musical has continued to capture the hearts of bohemians, artists, and audiences around the world. The 2001 film garnered critical acclaim, gaining the attention of Broadway producers. As the film transitioned to the stage, the script, adapted by playwright John Logan, continued to evolve. From workshops, to developmental labs, to the Boston premiere and finally to Broadway, Moulin Rouge!, directed by Alex Timbers, underwent numerous rewrites in order to become the dazzling spectacle that shines at the …
Poetry Alumna Isabella DeSendi '17 was recently announced as a winner of the 2019 Poetry Society of America Chapbook Fellowships. DeSendi won in the "under 30" category for her book, Through the New Body. Selected by the poet Evie Shockley, Through the New Body is a collection of poems excised from DeSendi’s thesis, Enter Spirit. “In retrospect, it makes sense that these poems started with the spirit and moved into a new body where they are still learning to heal and love and begin again. At the risk of being too transparent, this chapbook is about sexual…
Wai Lau, a current student in the visual arts program, is currently featured in four group exhibits across the world, two in Hong Kong, and two in the U.S.
“Fierce, sometimes chaotic” wrote Stephanie Burt of The New York Times about Slingshot, a poetry collection by alumnus Cyrèe Jarelle Johnson ’19, out from Nightboat Books. These poems that “present themselves as homemade weapons,” Burt wrote, “take aim against authority figures, racism, malign parents, deal with body degradation, violence and pellucid queer intimacies.” These poems have a such a strong energy force field, poets such as Dorothea Lasky called the book a “timeless lyric” with “language so deeply exquisite that it pierces through you.”