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
Legendary producer Sheila Nevins and MTV picked up St. Louis Superman, a short documentary directed by two Columbia alumni, Sami Khan '09 and Smriti Mundhra '09. St. Louis Superman tells the tale of Bruce Franks Jr., a Ferguson activist and battle rapper who was elected to the overwhelmingly white and Republican Missouri House of Representatives, who must overcome both personal trauma and political obstacles to pass a critical bill for his community. The documentary first premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival New York in 2019.
The Black List and Women In Film, Los Angeles announced the participants in their 2019 Feature Residency program as well as their Annual Feature Lab, and alumni Anya Meksin '11 and Jimmy Keyrouz '16 both had projects selected by the Annual Feature Lab.
Current students Henry Anker, Patrick Bayly, Susan M B Chen, Yifan Jiang, James J.A. Mercer, Kathryn Ann Miller, Stipan Tadic, Kiyomi Taylor, Meredith Pence Wilson, and Mark Yang all have work on display as a part of Columbia’s MFA Painting Show, Whams of Summer, curated by Ki Smith. The exhibition is on view from August 3-August 24, 2019 at the Ki Smith Gallery in Harlem.
Visual arts alum N. Dash '10 has a solo show on view at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
The 76th Venice International Film Festival, which is the oldest film festival in the world, selected two shorts by Columbia filmmakers this year.
Columbia School of the Arts faculty and alumni were recently named NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Program Recipients and Finalists by the New York Foundation for the Arts.
Stephanie Falkeis, a current Film student, was chosen to participate in the Telluride Student Symposium at the 46th Annual Telluride Film Festival.
Alumnus Sameh Zoabi's ‘05 and Professor Dan Kleinman’s film Tel Aviv on Fire opened to glowing reviews and has been nominated for four Israeli “Ophir” Awards.
Léa & I, a documentary written and directed by current nonfiction writing student Camille Shooshani, premiered on Netflix on August 2, 2019.
Bat Out of Hell, the musical based on the Meat Loaf album featuring songs by Jim Steinman and directed by alumnus Jay Scheib '02, debuted in New York to rave reviews last week. The musical is showing Off-Broadway at New York City Center and will run through September 8, 2019. The Bat Out of Hell musical made its official debut at the Manchester Opera House in the winter of 2017, then played in London and Toronto over the next two years. Scheib is quoted saying he was interested in Bat Out of Hell specifically because of its reputation as an unstageable…
Muri, a climate fiction chapbook by nonfiction writing alumna Ashley Shelby '02, was published by Radix Media. In this reimagining of Herman Melville’s Benito Cereno, the polar bear population has dwindled, and the remaining pods have been relocated to the east coast of Antarctica in an attempt to save them using a process called “assisted colonization.” The last pod of Baffin Bay bears has boarded the Precession icebreaker, captained by a man who is keenly aware that previous crews on this run have gone mad.
Playwriting alumnus Matt Barbot '17 was recently named a New York Theatre Workshop 2019-2020 2050 Artistic Fellow.