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
Alumna Alexandra Watson '15 will receive the PEN/Nora Magid Award for Editing for her high literary stewardship as the editor of Apogee, a journal of literature and art, foregrounding writers of color and engaging with issues of race, gender, and class, including Apogee‘s “Alternate Canon” series.
Current nonfiction writing student Jon-Marc McDonald’s play, Relatively Conscious, premiered last year. He was recently interviewed by The Dramatist magazine.
Alumni Ophelia Harutyunyan '15 and Bora Kim '11, current student Selman Nacar, and faculty members Bette Gordon and Sandra Schulberg are all heading to the 2019 Berlinale Film Festival.
The Last Day Of School, written and directed by current student Gabriele Urbonaite, will have its US premiere at The Santa Barbara International Film Festival on January 31. The film will play as part of the Shorts Program in the Dramatic Shorts category.
Writing alumna, Tracy K. Smith '97, poet laureate of the United States, will receive the Harvard Arts Medal at the opening event of the University’s annual Arts First festival on May 2, 2019. Smith won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for her collection Life on Mars; she is known for her lyrical, meditative poems. Her most recent collection, Wade in the Water (2018), is her most political.
Nonfiction creative writing alumna, Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman '09 has her first book, Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir, coming out February 12 through W.W. Norton.
The four-part documentary Showtime series, Enemies: The President, Justice & The FBI, associate produced by alumni Diana Golts '15 and Julie Seureau '14 premiered last November to rave reviews.
Sam Charles Ross '13 has his debut collection of poetry coming out this February, titled Company. Company was selected by Carl Phillips as the winner of the Four Ways Books Levis Prize in Poetry.
Film Independent’s Next Generation: Project Involve welcomes 30 new fellows for 2019, including Columbia film alumni Apoorva Charan ’18, Rammy Park ’11, current film student Johnson Cheng, and poetry alumna Stephanie Adams-Santos ’09.
This past December Playwriting alumnus Santino DeAngelo ’18, who according to the New York Times has a “gift for engaging melodies,” co-wrote and directed Porn Awards: The Musical at The Rockwell in Los Angeles. The production is a wacky vaudeville act and comedy burlesque about a small-time musical theater producer, Max, who tries to bring his dream of hosting a sexy award show to the big time. Along the way, Max introduces the audience to his famous Hollywood friends such as Susan Sarandon, Liza Minelli, Jennifer Coolidge, and more (all…
The next thesis production, Medea directed by Miriam Grill, premieres January 23rd at The Flexible Performance Space at Lenfest Center for the Arts.
Alumna Dana Schutz '02 is has a solo exhibition at Petzel Gallery in Chelsea from January 10 through February 23, 2019. Entitled, Imagine Me and You, the exhibition is her third at the gallery and features paintings and sculptures. The exhibition will mark the first time Schutz has exhibited sculptures.