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
Cannes Directors' Fortnight recently unveiled their selection for 2025, and several Columbia filmmakers are screening their films at this prestigious independent sidebar to the Cannes Film Festival organized by the French Directors' Guild.
Film alum Chris Teague ‘06 directed episodes two and three of Dying for Sex, a new comedy-drama miniseries based loosely on the real-life experiences of author and podcaster, Molly Kochan.
Film alum James Ponsoldt ‘05 directed the first two episodes of the eagerly anticipated Netflix series Running Point.
On Sunday, March 30, 2025, twenty-eight of New York's most cutting-edge emerging artists debuted new works in one of the city's most exciting group shows: the School of the Arts' annual First Year MFA Exhibition.
Transdisciplinary artist Kaela Mei-Chee Chambers '22 has premiered her latest installation, Eastern Aphasia Caress (EAC), at the New York Public Library's Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library on 20th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.
In his first book, American Oasis: Finding the Future in the Cities of the Southwest (Pantheon), alum Kyle Paoletta ’16, reaches back to the 17th century desert—Albuquerque (where Paoletta grew up), Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, and Las Vegas.
Writing alum Brysen Boyd ’20 and Theatre alum Fernando Buzhar Segall ’24 will have work featured in the 2025 Valdez Theatre Conference in Anchorage, Alaska.
Film alum Constance Tsang '20 has been selected for the revered La Résidence du Festival de Cannes, a coveted residence in which emerging directors dedicate themselves to developing their first or second feature film projects in two sessions lasting four and a half months.
The Aspen Film Shortsfest announced its winners across nine categories, and Emily Everhard ’24 received the Jury’s Special Mention in Comedy for her film, No Experience Necessary.
The decorated filmmaker has helped develop a slew of films and TV shows since graduating from Columbia.
Theatre Acting alum Kim Katzberg ’09 has locked in a Mercury Store Project Weeks Residency from May 12 to May 16, 2025.
After celebrating the publication of four novels and one collection of short stories over the past ten years, Nonfiction alum and Adjunct Assistant Professor Catherine Lacey ’10 is publishing her debut work of nonfiction, The Möbius Book—a catalogue of the wreckage that ensued after a broken relationship, the broken trust of a shared mortgage, and her ensuing battle with depression.