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
Silent Voices, a short film directed and produced by Film students Nadine Jin and Yuwen Zhang respectively, has been accepted into the prestigious La Cinef short film competition at the 79th Festival de Cannes.
Sophie Kovel '22 is featured in the Center for Curatorial Studies exhibition at Bard College's Hessel Museum of Art.
Neighbors, a new series story-produced by Max McGillivray '21, is now streaming on HBO.
Film alum Nayantara 'Tara' Roy '17 is set to release her second novel, Sisters of a Halved Heart, this June with Algonquin Books, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.
Top Awards at this year’s Miami Film Festival went to Columbia filmmakers, former Film student David Pablos and MFA Film alum Kali Kahn '25.
Remarkably Bright Creatures, the newest feature film from Olivia Newman '12, will premiere on Netflix on May 8, 2026.
The Metropolitan Opera has honored Stage Management student Anica Acuña with the 2026 Met Opera Stage Manager Fellowship.
'Mexodus' and 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' are among this year’s Lucille Lortel Award winners.
When the screenwriter and producer was asked to adapt a military memoir into a TV series, the project struck a personal chord. Read more from Columbia Magazine.
Columbia filmmakers took over the lineup at last week's San Francisco International Film Festival, which ran from April 24 to May 4, 2026.
On April 14, 2026, the Board of the Trustees of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation announced their 101st Class of Fellows. Among the 223 trailblazing artists, scientists, and scholars across 55 fields are two Visual Arts alums: artist, filmmaker, and writer-director Allison Janae Hamilton '17 and artist and filmmaker Tenzin Phuntsog '06.
Writing alum Eduardo Martínez-Leyva '15 has won the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, one of the most prestigious awards in contemporary poetry, for his debut collection, Cowboy Park (2024), out with University of Wisconsin Press.