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
Visual Arts alum Alison Nguyen '23 has a solo exhibition, Perforation, Ellipse, at the downtown gallery Storefront for Art and Architecture.
Highly anticipated thriller Wardriver, directed by Rebecca Thomas '13, is set to release on March 20, 2026 in select theaters and on streaming on March 27 after a world premiere at the 2026 Cinequest Film Festival.
The Last Summer, directed by Patrick Wei '25, written and produced by Leah Simone Scott '24, and co-producted by Ellis Finney '25 and Red Truss '24, is now available to stream on Tubi.
Winners of the 98th Academy Awards were announced on the evening of Sunday, March 15, 2026 with three projects with Columbia connections taking home major awards.
In the latest exhibition at the LeRoy Neiman Gallery, Reimagined Mysticism: To Shoe a Horse in Felt, new works by MFA students Timothy Bair, Francisco Javier Ramirez, and Jeannie Rhyu share the gallery with editions produced at the LeRoy Neiman Center for Print Studies by renowned Professor of Visual Arts Sarah Sze, former Professor of Visual Arts Kiki Smith, and distinguished alum Ernesto Caivano '01.
Film and Media Studies alum Wentao Ma '18 has published an article, "'Trans-' as A Method: Queer Kinship and Mobility in Louisa Wei’s Golden Gate Girls (2012) and Havana Divas (2018)," in the January 2026 Journal of Chinese Film Studies.
Poetry alum Jaia Hamid Bashir '20 published her debut collection of poetry, The Afterlife of Sweetness, this past February after the book received the Charles B. Wheeler Prize in 2024.
Four short films and one feature by Columbia students and alums are set to screen at this year’s Slamdance festival.
Professor of Theatre and head of the Directing Concentration Anne Bogart will direct Gustav Mahler’s Song of the Earth (Das Lied von der Erde) at Boston Lyric Opera this March. Bogart will be assisted on this production, which runs March 20-29, by Directing student Talia Feldberg.
In his debut solo exhibition at DON'T LOOK Projects in Los Angeles, Conor Dowdle '23 presents a body of work that enacts and revises perception through en plein air study.
Writing alum Margrét Ann Thors '16 will publish her debut novel, Freyja, with Spiegel and Grau on August 4, 2026.
Film alum Alexander Molochnikov '25, an internationally acclaimed director from the Moscow Art Theatre, is the creator and director of a Seagull: True Story, a new adaptation of the classic Chekhov play which will premiere at The Public Theater on March 22, 2026.