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
Numerous students and alumni from the Visual and Sound Arts Program are featured in two notable summer exhibitions.
Film student Aisha Amin’s movie Rumi was featured on the popular online film recommendation site, Short of the Week. The film tells the story of Rumi, an aspiring actress who is discovered by a talent agent and attends an open casting call, only to confront the problematic aspects of the industry.
From September 15 to 30, 2023, Theatre alumnae Annie Jin Wang ’20 and Nana Dakin ’18 will share in-process productions of their most recent work developed in the SoHo Rep Writer/Director Lab, part of Soho Rep, a civic theater that produces innovative plays.
The Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival has announced the winners of its 2023 competition, and current playwriting student Darius M. Buckley is among the honorees.
Film alumna Nic Yulo '18 has published a new picture book with Penguin Random House.
Theatre alumnus Colm Summers ’22 is taking the helm as director of Every Brilliant Thing at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, California.
Mona Simpson ’85 returns with a new novel, Commitment, published by Knopf earlier this spring.
Presented by James Fuentes Gallery in New York, Metropolis: 36 Views of New York is a new solo exhibition by Visual Arts alumnus Stipan Tadić ’20, on view now through September 5, 2023.
The Rachel Uffner Gallery is presenting Purell Night & Day, a captivating new exhibition by Visual Arts alumna Susan Chen ’20.
Theatre alumna Daaimah Mubashshir ’15 is set to co-host the exciting annual reading festival, (Writ)ual Mix Mixfest 2023, at the Atlantic Theater Company. This year, Mubashshir is not only co-hosting the festival but also sharing her work through a reading of The Immeasurable Want of Light, a play about a black, overweight artist coming of age in an alternate universe.
Film Student Helēna Šania Volbeta has been awarded the 2023-2024 Jānis Grundmanis Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship for Study in the US for the upcoming year.
Sarah-Jane Collins ’18 is the author of Radiant Heat, a new novel set to be published by Berkley Books on January 23, 2024.