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
Here, we talk to Fiction student Emily Johnson about the joys of phone banking, grassroots literary readings, and the alchemy of good fiction.
For this interview, we sat down with Visual Arts professor and alumna Yasi Alipour ’18 to talk about the hand’s gestures in art-making, how Naghsh-e Jahan square in Isfahan, Iran has influenced her art practice, and the many ways she imprints embodied reproductions of the infinite onto paper.
The 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards took place over the weekend, with the Columbia filmmakers behind Joyland and The Cathedral taking home top prizes.
Three projects from Columbia filmmakers took home awards at this year’s Writers Guild Awards. They are: Women Talking, Hacks, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
The 21st edition of the Berlinale Talents just wrapped up and Columbia alumna Apoorva Charan ’18 was one of the participants in the week-long program.
The sixth and latest edition of Alternative Scriptwriting: Contemporary Storytelling for the Screen (Routledge, 2023) features contributions from several Columbia filmmakers, including Cyril Aris ’17, Ellie Foumbi ’17, Missy Hernandez ’17, Jimmy Keyrouz ’16, Chloe Lenihan ’16, Adjunct Assistant Professor Valerie Castillo Martinez ’16, George Sikharulidze ’17, and Isold Uggadottir ’11.
Mourning Rituals (21:47, digital video, 2022), a media arts installation by Visual Arts Alumni A young Yu ’19 is on view at the Cantor Arts Center of Stanford University until May 7, 2023.
Second-year Nonfiction student Wally Suphap has been awarded this year’s Open City Fellowship from the Asian American Writers’ Workshop.
Directing alumna Rachel Chavkin ’08 is set to direct the upcoming Broadway production of Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play, with Directing student Tiffani Swalley as Assistant Director.
In this series, we catch up with Columbia filmmakers who have recently graduated to chat about their time in the Film Program, what they’re doing now, and their goals for the future. This week, we spoke with alumna Kristin Kohlmeyer ’21.
The 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards took place on Sunday, February 26th, and Actress Jean Smart, one of the leading ladies of Hacks, took home the prize for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series.