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
Acting alumna Anya Banerjee ’20 stars in the tenth and final season of The Blacklist, which premiered on Sunday, February 26, 2023.
Adjunct Assistant Professor Yasi Alipour ’18 and Visual Arts alumnus Cy Morgan ’16 have been awarded biennial grants from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, which offers $20,000 to artists selected for their talent and individual artistic strength.
The Emperor of Ocean Park, a brand new scripted series written by Film alumnus Sherman Payne ’10 and co-produced by John Wells Productions and Warner Brothers has been greenlit and has now officially gone into development.
Several Columbia filmmakers reunited to work on The Wandering Earth II (dir. Frant Gwo, 2023), the highly anticipated prequel and follow up to the 2019 sci-fi epic, The Wandering Earth (dir. Frant Gwo, 2019), the fifth highest-grossing non-English film of all time.
Film alumna Aisha Porter-Christie '13 has signed with Creative Artist Agency (CCA) for representation.
Directing student Liz Peterson has been awarded one of University Life’s Social Justice Mini-Grants for 2022-2023.
Film alumnus Donovan Tolledo ’22 has been named one of thirty Project Involve Fellows as part of Film Independent’s Artistic programs.
The swailing, a debut poetry collection from alumnus Patrick James Errington ’15, will be released this spring from McGill-Queen's University Press.
Sound Art alumna Lauren Covey ’21 has recently been named an Associated Artist by Culture Push, where she will receive fiscal, institutional and creative support for a project called Sonic Portraits of NY.
Kate Saccone ’13, an alumna of the Film and Media Studies Program, was invited to curate a program of films titled New Beginnings as part of the Netherland Silent Film Festival—the biggest film festival in the Netherlands in the field of Silent Film.
Three Columbia alumni have collaborated on a highly anticipated new film from A24 and AppleTV titled Sharper, set to release in select theaters and on Apple’s streaming service on February 17, 2023.
Tiffani Swalley presents Medea for The School of the Arts's fifth directing thesis production this year. The timeless play meditates on taking fate into one's own hands and asks how far one would go to take back one's life. In our interview, Tiffani describes her inspiration for the production, and why this version of a 2,000 year old story is relatable to a modern audience.