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
But Octopi Don’t Sing, a chapbook by Li Zhuang '19, has been published by Purple Ink Press.
Hunger, a new play by the collective Radical Evolution, a theatre ensemble co-founded and co-run by Dramaturgy alum Meropi Peponides '13, will be presented by Soho Rep as part of a three-play cycle, The Hunger Cycle, in their 2027–2028 Season.
Heaven is Nobody’sˆ, the latest by director, Film alum, and Adjunct Assistant Professor in Film and Media Studies Hector Prats '23, has been released on Short of the Week.
Theater Management & Producing student Zach Hedner is serving as an associate producer on Beaches, a new musical produced by Broadway and Beyond Productions, a production company co-founded by Theater Management & Producing alum Ryan Bogner '15.
Poet and scholar Aaron Poochigian '16 is the 2025 winner of the Anahid Literary Prize, an annual prize given to an emerging Armenian-American writer to celebrate Armenian culture and talent.
Assistant Professor of Visual Arts Adama Delphine Fawundu '18 is following up her recent exhibitions constellating the interconnectedness of geographies and our shared humanity with the release of two new art books, Praise House and In Search of the Spirit House.
Chinese-American poet and Writing alum Mei-mei Berssenbrugge '73 is this year’s recipient of The Frost Medal awarded by Poetry Society of America.
The Whiting Foundation announced the 2026 recipients of their prestigious Whiting Awards, which celebrate emerging writers with exceptional literary talent. The cohort of ten included two Columbia alums, Theatre graduate Celine Song '14 and Writing alum and Assistant Professor Hilary Leichter '12.
Dog Day Afternoon, a new play on Broadway written by Stephen Adly Guirgis and adapted from the 1975 film of the same name, includes multiple Columbia connections.
Assistant Professor of Visual Arts David Antonio Cruz, Esteban Cabeza de Baca '14, and José Delgado Zúñiga '17 are among the fifty-eight artists gathered at Buffalo AKG Art Museum for Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way, an exploration of contemporary Latinx painters.
At the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery, across the walls, floor, and beyond the gallery, the Class of 2027 expressed themselves through image, text, sound, and performance.
As a new addition to the University of Mississippi Press’s American Made Music Series, John Melendez '23 (CC '18) and has co-written the first biography of American trumpeter and composer, Kenny Dorham.