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
A new play by Acting alumna Liba Vaynberg, The Gett, will have its world premiere at Rattlestick Theater.
Theatre alumni Benita de Wit ’16, Alison R. Simone ’19, and Robbie Armstrong ’22 work on Straight Line Crazy, currently running at The Shed.
The Changing of Keys, a debut novel from alumna Carolyn Jack ’16, is forthcoming from Regal House Publishing in 2024.
Playwriting alumna Rehana Lew Mirza ’07 will present Words We Believe at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s 2022 New Works Festival in Saratoga, California. Audiences have two opportunities to see the new show: November 9 and 13, 2022.
The 34th Annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival, NewFest, kicked off this year on October 13. Two Columbia filmmakers and Film faculty member Tom Kalin screened their films.
For the first of two thesis productions featuring Columbia MFA actors presented at Lenfest this fall, the company of Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven shows the effects of displacement on a group of women seeking refuge at a shelter. We sat down with cast member and Acting student Katherine George to discuss her acting process and the upcoming production.
For the first of two thesis productions featuring Columbia MFA actors presented at Lenfest this fall, the company of Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven shows the effects of displacement on a group of women seeking refuge at a shelter. We sat down with cast member and Acting student Tenneh Sillah to discuss her acting process and the upcoming production.
Hulu and 20th Century Fox’s Digital Studio have partnered up for the third time to premiere the Bite Size Halloween series, which includes Fracture, a science fiction short film written and directed by Jon K. Jones ‘21.
Entering into the world of Visual Arts alumna Julia Phillips ’15 is like entering into a dream: nothing is certain, everything doubles, even triples, as something else.
Second year Dramaturgy student, Cami Rose Hancock, is working as a dramaturg for New York City Center’s upcoming Annual Gala Presentation of Parade. The production runs for seven performances only, from November 1–6, 2022.
Film Program alumna Ida Yazdi ’22 has been selected to join the 2022-23 class of the NBC TV Writers Program.
Friend of the Pod, a new novella from Associate Professor Sam Lipsyte, is out now from Picture Books, an imprint dedicated to publishing fiction by leading authors alongside contributions by celebrated contemporary artists. The series, conceived by Emma Cline ’13, author of Daddy (Random House, 2020) and The Girls (Random House, 2016), pairs each writer with an artist.