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
Where The Crawdads Sing, the hotly anticipated film based on the best-selling novel, directed by Alumna Olivia Newman ’12, will open in theaters this July 22, 2022.
Current Writing Program student Aziza Kasumov has been awarded the 2022 World Literature Today Student Translation Prize for best literary translation of a prose piece.
Graduating Sound Art student Anthony Sertel Dean ’22 is among the winners of Columbia University’s prestigious Campbell Award.
Avid Reader Press will be publishing Butts: A Backstory by Alumna Heather Radke '19 on November 22, 2022. The book is now available for pre-order.
The Columbia University Film Festival (CUFF) is a celebration of the Film Program’s students and alumni, screening shorts from exciting emerging talents, and bringing filmmakers together.
2022 marks the first-ever Diversity and Inclusion Film Festival (DIFF). The festival, which took place from May 6-8, 2022, is a joint effort between The Distribution Collective (TDC) and 30 Under 30 Film Festival (30U30FF).
Acting alumna Ito Aghayere ’12 plays Young Guinan in Star Trek: Picard.
Every corner and crevice of Columbia University’s MFA Thesis show feels lived in, reflecting not just artists’ experience quarantining with their work, but also that of re-entering society.
Eleven stories of life, learning, and personal reinvention. Film student, Kaelo Justin Iyizoba and Theatre student, Danica Selem among them.
Screenwriting alumnus Bobby Kashif Cox '12 tragically lost his life to colon cancer in 2017 at the age of 33. During his time in the Film MFA program at the School of the Arts, Cox touched many lives.
Alumni Jocelyn Bioh ’08 and Saheem Ali ’07 wrote and will direct, respectively, the new musical Goddess, set to have its world premiere at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre on August 13, 2022.
The Columbia University Film Festival (CUFF) is a celebration of the Film Program’s students and alumni, screening shorts from exciting emerging talents, and bringing filmmakers together.