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
Film alum Katla Sólnes '24 has been awarded a prestigious 2025-2026 Academy Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
My Joy is Heavy, a new show directed by Theatre alum Rachel Chavkin '08, extended at the New York Theatre Workshop due to popular demand.
Three short films by Columbia alums are set to screen at this year’s Aspen Shortsfest.
Written by Jeena Yi '14 and directed by Mei Ann Teo '14, the Public Theater’s ‘JESA’ takes its audience beyond a simple familial ritual to the beginnings of healing. Read more from the Columbia Spectator.
In collaboration with resident company Play On Shakespeare, 'Macbeth' opened on March 18 at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco. Migdalia Cruz '84 puts a modern twist on the Shakespearean classic. Read more from the Columbia Spectator.
Writing Program alum Woody Brown '24 draws from some of his own experiences as a non-verbal autistic man for his debut novel. Read more from Columbia Magazine.
Minna Zallman Proctor '98 has won the PEN Translation Prize for her translation from Italian of The Leucothea Dialogues by Cesare Pavese.
Mother Tongue, a new memoir from Writing alum Sara Nović '14, is set to hit shelves on May 5, 2026. The book, which being published by Penguin Random House, tracks Nović’s path out of the hearing world and into the deaf community—and seeks to understand what it means to raise children who straddle both worlds.
Gringas, the debut novel fromFiction alum Manola Gonzalez Rosillo '19 has sold her debut novel, Gringas, to Bloomsbury for publication in 2028.
Film and Media Studies alum Majorca Bateman-Coe '24 has published an article in Architecture_MPS, the official journal of the international research organization, Architecture, Media, Politics, Society (AMPS).
I Want to Know, I Need to Know, Eli Klein Gallery's first solo exhibition of work by interdisciplinary artist Andrius Alvarez-Backus '25, opened on Saturday, February 21, and will be on view through May 9, 2026.