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
Professor of Professional Practice Ramin Bahrani '96 has started production on his new film, Vegas: A Love Story. Oscar-nominee Bahrani is both a co-writer and director on the project.
Directing alum Ghina Fawaz '25 and Dramaturgy alum Begüm Inal '23 will present a workshop production of their play The Thousand and One Nights (ألف ليلة وليلة ) at La MaMa Theater in the East Village.
"Speaking Through Pain: Feminist Testimony and Diasporic Resistance in Born in Evin" by Tania Ahmadi '17 has been published in Cinema Iranica.
Visual Arts alum Sharon Cheuk Wun Lee '25 recently opened her debut New York solo exhibition, Possibly, Here [ 遠根近花 ], at Harper’s Chelsea 534.
Columbia alumni and faculty continue to showcase their work at the Berlinale Film Festival, hosted in its titular city, this year for its 76th edition.
Writing alums Karen Russell '06 and Henri Cole '82 have earned the distinction of finalists for the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Awards.
MFA Film alums Moara Passoni '21 and Eda Çarikçi '23 have been selected to join the 2026 Berlinale Talents Program. The theme of this year’s program is Creating (and) Confusion - Cinema, Chaos and the Power of Discomfort.
This February, La MaMa Experimental Theater Club will present the world premiere of The First Line of Dante’s Inferno, a new play by Kirk Lynn, directed and co-produced by Professor of Professional Practice and Dramaturgy Concentration Head Christian Parker '98. Theatre alum Mary Alex Daniels '24 co-produces alongside Parker, and Theatre students Sam Grocock and Emily Griffiths will stage manage.
This year’s Sundance Film Festival—the last to be held in Park City, Utah before the festival moves to Boulder, Colorado next year—saw some massive wins for Columbia filmmakers, who took home some of the festival's top prizes.
MA Film and Media Studies alum Marc Francis '11 will publish his new film history Curating Deviance: Programming the Queer Canon with Duke University Press in February 2026.
Acclaimed Fiction alum Emma Cline '13 will publish her third novel, Switzy, with Random House in September 2026.
Screenwriting alum Constanza Majluf '21 will start production on her first feature film titled Pink Desert, or, Desierto Rosa, later this year.