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
An installation by alumnus Hugh Hayden ‘18 has been announced as the next Madison Square Park Conservancy commission. Presented across three lawns in the park, Brier Patch will open to the public on January 18, 2022. It will be open through April 29, 2022.
On November 18, 2021, Writing Program students interested in the lineup of professors for the Spring semester had the opportunity to get to know incoming Assistant Professor Diksha Basu, as she joined Ravina Aggarwal, Director of Columbia Global Centers | Mumbai for a virtual installment of Indian Stories on the Global Stage.
Several Columbia artists are featured in Common Space, an exhibition on display at Oolite Arts in Miami, Florida until January 23, 2022.
Art Basel: Miami Beach ran from December 2 through December 4.
Film and Media Studies alumna and current PhD candidate in East Asian Languages and Cultures Xinyi Zhao '17 received the Japan Foundation Dissertation Fellowship to conduct field work for her PhD dissertation, titled Cinema as a Quest for Modernity: Film Culture, Spectatorship, and Colonial (After)lives of Manchukuo.
Their Own Best Creations: Women Writers in Postwar Television by alumna Annie Berke '09 will be published in January 2022.
Nonfiction alumna Lacy Warner ‘16 recently debuted her first short documentary, A Journey of Sight: The Long Road Toward Curing River Blindness, with Epic Digital and Vox Media.
Painting alumnus Cy Gavin ‘16 is featured in his first solo show in the United Kingdom. The exhibition is at David Zwirner Gallery in London and is available for viewing until December 23, 2021.
Is There Still Sex in the City? is a new one-woman stage show from Candace Bushnell, the acclaimed, bestselling author of Sex and the City (1996), which was the basis for the HBO hit series of the same name and two subsequent blockbuster movies.
In this series, we feature the new mentorship program that connects recent alumni with industry professionals.
Columbia University’s graduate Film Program is proud to share that starting in 2022, the prestigious Blue List competition is now sponsored by the curated streaming service, MUBI.