To All Participants in Next Wednesday’s Commencement Ceremonies (10:30 a.m. and 2pm):

We are looking forward to seeing you on Commencement Day. It promises to be an amazing day full of memorable events. A few brief reminders that you’ll want to make note of:

1. Congratulations!

2. There are still tickets available if you have not picked up your maximum number to both ceremonies. See Kenny Wong in 305 Dodge, or e-mail him at soagrad@gmail.com no later than 5pm on Tuesday, May 20.

3. Caps & gowns, which are required at the morning ceremony (but not at the SoA afternoon ceremony) will be available in the Columbia University Bookstore in the basement of Lerner Hall until Tuesday, May 20th. We are covering the cost, so you’ll just need to have your Columbia ID with you. You’ll be given a cap & gown immediately at no charge. Columbia-wide Ceremony at 10:30am: Where to Gather

4. Important: Participants in the Columbia-wide ceremony: Please assemble on the south side of Revson plaza (the overpass over Amsterdam Avenue, just north of college walk, between 116th & 117th) beginning at 9am. Please arrive no later than 10am! Be on the lookout for Jamie Sosnow, our School of the Arts Marshal, who will be standing by the stanchion marked "School of the Arts." She will be carrying a bag filled with goodies. For a map showing where to assemble and where you’ll actually be sitting, click here

Some important tips: You may want to bring a bottle of water with you, as it sometimes gets a bit warm. In addition, you’ll want to check the weather. In case of rain, you’ll want to bring an umbrella, though we will have beautiful and luxurious ponchos for each of you. No joke. Also: Make sure to use the restroom before the procession. Also no joke. Really. You’ll thank us. Box Lunches:

5. Please remind your guests to keep their morning commencement tickets! Each ticket will entitle you and them to a complimentary box lunch in Dodge Hall between ceremonies, beginning at 12:15pm. They’ll need their ticket, but your cap & gown will suffice for you… School of the Arts Ceremony at 2pm in Miller Theatre: Where to Gather

6. For the 2pm SoA Ceremony in Miller Theatre, please arrive NO LATER than 1:30pm on Broadway outside of Miller Theatre. Look for the sign with your Division name on it and look for your Program Manager, who will give you further instructions.  

7. Immediately following the SoA ceremony (around 3:45ish), there will be a reception on Dodge Plaza until 5pm. Please join us for this event in your honor!

8. For all information related to Commencement, see: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ceremonies/commencement

9. Congratulations again!

—Hanna

On behalf of President Lee C. Bollinger and Jean Magnano Bollinger, the Arts Initiative and the Columbia Alumni Association are pleased to offer every Class of 2008 graduate a free one-year Columbia Alumni Arts League membership. CAAL Members have access to discounts and special benefits at more than fifty of New York City’s finest cultural institutions and take part in exclusive arts events with fellow alumni and artists.

http://www.cuarts.com/membership/classof2008

The School of the Arts takes pride in presenting the list of its February 2008 graduates, who, as of Wednesday, February 13, having met or surpassed the requirements of their respective programs, have thereby been awarded the Master of Fine Arts degree from the Columbia University School of the Arts.

Congratulations to all these students.  We wish them success in all their future endeavors.  Should you be in contact with one or more of them, please take a moment to acknowledge their hard work and to wish them well: (more…)

To All Potential October 2007 Graduates:

Congratulations!  You are (hopefully) soon to be a graduate of the School of the Arts, Columbia University in the City of New York.  I thought you might have some questions about what it means to be an alum, so I’ve put together the following FAQs and their respective answers: (more…)

AN URGENT REMINDER TO THOSE OF YOU WHO PLAN TO GRADUATE IN OCTOBER 2007:

Since you are only registered for Fall 2007 Semester temporarily, pending your graduation, you should be aware that your Columbia Health Insurance will expire on August 31, 2007, and you should make arrangements for continuation of your Columbia coverage or procure alternative coverage well before that date.  

If you choose, you can continue your Columbia (Chickering) insurance after August, you will have to pay out-of-pocket, and the prices are much higher than the student rate you’re used to paying.    Information on continuation insurance through Columbia can be found here.

You may also wish to do some comparison shopping with outside organizations like:

• the Freelancer’s Union (http://www.freelancersunion.org),
• the Actors Fund (http://www.actorsfund.org/),
• Fractured Atlas (http://www.fracturedatlas.org) or
• the National Writers Union (http://www.nwu.org ).
  

If you would like information on continuing your Columbia coverage, please contact Health Services at (212) 854-7210, or stop by the Health Services Office on the 4th Floor of John Jay Hall.  Continuation information is also available on their web site at http://www.health.columbia.edu.

Attention Potential October 2007 Graduates:

A not-so-gentle reminder that today is the deadline for submitting your applications for October graduation.  If you are even considering graduating this October, you must submit an application to me no later than 4pm today.  Applications can be found here.

If you decide not to graduate in October or are given an extension to February by your Division, you can always submit another application later extending the date, but in order to be considered for October graduation, I must have the form today.

You may fax your completed application to me at (212) 854-1309, attn:  Dave Beeman 

A list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding October graduation (financial aid exit interviews, e-mail forwarding, health insurance, etc.) can be found here.   

 

 

To All Potential October 2007 Graduates:
(If you are not planning to graduate in October, you may stop reading).

First off:  Premature congratulations to each of you.

The posting appearing below this one contains a very important FAQ list that contains useful information on most issues surrounding October graduation.  Please take a moment and read it thoroughly so that you’re not left out.

The three most critical issues are:

1.      The official date of October graduation is October 17, 2007.

2.      If you have even the slightest thought that you may be graduating in October, you MUST complete a graduation application and get it to me by August 15, 2007.  Forms can be found here and can be mailed to me (ASAP) at the following address:   Dave Beeman / Columbia University School of the Arts / 305 Dodge Hall, MC 1803 / 2960 Broadway / New York, NY  10027.   You may also fax it to (212) 854-1309 if you prefer.  If you’re on campus, you can drop them by my office in 305 Dodge, as well.   Again, I must have them by Wednesday, August 15.

3.      Be aware that your Columbia (Chickering) Health Insurance Coverage will terminate on August 31, 2007 (yes, that’s the end of this month).  For more information (you guessed it), please see the previous posting detailing October graduation FAQs.

In any event, I hope all is well. 

Dave Beeman

To All Potential October 2007 Graduates:

Congratulations!  You are (hopefully) soon to be a graduate of the School of the Arts, Columbia University in the City of New York.  I thought you might have some questions about what it means to be an alum, so I’ve put together the following FAQs and their respective answers: (more…)

The School of the Arts takes pride in presenting the list of its May 2007 graduates, who, as of Wednesday, May 16, having met or surpassed the requirements of their respective programs, have thereby been awarded the Master of Fine Arts degree from the Columbia University School of the Arts.

Congratulations to all these students.  We wish them success in all their future endeavors.  Should you be in contact with one or more of them, please take a moment to acknowledge their hard work and to wish them well: (more…)

To All Participants in Tomorrow’s Commencement Festivities:

Congratulations! Wednesday, May 16 is one day away, and I wanted to pass along some last-minute notes for you.

1.  IMPORTANT: PLEASE ASSEMBLE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF REVSON PLAZA (THE OVERPASS OVER AMSTERDAM AVENUE, JUST NORTH OF COLLEGE WALK, BETWEEN 116th & 117th) BEGINNING AT 9AM. PLEASE ARRIVE NO LATER THAN 10AM! BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR JAMIE SOSNOW, OUR SCHOOL OF THE ARTS MARSHAL, WHO WILL BE STANDING BY THE STANCHION MARKED "SCHOOL OF THE ARTS."

For maps showing (a) where to assemble and (b) where you’ll actually be sitting, CLICK HERE. 

Again, please assemble at 9:15am on the pedestrian bridge plaza (aka "Revson Plaza") over Amsterdam Avenue (between 116th and 117th on the south side). Jamie Sosnow, the School of the Arts Director of Admissions will be serving as the SoA Marshal. She will have a sign, so be on the lookout!

2.  Thunderstorms are predicted in the afternoon. Some items you may wish to consider bringing: Some bottled water, an umbrella (though we will have some ultra-thin ultra-chic ponchos for you, just in case – in Columbia blue!) a camera (Jamie Sosnow has offered to take your picture with your camera for you) and a free hand for your clapper!). Make sure to visit the restroom before the ceremony begins.

3.  Complimentary Box Lunches will be available for you and your morning ceremony ticket-holding guests, so make sure that they save their tickets! Lunch will be served in Dodge Lobby until 1:20pm.

4.  For the School of the Arts Ceremony: Please assemble in Miller Theatre at 1:30 SHARP. Please do not be late. Simply look for your Program Coordinator or Program Assistant when you enter the theatre. They will alphabetize you. You must be seated in alphabetical order by 2:00.

Look for the following people toward the front of the stage inside the theatre:
Film: Hannah Lovejoy and Michael Fishman
Theatre: Ria Cooper and Jamie Hardy
Visual Arts: Kevin Selhi
Writing: Brooke Krystocek

5.  Please join us for a reception in your honor immediately following the ceremony on the 3rd floor Dodge Plaza.

Wishing you the best.

Dave Beeman

To All Participants in Next Wednesday’s Commencement Ceremonies (10:30 a.m. and 2pm):

A few brief reminders:

1. Congratulations!


2. There are still tickets available if you have not picked up your maximum number to both ceremonies.  See Toni Scott in 305 Dodge, or e-mail her at ts2006@columbia.edu.


3. Caps & gowns, which are required at the morning ceremony (but not at the SoA afternoon ceremony) will be available in the Columbia University Bookstore in the basement of Lerner Hall until Tuesday, May 15.  We are covering the cost, so you’ll just need to have your Columbia ID with you.  You’ll be given a cap & gown immediately at no charge.


4. IMPORTANT:  PLEASE ASSEMBLE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF REVSON PLAZA (THE OVERPASS OVER AMSTERDAM AVENUE, JUST NORTH OF COLLEGE WALK, BETWEEN 116th & 117th) BEGINNING AT 9AM.   PLEASE ARRIVE NO LATER THAN 10AM!  BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR JAMIE SOSNOW, OUR SCHOOL OF THE ARTS MARSHAL, WHO WILL BE STANDING BY THE STANCHION MARKED "SCHOOL OF THE ARTS."  SHE WILL BE CARRYING A BAG OF ITEMS TO HELP YOU CELEBRATE (tee hee).
   
   For maps showing (a) where to assemble and (b) where you’ll actually be sitting, click here:
   


5. Please remind your guests to keep their morning commencement tickets!  It will entitle you and them to a complimentary box lunch in Dodge Hall between ceremonies, beginning at 12:15pm.  They’ll need their ticket, but your cap & gown will suffice for you…


6. For the 2pm SoA Cermony in Miller Theatre, please arrive NO LATER than 1:30pm.  Look for your Program Coordinator or Program Assistant toward the front of the theatre, who will give you further instructions.


7. Immediately following the SoA ceremony (around 3:45ish), there will be a reception on Dodge Plaza until 5pm.  Please join us for this event in your honor!


8. For all information related to Commencement, here are some important websites:
   
   •    the Official Columbia University Commencement website;
   •    the Columbia University Bookstore website (caps, gowns, etc.)
   •    the School of the Arts Commencement website;
   •    the requirements for potential May graduates.


9. Congratulations again!
   

The School of the Arts is pleased to announce our 2007 School of the Arts Commencement Speaker, Thelma Golden.   Ms. Golden will be delivering the keynote address at the School of the Arts Presentation of Diplomas ceremony on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at 2:00pm in Miller Theatre. 

Thelma Golden is Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem, an international nexus for Black artists. Ms. Golden began her career as a curator at the Studio Museum in 1987, before joining the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1988. During the next ten years she rose quickly through the ranks of the Whitney’s curatorial staff and organized many notable exhibitions, including the watershed 1993 Biennial, directed by Elizabeth Sussman; Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in Contemporary Art; Bob Thompson: A Retrospective; Heart, Mind, Body, Soul: New Work from the Collection; and Hindsight: Recent Work from the Permanent Collection. (more…)

REMINDER: If you are planning to participate in the 2007 Commencement Festivities, you MUST pick up your tickets by Tuesday, May 15, 2007 in 305 Dodge. The deadline for requesting the mailing of tickets is this Monday, May 7.

Tickets are still available for (a) the Columbia-wide Commencement Ceremony on Low Plaza at 10:30 am and (b) the School of the Arts ceremony at 2:00 pm in Miller Theatre, both of which take place on Wednesday, May 16, 2007.  If you graduated in October 2006, February 2007 or will be graduating in May 2007, we sincerely hope that you will consider attending both ceremonies.  For complete information on the day’s events, including how to procure your cap and gown, please click here.  

The maximum number of tickets graduates are allowed is four (excluding the graduate) for the Columbia-wide ceremony and five for the School of the Arts ceremony (also excluding the graduate).  No tickets exceeding this maximum will be distributed.  You may, however, publicize your need for additional tickets by either asking your fellow graduates who may not be using their maximum or by posting your request for additional tickets on the School of the Arts online Bulletin Board.  

Tickets may be procured in 305 Dodge from Toni Scott.  If you are not in the New York metropolitan area, you may request that tickets be mailed to you by e-mailing Toni Scott at ts2006@columbia.edu.  If you choose to request that your tickets be mailed, please include the following: (more…)

Tickets are now available for (a) the Columbia-wide Commencement Ceremony on Low Plaza at 10:30 am and (b) the School of the Arts ceremony at 2:00 pm in Miller Theatre, both of which take place on Wednesday, May 16, 2007.  If you graduated in October 2006, February 2007 or will be graduating in May 2007, we sincerely hope that you will consider attending both ceremonies.  For complete information on the day’s events, including how to procure your cap and gown, please click here.  

The maximum number of tickets graduates are allowed is four (excluding the graduate) for the Columbia-wide ceremony and five for the School of the Arts ceremony (also excluding the graduate).  No tickets exceeding this maximum will be distributed.  You may, however, publicize your need for additional tickets by either asking your fellow graduates who may not be using their maximum or by posting your request for additional tickets on the School of the Arts online Bulletin Board.  

Tickets may be procured in 305 Dodge from Toni Scott.  If you are not in the New York metropolitan area, you may request that tickets be mailed to you by e-mailing Toni Scott at ts2006@columbia.edu.  If you choose to request that your tickets be mailed, please include the following: (more…)

To All Potential May 2007 Graduates:

Congratulations!  You are (hopefully) soon to be a graduate of the School of the Arts, Columbia University in the City of New York.  I thought you might have some questions about what it means to be an alum, so I’ve put together the following FAQs and their respective answers: (more…)

An Important Message to All 4th-year SoA Students:

You are approaching your 5th and last year for completion of the M.F.A. degree. This posting outlines the important steps you must take between now and then to ensure that you earn your degree and graduate by May 2008 (or earlier if you like). The time limit for earning the M.F.A. is 5 years, including any leaves of absence. Observe the deadlines set by your division, and be sure to contact your Program Coordinator to arrange for a thesis review well in advance of graduation in order to allow time for any revisions.

Please take a moment to review the following important checklist: (more…)

The School of the Arts takes great pride in presenting the list of its February 2007 graduates, who, as of today (Wednesday, February 14), having met or surpassed the requirements of their respective programs, have thereby been awarded the Master of Fine Arts degree from the Columbia University School of the Arts.

Congratulations to all these students. We wish them success in all their future endeavors. Should you be in contact with one or more of them, please take a moment to acknowledge their hard work and to wish them well. (more…)

Commencement 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007

SoA Info: Click here.
Columbia Site: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ceremonies/commencement



Congratulations to all October 2006, February 2007 and soon-to-be May 2007 graduates of the Columbia University School of the Arts.

To help you prepare for all of the Columbia & SoA Commencement activities on Wednesday, May 16, 2007, we have prepared a brief summary of how to plan for / what to expect on this important day. (more…)