Tisch alumnus Spike Lee graduated in 1982, and he remains committed to his alma mater. He holds a seat on Tisch dean Mary Schmidt Campbell's council. And last night at the seventh annual This is Tisch! gala, Lee and Campbell walked the red carpet arm-in-arm.

Lee was just one of many famous alumni who attended the event, held at Lincoln Center's Home of Jazz.

Campbell, who wore a sleek black gown, said the purpose of the gala was to fundraise for the Tisch School of the Arts' Talent Identification Process, which is committed to awarding scholarships to the nation's most gifted youth.

"We are trying to find the best of the best," Campbell said. "Every year, it has been extraordinary to see the kind of support we get for that goal."

The gala honored members of the entertainment industry, including director Ron Howard, for their commitment to scholarship efforts and social advocacy. Howard, whose daughter is Tisch alumna Bryce Dallas Howard, summed up what he feels all Tisch film students should know: "It's all about telling a story!"

Actress Marcia Gay Harden, who graduated from Tisch in 1988, said she attended the gala because she wanted to reciprocate what Tisch had given her.

"I was in the graduate program, and to be honored by them and to be able to give back to them tonight is just wonderful," Harden said. "These scholarships that we're here to support are the only reason I was able to go to school here."

After a pause in the commotion on the red carpet, guests were greeted by actress and gala host Kristen Johnston, a 1988 Tisch graduate. Johnston smiled and joked with the press, telling WSN that she was there to support her alma mater. Johnston has begun a new kind of dedication to Tisch.

"I teach at NYU now," she said. "It's what I was meant to do, really."

Many Tisch students attended the gala, including Tisch freshman Olivia Washington, the daughter of actor Denzel Washington. Washington said she was enjoying her time as an NYU student: "It's opening me up to a completely different world."