This morning the Dean of the Columbia School of Law David Schizer emailed alumni to tell them his tenure approaches its term’s end. Whenever administration changes hands the buzz is in the air and students and faculty alike are wondering what the next step is and who will lead the institution moving forward. Of course, alumni and parents of prospective students also wonder about the stewardship and management of the Law School, and their concerns are justified.
However when it comes to top institutions like Columbia, great care will be given in deciding who takes the responsibility of stewardship. Columbia Law School is a professional graduate school of Columbia University, a member of the Ivy League, in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law. Founded in 1858, the law school ranks third in the number of alumni who have served on the Supreme Court. Columbia Law School ties Harvard for the number of alumni who have served as Chief Justice of the United States, and has more alumni in the Forbes 400 than any other law school. US News ranks it as number 4 of the top ten best schools in the country. With a reputation like this, great care will be taken in considering who takes the reins moving forward. So all fears should be laid to rest!
Dean David Schizer’s letter to the Alumni commented, “our goal has been to produce scholarship that engages with the most important issues of our time, and to make our curriculum more connected to the profession, more interdisciplinary, and more international. To do so, we have added outstanding scholars and teachers to our faculty. Our full-time faculty is now twenty percent larger than it was nine years ago. Our student body this year will be about three percent larger than nine years ago, primarily reflecting an increase in our LL.M. enrollment to enhance the international influence of our school. As a result, our student-faculty ratio is the lowest it has ever been. This allows us to provide each student with more individual attention, and to pursue a broad range of innovations in our research and teaching. We have also added a new floor to Jerome Greene Hall, renovated classrooms and other spaces, maintained our exceptional job placement record in a challenging job market, and offered more generous support to students who work in government and public interest organizations over the summer and after graduation.”
It seems that Dean David Schizer’s tenure has brought more success to Columbia and increased its fame while improving the students’ experience. According to facultylounge.com, “this is an exciting time for Columbia. Dean Schizer has been incredibly good for the law school. I’ve heard about his dedication to helping students find jobs, to helping/encouraging faculty to do great work in the classroom and in their research and service, and to expanding Columbia’s engagement with the legal community.”
All the best, Dean Schizer.