Deans, Alums Celebrate Law School's 150th Year

Change was the theme of the hour in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria at the kickoff of Columbia Law School’s sesquicentennial Friday, with attendees lauding the school’s international student body and network of alumni.

The midday gathering was held in part to award a Medal of Excellence to H.F. Lenfest, Law ’58 who has donated more than $33 million to the law school, including more than $15 million to build Lenfest Hall. In 2000, he and his wife Marguerite founded the Lenfest Foundation, which aims to foster growth and education in communities in southern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and northern Delaware.

Introduced by Law School Dean David Schizer as “insightful about people,” and a man “who would not succumb to the temptation of ego,” Lenfest was called to the stage amid a fervor of applause in honor of his achievements.

In his acceptance speech, Lenfest quoted a famous Frenchman who once said that “the strongest force in life is change,” amending it with his (Lenfest’s) own addition: “And evolution.” He used throughout his brief speech an analogy that spoke to the changes the school has undergone through its 150 years of existence.

In attendance were five of the six former law school deans, over 30 judges and lawyers who graduated from the school, and a medley of faculty, University senators, and others representing the diverse student body.

Indeed, diversity was one of many issues on which the event focused. A video presentation showcased the various revisions and additions each dean had made to the school during their tenure.

Michael I. Sovern, Dean Emeritus of the law school and former Columbia president, was interviewed on his goals of hiring a tenured female professor, an African American professor, and a labor law professor. He achieved all but the last aim, with the acquisition of Professor Kellis Parker and the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who is now a Supreme Court justice.

Others discussed the law school’s early international focus. Jennifer Clark, Law ’10, commented on the “strong alumni” seen across the world in every facet of public life.

“I think what is most important is that it has maintained its excellence over 150 years, requiring meeting the needs of society and different generations,” Lenfest said.

Others noted the changes in the student body over these 150 years. “The Columbia student body has become more geographically diverse,” professor Vincent Blasi said, noting that students used to come primarily from northeastern schools, but now hail from all over the world.

“I have mixed emotions about that,” Blasi said, suggesting that past students came from “an emphasis of undergraduate education toward writing, seminars, and analysis, and now some people haven’t had that.”

Location has also proved integral to the feel of the law school and the kinds of lawyers it hopes to produce, some attendees noted. “I think because of the fact that they are in an urban environment, it does something—makes them more sensitive,” Edward Stasser, Law ’62, said, adding that the school maintains a “real international character.”

In this way, admissions officer Ika Brakha called the school “self-selecting,” noting that applicants are up for the challenge of being a law student in a bustling city.

Capturing the feelings of almost every alum present, the Hon. James Bollard, Law ’59, noted that the day marked “the beginning of another 150 years.”

taylor.napolitano@columbiaspectator.com