Law School Community Celebrates Launch of Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy

Public Affairs, 212-854-2650, [email protected]

New York, June 8, 2011—Friends of Columbia Law School and Columbia Business School came together recently to celebrate the official launch of the Richard Paul Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy, an interdisciplinary academic center that will be jointly administered by the two schools.

The center is made possible through a $10 million grant awarded by the Richard Paul and Ellen S. Richman Private Family Foundation.

Richard Richman, a graduate of both Columbia Law School (’72) and Columbia Business School (’73), is chairman of The Richman Group, one of the largest owners and developers of rental housing in the nation. He is a member of the Business School’s Board of Overseers and serves on the Dean’s Council at the Law School.

“The center will provide a space for great scholars of the law and business schools to formulate, collaborate, and debate the public policy issues of today,” Richman said. “We are here today to celebrate a great new institution for Columbia and, hopefully, for our nation.” 

Richman (left center) explained during the May 19 reception that the center will provide a platform for the exchange of ideas on timely and relevant issues, while inspiring students to pursue careers at the nexus of business, law, and public policy. 

Columbia Law School’s David M. Schizer, Dean and the Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law, and Columbia Business School’s Glenn Hubbard, Dean and Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics, will act as co-directors of the center.

"I’m incredibly excited about this new center,” said Dean Schizer (below at podium addressing guests). “For years we’ve talked about providing more opportunities for law and business students and alumni to interact and share ideas and best practices, and I am thrilled that this center will enable us to do so.”

The Richard Paul and Ellen S. Richman Private Family Foundation is also helping to fund two new professorships: the Richard Paul Richman Professorship of Law and the Richard Paul Richman Professorship of Business. In addition, a portion of the gift is supporting the launch of activities at the center, which will include curriculum development, the funding of faculty research projects, and extracurricular programming such as panel discussions and academic or industry conferences.  

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