The Legacy Project: Jerome L. Greene ’28

Jerome “Jerry” L. Greene ’26CC ’28LAW was a founding partner at the Manhattan law firm of Marshall, Bratter, Greene, Allison & Tucker, a successful real estate investor, and wide-ranging philanthropist. His legacy is felt throughout Columbia Law School, whose main building was renamed Jerome Greene Hall in 1990 to recognize the integral part he played in its renovation. His generosity touched every facet of the Law School, with his support empowering students and faculty alike to engage in innovative scholarship and study.

For more than four decades, he and his wife Dawn M. Greene ’80HON were champions of community development. Through the Jerome L. Greene Foundation, they provided critical know-how and support to dozens of local institutions, specifically in the arts, medicine, education and social justice. Most notably, Jerry served on the board of directors at Lincoln Center, as chairman of the board at the Hirshhorn Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, and was a trustee of the Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx for 27 years. He also holds an honorary degree from Juilliard, where he was the first trustee to develop scholarships in all three divisions—music, dance and drama and is a benefactor of the Jerome L. Greene Science Center at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute.

The Jerome L. Greene Foundation was integral to the launch of the Campaign for Columbia Law in 2017 when it provided the largest single gift in the Law School’s history. The $15 million gift has provided students and faculty alike with expanded learning opportunities and access to education through the following endowed funds:

Greene Scholarship Challenge. This first-of-its-kind scholarship fund matches new gifts at $100,000. The Foundation established this $5 million matching endowment fund to encourage donors to participate in building a permanent source of scholarships for promising students. If the gift is matched to its full potential, the Law School will be able to establish 50 new scholarships.

Greene Public Service Scholars. This program provides outstanding students with full-tuition scholarships. This $7 million gift allow students to prepare for and embark on careers in government, nonprofit organizations, academic, social entrepreneurship, or community development.

Greene Clinical Professorship. This $3 million gift further enhances the Law School’s considerable commitment to experiential learning. Elora Mukherjee, who directs the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, is the first Jerome L. Greene Clinical Professor of Law.  

Additionally, the Jerome L. Greene Professorship in Transactional Law, the Michael I. Sovern Scholarship, and the Lance Liebman Scholarship were all made possible thanks to the previous generosity of the Jerome L. Greene Foundation.