Welcome Back—Spring 2025

On the first day of the spring semester, Dean Daniel Abebe shares a message with the community.

The crown-shaped finial of a wrought iron fence is covered in snow.

Dear members of the Columbia Law School community, 

I hope you are well, and that you enjoyed a restful and restorative winter break. As your dean, it is my great privilege to welcome you back to campus for the start of the spring semester.

January marks the midpoint of the academic year and is also, I believe, the time when we are best positioned to advance our ambitions—to harness the momentum, experience, and knowledge we have gained and move forward into the new year with renewed energy and curiosity. I encourage you to embrace a future-focused orientation this spring—both individually and as a community—and remain open to new opportunities for learning, self-improvement, and service. 

Our exceptional institution is a place where open inquiry, rigorous and respectful debate, and a deep commitment to the principles that underpin our civil society unite us in a powerful way, and I look forward to seeing how all of us will continue to advance these core principles that form our common mission. We all have a distinctive role to play in this important work—students, faculty, researchers, staff, and alumni alike.

I spent much of the winter break organizing and reflecting on the many thoughts and ideas that you shared with me during the first months of my deanship. And, just last week, I had the opportunity to visit with Law School alumni in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo. Their deep appreciation for the outstanding education they received at Columbia was incredibly inspiring and serves, I believe, as yet another powerful reminder of our enduring greatness and tremendous potential. I am grateful for your partnership and eager to continue our conversations in the months ahead.

Before I conclude, I would like to acknowledge the passing of Professor Henry P. Monaghan, who died on January 1. Professor Monaghan was a true giant in the fields of Constitutional Law and Federal Courts, an extraordinary mentor to so many, and a beloved member of the Columbia Law School faculty for more than 40 years. We mourn this loss as a community and extend our condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and loved ones. 

I wish you all the best for the semester ahead. 

Sincerely, 

Daniel Abebe
Dean and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law