Dear Colleagues,

Just after the publication of Strategic Plan 2020: Ever Upward, our world changed.

A series of national crises—a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, a profound reckoning on racial injustice, and deep political division—began reshaping American society, including the legal profession and higher education. The impact of these past years will be felt for decades.

Over the past few years, I asked our community to contemplate how New York Law School could contribute to the recovery and renewal of our nation, state, and especially the city that has been our home and classroom for 130 years.

Implementing our 2020 five-year Strategic Plan to these ends enhances the work that our students, faculty, and staff are already doing to promote justice, equity, and the rule of law.

The key principles of our 2020 Plan remain as critical as ever, and this document reports on our delivery of educational excellence. It also frames a larger conversation and a call to action about how NYLS, its law students, and all lawyers can reinforce democratic values and reimagine our world.

So I say to our vast network of alumni, friends, and potential partners: If you are inspired by these efforts, please join us in any number of ways. This includes giving to our scholarships and academic programs, offering employment and mentorship to our students, and hosting scholarly conferences and other thought leadership opportunities with our faculty. This is a moment of unparalleled potential, in a world that needs lawyers prepared for today’s challenges and those ahead of us. Let’s seize it together.

Anthony W. Crowell
Dean and President
Professor of Law