Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:
I am delighted to report that I have appointed Professor Merit E. Janow as Dean of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs effective July 1, 2013.
Merit’s strength as a scholar and her deep experience with international public policy make her ideally suited to lead SIPA, the most global school of public affairs in the United States and, perhaps, the world. A member of Columbia’s faculty since 1994, Merit’s expertise in international trade and investment policy, along with her time spent in Asia and her fluency in Japanese, have allowed her to make significant academic contributions while continuing to play a leading role in national and international institutions. Merit has had three periods of public service in her career. Most recently, she has been a member of the World Trade Organization’s Appellate Body, which is responsible for adjudicating appeals in intergovernmental trade disputes.
Currently, Merit directs SIPA’s International Finance and Economic Policy concentration, is a co-director of Columbia’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Study Center, and is a member of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute. She teaches both at SIPA and at Columbia Law School.
I want to thank Interim Dean Rob Lieberman for the many academic and administrative contributions he has made during his two decades at Columbia. I am grateful that Miguel Urquiola, Associate Professor of Economics and Vice Dean of SIPA, graciously has agreed to serve as Interim Dean after commencement and until Merit assumes her post.
Our renowned faculty, innovative curriculum, longstanding international perspective, and location in New York City have earned SIPA a place of prominence among global public policy schools. Merit’s appointment as Dean will preserve and enhance this momentum. Please join me in congratulating Professor Merit E. Janow and wishing her the best in her new role as Dean of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.
Sincerely,
Lee C. Bollinger