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Lee Bollinger

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Lee Bollinger
Bollinger in 2007
19th President of Columbia University
In office
June 1, 2002 – June 30, 2023
Preceded byGeorge Erik Rupp
Succeeded byMinouche Shafik
12th President of the University of Michigan
In office
1996–2002
Preceded byJames J. Duderstadt
Succeeded byMary Sue Coleman
Personal details
Born
Lee Carroll Bollinger

(1946-04-30) April 30, 1946 (age 78)
Santa Rosa, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Oregon (BS)
Columbia University (JD)

Lee Carroll Bollinger[1] (born April 30, 1946) is an American attorney and educator who served as the 19th president of Columbia University from 2002 to 2023 and as the 12th president of the University of Michigan from 1996 to 2002.

Bollinger is currently the Seth Low Professor and a faculty member at Columbia Law School.[2] He is a legal scholar of the First Amendment and freedom of speech.[3] While serving as President of the University of Michigan, he was at the center of two notable United States Supreme Court cases regarding the use of affirmative action in admissions processes.[4][5] He also served as chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York board of directors in 2011, and was a member of the board from 2006 to 2012.[6]

Early life and education

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Bollinger was born in Santa Rosa, California, the son of Patricia Mary and Lee C. Bollinger.[7][8] He was raised in Santa Rosa and Baker City, Oregon.

In 1963, Bollinger spent a year as an exchange student in Brazil with AFS Intercultural Programs. He received his B.S. in political science in 1968 from the University of Oregon, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was a brother in Theta Chi Fraternity. In 1971, he received his J.D. from Columbia Law School.

Career

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In 1971 and 1972, Bollinger served as a law clerk to Judge Wilfred Feinberg of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In 1972 and 1973, he was a law clerk to Chief Justice Warren Burger of the Supreme Court of the United States.

In 1973, Bollinger joined the faculty of the University of Michigan Law School, becoming a full professor in 1979, and dean of the school in 1987.[9]

In 1994, he was appointed provost of Dartmouth College[10] before returning to the University of Michigan, where he served as president from 1996 to 2002.

Columbia University president

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Bollinger (right) and Council on Foreign Relations president Richard N. Haass in 2008

Bollinger assumed his position as president of Columbia University in June 2002.[11]

In 2003, was a named defendant representing the University of Michigan in the Supreme Court cases Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger.[12] In the Grutter case, the Court found by a 5–4 margin that the affirmative action policies of the University of Michigan Law School were constitutional. But at the same time, it found by a 6–3 margin in the Gratz case that the undergraduate admissions policies of Michigan were not narrowly tailored to a compelling interest in diversity and 20 predetermined points are awarded to underrepresented minorities, and thus that they violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

In 2004, he was elected to the American Philosophical Society.[13]

Bollinger lived in the Columbia President's House from February 2004 until the end of his tenure as president, after the building underwent a $23 million renovation.[14][15]

In November 2006, Bollinger was elected to the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, a term lasting for three years.[16]

On October 19, 2010, the Board of Trustees announced through a university-wide email that Bollinger had agreed to continue as president for at least the next five years.[17]

Bollinger was the subject of criticism for his role in advocating the expansion of the university into the Manhattanville neighborhood and the use of eminent domain to help it seize property there.[18] The Bollinger administration's expansion plans were criticized as fundamentally incompatible with the 197/a plan for development crafted by the community, and for failing to address the neighborhood's need to maintain affordable housing stock.

Bollinger attempted to expand the international scope of the university, took frequent trips abroad and invited world leaders to its campus. Bollinger was criticized for taking a neutral public position on controversies regarding the Middle East Languages and Cultures (MEALAC) department.[19][20]

In 2013, Bollinger's total compensation was $4.6 million, making him the highest paid private college president in the United States.[21]

At a January 2021 rally during a student tuition strike protesting the university's tuition rates, Young Democratic Socialists of America organizers cited as further evidence of alleged inequitable allocation of university resources the fact that Bollinger's salary had been frozen that year, while Barnard College administration's salaries had been cut, including by 20 percent in the case of Sian Beilock, Barnard College's president.[22]

In February 2022, the Columbia Daily Spectator reported that Bollinger had purchased an Upper West Side apartment for $11.7 million.[23] In 2008, his salary was $1.7 million.[24]

Bollinger's residence was the site of demonstrations in which his high salary was criticized as an example of the university's "inequitable allocation of resources."[25]

World Leaders Forum

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Further information: 2007 World Leaders Forum speech by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Columbia invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak at the World Leaders Forum on September 24, 2007.[26] A number of local and national politicians denounced Columbia for hosting Ahmadinejad.[26][27][28]

Bollinger described the event as part of "Columbia's long-standing tradition of serving as a major forum for robust debate, especially on global issues."[29] Bollinger released a statement outlining his introduction, explaining to the student body that the free speech afforded to Ahmadinejad was for the sake of the students and the faculty rather than for the benefit of Ahmadinejad himself, whom Bollinger referred to as "exhibiting all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator."[30][31]

Bollinger was criticized by students at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs,[32] but praised by Bob Kerrey who said that Bollinger "turned what could have been an embarrassment for higher education into something quite positive."[33]

Federal Reserve Bank of New York

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In July 2010, he was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York board of directors for 2011. Previously, he had served as deputy chair.[6]

Retirement

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On April 14, 2022, Bollinger announced in an email to the Columbia student body that he would be retiring from his role as President effective June 30, 2023. In January 2023, Columbia announced that Minouche Shafik, president of the London School of Economics, would succeed him as president of the university.[34]

Personal life

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Bollinger is married to artist Jean Magnano Bollinger. They have a son and a daughter and five grandchildren.[35][36] Bollinger's family is Catholic.[37]

Books

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In addition to his academic and administrative positions, Bollinger has written many articles and books on the subject of free speech.

  • The Tolerant Society: Freedom of Speech and Extremist Speech in America (Oxford University Press, 1986) ISBN 0-19-504000-7
  • Images of a Free Press (University of Chicago Press, 1991) ISBN 0-226-06349-6
  • Eternally Vigilant: Free Speech in the Modern Era (University Of Chicago Press, 2002) ISBN 0-226-06353-4
  • Uninhibited, Robust, and Wide-Open: A Free Press for a New Century (Oxford University Press, 2010) ISBN 978-0-19-530439-8
  • The Free Speech Century (Oxford University Press, 2018) ISBN 978-0-19-084138-6
  • Regardless of Frontiers: Global Freedom of Expression in a Troubled World (Columbia University Press, 2021) ISBN 978-0-23-119699-4
  • National Security, Leaks and Freedom of the Press: The Pentagon Papers Fifty Years On (Oxford University Press, 2021) ISBN 978-0-19-751939-4
  • Social Media, Freedom of Speech, and the Future of our Democracy (Oxford University Press, 2022) ISBN 978-0-19-762109-7
  • A Legacy of Discrimination: The Essential Constitutionality of Affirmative Action (Oxford University Press, 2023) ISBN 978-0-19-768574-7

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "A Texture of Mind and Manner". Columbia Magazine. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  2. ^ "About the President | Office of the President".
  3. ^ "Lee C. Bollinger." Newsmakers, Issue 2. Gale Group, 2003.
  4. ^ Text of Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306 (2003) is available from: LII
  5. ^ Text of Gratz v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 244 (2003) is available from: LII
  6. ^ a b "Fed Announces Chairs of Regional Banks for 2011". The Wall Street Journal. July 19, 2010.
  7. ^ "The Inauguration of Lee C. Bollinger". The University Record. 1997-09-24. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  8. ^ "Patricia Mary Bollinger". The Press Democrat. 2010-02-16. Retrieved 2015-09-24.
  9. ^ "Guides: University of Michigan Law School History Timeline: Home".
  10. ^ "Past Provosts". 11 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Office of the President, Biography". Columbia University. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  12. ^ Totenberg, Nina (June 23, 2003). "Split Ruling on Affirmative Action: High Court Rules on Race as Factor in University Admissions". NPR.
  13. ^ "Three Columbians Elected to the American Philosophical Society".
  14. ^ "President's House".
  15. ^ Arenson, Karen; Kleinfield, N.R. (May 25, 2005). "Columbia's Chief, Free Speech Expert, Gets Earful". The New York Times.
  16. ^ Dow Jones Online Financial News NY Fed board appointment
  17. ^ Greenwell, Megan (2008-11-30). "Bollinger Stays Popular Even In Hard Times". Columbia Spectator. Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  18. ^ Eviatar, Daphne (May 21, 2006). "The Manhattanville Project". The New York Times.
  19. ^ Inside Higher Ed, War and Peace at Columbia
  20. ^ Statement from Lee C. Bollinger on the David Project Film
  21. ^ Saul, Stephanie (6 December 2015). "Salaries of Private College Presidents Continue to Rise, Chronicle Survey Finds". The New York Times.
  22. ^ Melbourne, Abby; Andrews, Faith; Mitrasinovic, Maya (18 January 2021). "Local candidates join student organizers, back largest tuition strike in history at Sunday rally=Columbia Spectator". Columbia Spectator.
  23. ^ Mitrasinovic, Maya; Sentner, Irie (8 February 2022). "President Bollinger acquires $11.7 million Upper West Side apartment". Columbia Spectator.
  24. ^ Staff Reports, 'Vandy chancellor among top earners', The Tennessean, November 14, 2010 [1]
  25. ^ Mitrasinovic, Maya; Senter, Irie (8 February 2022). "President Bollinger acquires $11.7 million Upper West Side apartment". Columbia Spectator.
  26. ^ a b Kadushin, Peter (September 23, 2007). "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrives in Manhattan". Daily News. New York.
  27. ^ (AFP) – Sep 20, 2007 (2007-09-20). "AFP: Controversy swirls around Iranian leader's visit to New York". Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2010-12-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ "Lee Bollinger, Tough Guy". The Wall Street Journal. September 24, 2007.
  29. ^ Outrage over Iranian president's NYC visit[dead link‍] September 20, 2007
  30. ^ "President Bollinger's Statement about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Scheduled Appearance at Columbia". Columbia News. 2007-09-19. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  31. ^ "Ahmadinejad speaks; outrage and controversy follow - CNN.com". 2007-09-24. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008.
  32. ^ "An Open Letter to President Bollinger".
  33. ^ Karni, Annie (September 25, 2007). "Bollinger Stuns Ahmadinejad With Blunt Rebuke". NY Sun.
  34. ^ "Columbia University Names Minouche Shafik 20th President". Columbia News. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  35. ^ "Biography". Office of the President Lee C. Bollinger. Columbia University. January 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  36. ^ "Jennifer Ellis and Lee Bollinger". The New York Times. 13 July 2008.
  37. ^ "Carey Bollinger and Benjamin Danielson". The New York Times. 22 July 2012.
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Academic offices
Preceded by
Terrance Sandalow
 Dean of the University of Michigan Law School
1987–1994 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Bruce Pipes
 Provost of Dartmouth College
1994–1996 		Succeeded by
James Wright
Preceded by 12th President of the University of Michigan
1996–2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by 19th President of Columbia University
2002–2023 		Succeeded by
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