Lee Bollinger
19th President of Columbia University
Term	2002 – present
Predecessor	George Erik Rupp
Born	Santa Rosa, California
Alma mater	University of Oregon, Columbia Law
Profession	Lawyer

Lee C. Bollinger is an American lawyer and educator who is currently serving as the 19th president of Columbia University. Formerly the president of the University of Michigan, he is a noted legal scholar of the First Amendment and freedom of speech.^[1] He was at the center of two notable United States Supreme Court cases regarding the use of affirmative action in admissions processes.

Biography

Born in Santa Rosa, California, Bollinger was raised there and in Baker City, Oregon. He went on to graduate from the University of Oregon in 1968 and received a J.D. from Columbia Law School. He served as a law clerk to Judge Wilfred Feinberg of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Chief Justice Warren Burger of the U.S. Supreme Court. Bollinger went on to join the faculty of the University of Michigan Law School in 1973, becoming dean of the school in 1987. He became provost of Dartmouth College in 1994 before returning to the University of Michigan in 1996 as president. Bollinger assumed his current position as president of Columbia University in June 2002.

Affirmative action cases

In 2003, Bollinger made headlines as defendant in the Supreme Court cases Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger. 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, they 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 thus that they violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

In 2006, affirmative action in university admissions in the state of Michigan was banned by a ballot initiative known as the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative.

President of Columbia

As president (known affectionately as "PrezBo"^[2]), Bollinger has attempted to expand the international scope of the University, taking frequent trips abroad and inviting world leaders to its campus. Bollinger has been criticized for taking a neutral public position on controversies in 2004–5 regarding intimidation of students by professors in the Middle East Languages and Cultures (MEALAC) department alleged by the pro-Israel advocacy organization The David Project and for placing the department in receivership. He has also been at the forefront of criticism for his role advocating the expansion of the university into the Manhattanville neighborhood and the possible use of eminent domain to help it seize property there. The Bollinger administration's expansion plans have been 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.

While Bollinger began his presidency promising to continue the legacy brought with him from Michigan as open and receptive to students, many have criticized him for failing to live up to these expectations as well. Nevertheless, Bollinger remains very popular with students and has largely succeeded in maintaining a very high profile for Columbia. In November 2006, Bollinger was elected to the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank in New York City, a term lasting for three years.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad controversy

Wikinews has related news:

Iranian President Ahmadinejad speaks at Columbia University

Bollinger received much criticism in September 2007 when Columbia invited Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak at its campus on September 24, 2007.^{[attribution needed]} 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."^[3] Bollinger released a statement on Columbia's website on September 19, 2007 outlining the content of his introduction, which included Ahmadinejad's statements regarding the Holocaust, Israel, and the Iranian government's record on civil liberties and human rights.^[4]

In his introduction, President Bollinger explained 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,^{[citation needed]} whom Bollinger referred to as "exhibiting all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator." Bollinger's introduction received both praise and condemnation.^[5][6][7][8] Many viewed his talk as one of moral clarity and courage,^{[attribution needed]} while many others viewed it as rude and "inappropriate".^{[attribution needed]} Bollinger's remarks were widely criticized by Iranians, who perceived Bollinger as being an ungracious host and saw the treatment as adding to the perception of America as a bully in the Middle East.^[9] Chancellors of Iranian universities composed a letter to Bollinger, questioning his statements during the speech and asking 10 questions, including why the United States has not yet found Osama bin Laden.^[9] One professor of politics, Ahmad Bakhshayesh from Tehran's Allameh Tabatabaii University, said that Bollinger's words "worked in favor of Ahmadinejad, who in the eye of ordinary people was seen as wronged. The protests by Israel supporters against Ahmadinejad outside the university also helped him to appear as a hero for people of the Middle East."^[9]

Personal life

President Bollinger is married to artist Jean Magnano Bollinger. They have two children and live in the restored Columbia President's House in Manhattan, New York City. Bollinger is Jewish.^[10]

Books authored

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

• The Tolerant Society (ISBN 0195040007)
• Images of a Free Press (ISBN 0226063496)

References

External links

• Columbia University President's Office
• UOregon article about Bollinger
• Ahmadinejad speaks at Columbia amid protests
• Part 1 of Bollinger's Remarks Regarding President Ahmadinejad
• Part 2 of Bollinger's Remarks Regarding President Ahmadinejad
• Iranian University Chancellors Ask Bollinger 10 Questions

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