Lee Bollinger
Encyclopedia
Lee Carroll 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
. He was at the center of two notable United States Supreme Court cases regarding the use of affirmative action
in admissions processes.
In July, 2010 Bollinger was appointed Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
board of directors for 2011. Previously, he had served as Deputy Chair.
, California
, the son of Patricia and Lee Bollinger. He was raised there and in Baker City
, Oregon
. As a student, Bollinger spent a year (1963) as an exchange student in Brazil with AFS Intercultural Programs
. He received his B.S.
in political science
from the University of Oregon
, where he became a brother of Theta Chi Fraternity, and his Juris Doctor
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 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. On October 19, 2010, the Board of Trustees announced through a university-wide email that Bollinger has agreed to continue as president for at least the next five years. The board explained as the rationale for its decision to extend Bollinger's contract: "Columbia is thriving on many levels today, and is well positioned for the long-term both locally and globally, because of Lee’s distinctive vision of the university’s vital role in serving our society. But we still have much work to do in building on this extraordinary forward momentum in the years ahead and therefore have every reason to maintain the continuity of Lee's principled leadership."
, Bollinger made headlines as the named 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, 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 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
.
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. President Bollinger has lived in the Columbia President's House since February 2004, after the building underwent a $23 million renovation. In 2008, his salary was $1.7 million.
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.
ian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak at its campus on September 24, 2007. A number of local and national politicians, including presidential hopefuls John McCain
, Fred Thompson, Barack Obama
, and Hillary Clinton, denounced Columbia for hosting Ahmadinejad.
Additionally, the Wall Street Journal accused him of hypocrisy for allowing Ahmadinejad to speak at the university in the name of academic freedom
and freedom of expression, but citing those same values in 2005 as justifications not to readmit an ROTC program to Columbia in light of the military's "don't ask, don't tell
" policy toward gay
s. Explaining his ROTC decision at the time, Bollinger wrote: "the university has an obligation, deeply rooted in the core values of an academic institution and in First Amendment
principles, to protect its students from improper discrimination and humiliation."
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."
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
.
In his introduction, 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, whom Bollinger referred to as "exhibiting all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator
." Bollinger's introduction received both praise and condemnation. Bollinger's remarks were widely criticized by many, who perceived him as being an ungracious host and saw the treatment as adding to the perception of America as a bully in the Middle East
.
calling for the American government to subsidize its journalists.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer and educator who is currently serving as the 19th president of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Formerly the president of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, he is a noted legal scholar of the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
and freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
. He was at the center of two notable United States Supreme Court cases regarding the use of affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
in admissions processes.
In July, 2010 Bollinger was appointed Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is one of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks of the United States. It is located at 33 Liberty Street, New York, NY. It is responsible for the Second District of the Federal Reserve System, which encompasses New York state, the 12 northern counties of New Jersey,...
board of directors for 2011. Previously, he had served as Deputy Chair.
Life and career
Bollinger was born in Santa RosaSanta Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the son of Patricia and Lee Bollinger. He was raised there and in Baker City
Baker City, Oregon
Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker. The population was 9,828 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. As a student, Bollinger spent a year (1963) as an exchange student in Brazil with AFS Intercultural Programs
AFS Intercultural Programs
AFS Intercultural Programs was established in 1915 by A. Piatt Andrew, a onetime economics professor at Harvard University and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury...
. He received his B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
, where he became a brother of Theta Chi Fraternity, and his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
. He served as a law clerk to Judge Wilfred Feinberg
Wilfred Feinberg
Wilfred Feinberg is a Senior United States Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He was Chief Judge of the Circuit from 1980 to 1988, and assumed senior status in 1991...
of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals...
and Chief Justice Warren Burger of the Supreme Court. Bollinger went on to join the faculty of the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...
in 1973, becoming dean of the school in 1987. He became provost of Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
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. On October 19, 2010, the Board of Trustees announced through a university-wide email that Bollinger has agreed to continue as president for at least the next five years. The board explained as the rationale for its decision to extend Bollinger's contract: "Columbia is thriving on many levels today, and is well positioned for the long-term both locally and globally, because of Lee’s distinctive vision of the university’s vital role in serving our society. But we still have much work to do in building on this extraordinary forward momentum in the years ahead and therefore have every reason to maintain the continuity of Lee's principled leadership."
Affirmative action cases
In 2003, while serving as president of the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, Bollinger made headlines as the named defendant in the Supreme Court cases Grutter v. Bollinger
Grutter v. Bollinger
Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306 , was a case in which the United States Supreme Court upheld the affirmative action admissions policy of the University of Michigan Law School...
and Gratz v. Bollinger
Gratz v. Bollinger
Gratz v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 244 , was a United States Supreme Court case regarding the University of Michigan undergraduate affirmative action admissions policy...
. In the Grutter case, the Court found by a 5-4 margin that the affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
policies of the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...
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
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
, and thus that they violated the Equal Protection Clause
Equal Protection Clause
The Equal Protection Clause, part of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, provides that "no state shall ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws"...
of the Fourteenth Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments.Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Dred Scott v...
.
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
Michigan Civil Rights Initiative
The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative , or Proposal 2 , was a ballot initiative in the U.S. state of Michigan that passed into Michigan Constitutional law by a 58% to 42% margin on November 7, 2006, according to results officially certified by the Michigan Secretary of State. By Michigan law, the...
.
President of Columbia
As president (known as "PrezBo"), 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 alleged intimidation of students by professors in the Middle East Languages and Cultures (MEALAC) department by the Boston-based pro-Israel advocacy organization The David ProjectThe David Project Center for Jewish Leadership
The David Project, is a non-profit educational organization located in Boston, Massachusetts, with satellite offices in New York and Israel. The David Project's stated aim is "to educate and inspire strong voices for Israel through dynamic educational seminars, workshops, and curricula." It was...
and for placing the department in receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
. He has also been at the forefront of criticism for his role advocating the expansion of the university into the Manhattanville
Manhattanville
Manhattanville is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan bordered on the south by Morningside Heights on the west by the Hudson River, on the east by Harlem and on the north by Hamilton Heights. Its borders straddle West 125th Street, roughly from 122nd Street to 135th Street and...
neighborhood and the possible use of eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
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. President Bollinger has lived in the Columbia President's House since February 2004, after the building underwent a $23 million renovation. In 2008, his salary was $1.7 million.
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
Bollinger received much criticism in September 2007, when Columbia invited IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian President
President of Iran
The President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in, and the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran; although subordinate to the Supreme Leader of Iran, who functions as the country's head of state...
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak at its campus on September 24, 2007. A number of local and national politicians, including presidential hopefuls John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, Fred Thompson, Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, and Hillary Clinton, denounced Columbia for hosting Ahmadinejad.
Additionally, the Wall Street Journal accused him of hypocrisy for allowing Ahmadinejad to speak at the university in the name of academic freedom
Academic freedom
Academic freedom is the belief that the freedom of inquiry by students and faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy, and that scholars should have freedom to teach or communicate ideas or facts without being targeted for repression, job loss, or imprisonment.Academic freedom is a...
and freedom of expression, but citing those same values in 2005 as justifications not to readmit an ROTC program to Columbia in light of the military's "don't ask, don't tell
Don't ask, don't tell
"Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...
" policy toward gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
s. Explaining his ROTC decision at the time, Bollinger wrote: "the university has an obligation, deeply rooted in the core values of an academic institution and in First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
principles, to protect its students from improper discrimination and humiliation."
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."
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
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and the Iranian government's record on civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
.
In his introduction, 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, whom Bollinger referred to as "exhibiting all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator
Dictator
A dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
." Bollinger's introduction received both praise and condemnation. Bollinger's remarks were widely criticized by many, who perceived him as being an ungracious host and saw the treatment as adding to the perception of America as a bully in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
Government funding of news
On July 14, 2010, he wrote an article for The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
calling for the American government to subsidize its journalists.
Books
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 0195040007
- Images of a Free Press (University of Chicago Press, 1991) ISBN 0226063496
- Eternally Vigilant: Free Speech in the Modern Era (University Of Chicago Press, 2002) ISBN 0226063534
- Uninhibited, Robust, and Wide-Open: A Free Press for a New Century (Oxford University Press, 2010) ISBN 019530439
External links
- Columbia University President's Office: Bollinger Biography
- University of Michigan Law School: Bollinger Biography
- University of Oregon article about Bollinger
- Columbia Spectator's Eye Magazine profile, "Finding Bollinger," by Jacob Schneider and Joy Resmovits
- Ahmadinejad speaks at Columbia amid protests
- Rancor Continues Post Ahmadinejad Speech - Washington Post
- 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
- Advocates for Columbia ROTC page on 2005 university senate vote