President of Columbia University
Honors Convocation
"Three Issues for Colleges and Universities: Affirmative Action, Academic Freedom and Globalization"
Thursday, May 26, 2005, 11:10 a.m.
Lee C. Bollinger is president of Columbia University in New York City and a member of the faculty of the Law School. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon and Columbia Law School, where he was an articles editor of the Law Review. After serving as law clerk for Judge Wilfred Feinberg on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Chief Justice Warren Burger on the United States Supreme Court, he joined the faculty of the University of Michigan Law School in 1973. In 1987, he was named dean of the University of Michigan Law School, a position he held for seven years. He became provost of Dartmouth College and professor of government in July 1994 and was named the twelfth president of the University of Michigan in November 1996. His primary teaching and scholarly interests are focused on free speech and First Amendment issues, and he has published numerous books, articles, and essays in scholarly journals on these and other subjects. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, an honorary fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge University, and a member of the boards of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, and the Royal Shakespeare Company of Great Britain. President Bollinger is the recipient of several awards for his strong defense of affirmative action in higher education, including the National Humanitarian Award from the National Conference on Community and Justice.
Read the Press Release: Columbia University President Lee Bollinger Discusses Critical Issues Facing Higher Education in Lawrence University Honors Convocation