Bollinger, Lee C.

Bollinger, Lee C., 1947–, American educator, b. Santa Rosa, Calif., grad. Univ. of Oregon (B.A.), Columbia (M.A.; LL.B.). He joined the faculty of the Univ. of Michigan Law School in 1973 and later served as its dean (1987–1994). He was provost and taught at Princeton before being named president of the Univ. of Michigan in 1996. At Michigan, he was a strong supporter of the university's pro-affirmative-action policies. Under his direction, Michigan raised nearly $1 billion, introduced a major life sciences initiative, and integrated science and technology into the liberal arts curriculum. In 2002, Bollinger succeeded George Rupp as president of Columbia Univ. Bollinger is a legal scholar with an abiding interest in free speech and First Amendment issues; his books include The Tolerant Society: Freedom of Speech and Extremist Speech in America (1986) and Images of a Free Press (1991).