In Search of an Open Mind

The issues that Lee Bollinger confronted during his more than two decades as Columbia’s president are questions that grip us still: free speech, freedom of the press, affirmative action and racial justice, the purposes of universities. His words over that near quarter century of challenge and change vividly illuminate both where we have been and where we might go. -- Drew Gilpin Faust, President Emerita and the Arthur Kingsley Porter University Professor, Harvard University
At a time when universities are under siege from both the right and the left, all who care about the life of the mind and the vital role of American universities in the search for truth and in the education of the generations that will follow us can be grateful for this perfectly timed collection of deeply thoughtful speeches and essays by the great First Amendment scholar and President Emeritus of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger. His reflections on two extraordinary decades at the helm of one of America’s greatest universities are a treasure trove of subtle insight and wise guidance. -- Laurence H. Tribe, Carl M. Loeb University Professor Emeritus, Harvard University
As these collected writings make clear, Lee Bollinger stands as a towering leader and intellectual whose moral vision for the university never wavered. He shows that at its best, the university is a laboratory of multiracial democracy, a unique site for living out experiments in racial justice and climate justice, free speech and academic freedom, the liberal arts tradition and the public service imperative. This timely book reminds us how crucial leaders of integrity and vision are to achieving this mission. A profound, invaluable guide for values-centered leadership and a touchstone for the highest aspiration of university life—unbounded discovery with equity and inclusion for all. -- Alondra Nelson, Harold F. Linder Professor, Institute for Advanced Study
A beautiful book, and a perfectly timed one. Bollinger combines analytic brilliance with deep humanity and generosity of spirit. A must-read for anyone concerned with the role of the university in American society. -- Cass R. Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard University
Bollinger's text is a classic of the art form. -- Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, President Emeritus and University Professor, The George Washington University
I can think of no American university president - with the possible exception of Charles William Eliot, who took twice as long to say half as much on fewer subjects and with less elan - with as substantive a body of far-ranging written work composed during an active presidency. -- Robert A. McCaughey, professor of history and Janet H. Robb Chair in the Social Sciences, Barnard College