In Search of an Open Mind - (Columbiana) by Lee Bollinger (Hardcover)

About the Book

In Search of an Open Mind is a curated selection of Lee C. Bollinger's speeches, articles, and opinion columns from throughout his twenty-one-year tenure as president of Columbia University.

Book Synopsis

Throughout his twenty-one-year tenure as president of Columbia University, Lee C. Bollinger was an outspoken national leader on many of the major issues confronting higher education and society more broadly. One of the country's preeminent First Amendment scholars, he published frequently on free speech and press while leading a wide range of transformational university initiatives. During a period marked by profound change, he spoke within and beyond the academy about the challenges facing journalism, global free speech, and academic freedom, as well as the critical value of increasing racial and cultural diversity in higher education through affirmative action.

In Search of an Open Mind is a curated selection of Bollinger's speeches, articles, and opinion columns during these momentous decades, reflecting on many significant events and challenges. These pieces cover a broad array of topics, from civil rights and civil liberties to the nature of the university and living a good life. Bollinger spoke often about the essential role of affirmative action in college admissions in overcoming the long legacy of racial discrimination, having led the litigation in the landmark case of Grutter v. Bollinger, in which, for the first time, a majority of the Supreme Court upheld the practice as constitutional. With the engaging writing style of a seasoned speaker and gifted teacher, this book provides first-hand insights into central issues of our civic and political life that are as timely now as when they were originally delivered.

Review Quotes

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

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

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

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

About the Author

Lee C. Bollinger served as Columbia University's nineteenth president from 2002 to 2023, the longest tenure of any contemporary Ivy League president. He is the first Seth Low Professor of the University, a member of the Columbia Law School faculty, and a renowned constitutional scholar. Bollinger is one of the country's most prominent voices for robust freedom of speech and a leading advocate for affirmative action.