Full Description
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.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
1. Inaugural Address, October 3, 2002
2. Seven Myths About Affirmative Action in Universities, 2002
3. Statement on the Future of Journalism Education, April 15, 2003
4. A Resounding Victory for Diversity on Campus, June 24, 2003
5. Educational Equity and Quality: Brown and Rodriguez and Their Aftermath, November 3, 2003
6. Cardozo Lecture on Academic Freedom, March 23, 2005
7. Commencement Address, May 17, 2006
8. Statement About President Ahmadinejad's Scheduled Appearance at the World Leader's Forum, September 19, 2007
9. Introduction of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of the Islamic Republic of Iran, September 24, 2007
10. Commencement Address, May 21, 2008
11. Globalization and Free Press, 2011
12. A Free Press for a Global Society, October 10, 2010
13. The Pentagon Papers, June 22, 2011
14. The Real Mismatch, May 30, 2013
15. To Move Forward, We Must Look Back, June 27, 2013
16. Sixty Years Later, We Need a New Brown, May 16, 2014
17. Commencement Address, May 21, 2014
18. How to Free Speech: Americans Only Figured Out Free Speech Fifty Years Ago. Here's How the World Can Follow Our Lead., February 12, 2015
19. What Once Was Lost Must Now Be Found: Rediscovering an Affirmative Action Jurisprudence Informed by the Reality of Race in America, April 12, 2016
20. Commencement Address, May 18, 2016
21. Affirmative Action Isn't Just a Legal Issue. It's Also a Historical One., June 24, 2016
22. The No-Censorship Approach to Life, September 18, 2016
23. Our Spiritual Plank, October 24, 2016
24. Commencement Address, May 17, 2017
25. Convocation Address, August 27, 2017
26. Can the First Amendment Save Us?, October 5, 2017
27. Remarks at the Opening of The Forum, September 26, 2018
28. The Free Speech Century: A Retrospective and a Guide, Part 1: One Hundred Years of Free Speech, November 5, 2018
29. The Free Speech Century: A Retrospective and a Guide, Part 2: The Next Hundred Years—A Global Public Forum, November 6, 2018
30. How the U.S. Could Prosecute Jamal Khashoggi's Killers, March 31, 2019
31. Commencement Address, May 22, 2019
32. Convocation Address, August 25, 2019
33. The Future of the University, October 19, 2019
34. Statement to the University Senate Plenary Regarding the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, March 6, 2020
35. Announcing the Columbia Climate School, July 10, 2020
36. Commencement Address, April 30, 2021
37. Commencement Address, May 18, 2022
38. Convocation Address, August 28, 2022
39. Welcome Remarks, April 18, 2023
40. Farewell Dinner Remarks, April 28, 2023
41. Columbia College Class Day Address, May 16, 2023
42. Commencement Address, May 17, 2023
Notes
Other Books by Lee C. Bollinger
Index
