Lee C. Bollinger
- See also Wikipedia's article about "Lee C. Bollinger".
- See also Lee C. Bollinger's entry in Columbia's directory.
Lee Caroll Bollinger Law '71 is the president of the university. He is affectionately known as PrezBo (alt. spelling Prezbo), a term coined by the Varsity Show.
Presidency
Bollinger came to Columbia after serving as president of the University of Michigan, where he did now unthinkable things like host house parties for students. Occasionally, though, he will invite students for cotillions at the President's House, where he will deftly avoid providing substantive answers to any of their questions or critiques.
His presidency has been marked by the vague goal of making Columbia a "global university," including the creation of the World Leaders Forum and the Committee on Global Thought.
The massive Manhattanville campus project is another of his brainchilds.
Other activities
Once, in his spare time, he did something important involving law and affirmative action. Now, he mostly teaches undergrads how to behave like law students, luring them with a class on free speech, where he exercises Socratic Terror to compel debates that are still 1000 times more interesting than anything most actual lawyers do.
PrezBo also promotes physical fitness, inaugurating the 5K Fun Run. The event, which occurs in September every fall, features free t-shirts and is led by PrezBo himself.
Characteristics and interests
He is rarely, if ever, seen walking to and from his official residence at 116th and Morningside Drive. Rumor (though confirmed by many who have actually seen it) has it he is driven the 1.5 blocks from his office in Low Library.
He is recognizable for his wispy hair, trim physique, and vague, tepid statements about everything and everyone except perhaps Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
He loves the word "global" and uses it about five times in each sentence.
His favorite TV shows are Mad Men, Saturday Night Live, the Wire, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. He has gone hiking in an area densely populated with grizzly bears to test his endurance. He is the most interesting man in the world.
| Preceded by George Rupp |
President of Columbia University 2002- |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
