University

Bollinger delivers a powerful, if idealistic, case for higher education’s ability to challenge the priority of whoever is in power…[a] slender and forceful volume.–Michael S. Roth “The Washington Post”Higher education in the United States, which leads the world, is now under cruel and unrelenting pressure from its own government. The shock has been so sudden and so extreme that few have sought to make the case for American colleges and universities. But now, in this eloquent and convincing book, Lee Bollinger, who has led some of America’s finest universities, rises to their defense. A prominent scholar of American constitutional law, Bollinger’s deep expertise allows him to offer an analysis that is grounded both in a deep appreciation of fundamental American constitutional principles and in a practical understanding of the realities of American higher education. It should be read by all who wish to comprehend the scope and stakes of the current crisis.–Robert Post, Sterling Professor of Law, Yale Law School[A] brief, forceful book…. An idealistic vision of the American university as a place of free thought and socially responsible teaching.– “Kirkus Reviews”

Lee C. Bollinger is an American legal scholar and educator who served as the nineteenth president of Columbia University, from 2002 to 2023. He is currently president emeritus and the Seth Low Professor of the University. He also served as the president of the University of Michigan from 1997 to 2002. A renowned expert on the First Amendment and freedom of speech and press, he lives in New York City.