Lee C. Bollinger is the president of Columbia University and one of the nation's most thoughtful and original scholars of the First Amendment. He has received numerous awards and honors for his writings and public actions defending freedom of speech and press. He is also well-known for his leadership in successfully defending affirmative action and diversity in American higher education, which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in 2003. He lives in New York City and Vermont with his wife, Jean.

Photo credit: Eileen Barroso