College Provost Lee Bollinger yesterday accepted the University of Michigan Board of Regents' offer to become the next president of the University of Michigan.
It took the Board of Regents only three hours yesterday to unanimously choose Bollinger from the four finalists for the position, which has been open for more than a year.
"I'm obviously very pleased," Bollinger said.
Bollinger said he instantly accepted the position after receiving a phone call sometime after noon yesterday from Regents Nellie Varner and Shirley McFee.
"I have accepted the position in principle," he said. "It is still necessary to work out an agreement, but that should really be pro forma."
The unanimous choice
Varner, who a co-chaired the search committee, said "each Regent arrived at their own personal conclusion that Provost Bollinger was the strongest candidate."
Varner said Bollinger's past history at Michigan was an important factor in his selection.
"He knows the University of Michigan well, and he can come in and hit the ground running," Varner said. "He'll begin leading rather than learning."
"Lee was the one among them that was a known entity," she added. "He stood up well when measured against the other candidates."
Kim Clarke, assistant to the vice president of University relations agreed Bollinger's love of Michigan made him stand out from the group of finalists.
"The Regents wanted someone who has got the Michigan tradition in his system," Clarke said. "He was very open about his passionate love for the University."
Jeffrey Lehman, Michigan Law School dean, who chaired the presidential search advisory committee, said Bollinger's commitment to academic values was an important part of his nomination and selection.
"Bollinger brings to the presidency a deep commitment to quality and to openness, honesty and tolerance within the academic community," Lehman said. "I anticipate a glorious future under his leadership."
Theodore St. Antoine, a law professor, said the faculty are pleased with Bollinger's selection.
"Ultimately presidents set a tone for the institution," he said. "I think the faculty of the University of Michigan has always been very desirous of a spokesperson in whom they can take a great deal of pride."
Bollinger's reflections on Dartmouth
Bollinger said he has gained significant respect for Dartmouth during his time at the College.
"It has been a truly wonderful experience for me to be here," he said. "I have learned a great deal and have made many new friends."
He said he has great respect for the institution and its potential and said it will be difficult to leave.
"I leave with admiration and sadness," Bollinger said. "I have formed relationships that will last with me forever."
Bollinger said he will begin his term as president as soon as possible.
"In general when one makes decisions like this to take a position, it is important to make the move as quickly as is reasonable," he said.
Bollinger remained for a full year as Dean of the Michigan Law School after accepting the job of Dartmouth provost. He said that experience taught him not to stay too long in a job once deciding to leave.
"You don't want to leave behind responsibilities, but you don't want to linger," he said. "You don't want to overstay your welcome."
He said he needs to talk with the Regents and people at Dartmouth before he will know how soon he will be able to start the job.
"I hope and expect to begin earlier than June 30th," he said. "The interim president, Homer Neal, said he will serve until June 30th or earlier if the new president can start earlier."
Varner said the Regents want to proceed with the negotiations immediately.
"I hope they will be concluded certainly in the next week or two," she said.
Bollinger said he will keep the new house which he and his wife just built in Norwich.
"We'll take vacations here and spend some weekends at the house," he said.
Impact on the College
College President James Freedman said he will miss Bollinger, but he is not surprised Bollinger was selected.
"I'm thrilled for him, thrilled for Michigan and crestfallen for Dartmouth," College President James Freedman said.
"I expected he would be chosen because he is so outstanding," he added.
Bollinger's Dartmouth colleagues said his commitment to academic excellence made him a valuable part of the community.
"He'll be missed for his high academic standards and insistence on academic excellence," Freedman said.
Freedman said he was not surprised Bollinger's time as provost was so short.
"We knew when he came to Dartmouth that he is an unusually exceptional and attractive person," Freedman said. "I'm happy he stayed as long as he has."
Freedman, like many others, said he knew years ago Bollinger was destined to become president of a university.
"I could tell immediately he would be a university president someday," he said. "I've always been confident that he would one day be a major figure in American higher education."
Bollinger's students describe him as a demanding and knowledgeable professor.
"He's a wonderful professor," said Samantha Goldberg '98, who is taking Bollinger's First Amendment class this term. "He not only knows the material very well but also makes the class exciting."
Lynne Campbell '97 said she often sees Bollinger's names in the books she reads for class.
"It's nice to have people like Bollinger who are really credible in their areas," she said. "I'm proud to have him as our provost and proud to send him on to a great position elsewhere."
Robert Geisler '97 said Bollinger will be sorely missed at Dartmouth.
"It's a shame to see a really excellent professor leave," he said. "He definitely motivates the students to learn the material and think deeply about it."
Bollinger became provost of the College in July of 1994.
"The provost is the chief academic officer of the College and has responsibility for all four schools as well as the Hood Museum, the Hopkins Center, the library and the Dickey Center," Freedman said.
One of Bollinger's main contributions to the College has been his leadership in the Baker-Berry Library project.
"He took a real lead in the library project," College Librarian Margaret Otto. "He got us going on the right track. We'll just have to find our way without him."
Thayer School of Engineering Dean Elsa Garmire said Dartmouth had reason to be proud of Bollinger who "spoke very well for the school."
"He had a good vision of the future of what Dartmouth can be," she said. "Certainly he'll be missed."
Amos Tuck School of Business Administration Dean Paul Danos said Bollinger was an important part of the success of the Tuck School over the past few years.
"He has been an outstanding counselor for me and has been very supportive of initiatives the Tuck school has taken," Danos said. "His departure is a big loss for Dartmouth."
Freedman said he has not even begun to think about finding a new provost.
He said since there is already an opening for a new Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, he will need to consider how to fulfill both of the positions at the same time.
Freedman said he thinks "Bollinger will be very tough to replace."
"He set a very high standard," Freedman said. "He has a set of qualifications that will be very hard to replace."
Danos also said it will be hard to find a new provost with Bollinger's qualifications.
"He will be a hard person to replace because of his broad knowledge of how academic institutions work," Danos said.
Concluding a long search process
Yesterday's decision ended a search process that began when former Michigan President James Duderstadt announced his resignation from the position more than a year ago.
A presidential search advisory committee comprised of 12 students, faculty, alumni and staff presented the list of finalists to the Regents two weeks ago after narrowing the list of possible candidates to four from a pool of 302.
The four finalists each traveled to Ann Arbor for a day, during the past two weeks, to be interviewed by the Regents and the public as well as attend a number of social events.
Lehman, who also moderated the town meeting interviews, said the Regents spent the past week reviewing transcripts and videotapes from the interview sessions, as well as "calling people they know who know the candidates to try to develop more sophisticated impressions."
Although the process lasted many months, the Regents were able to make the final decision in only three hours, without being allowed to discuss the candidates at all before yesterday.
"The Regents went around and each offered their opinions on the candidates and discussed who they like and why they liked them," Clarke said. "It became clear very quickly that Bollinger was the road they were going down."
Lehman said it was clear early in the discussion that Bollinger was to be chosen, but it was not until later that all eight Regents came to agreement.
"The members of the board spoke with enthusiasm and respect for all four candidates," Lehman said. "It was evident that a majority of the Regents believed that Bollinger's particular combination of strengths fit especially well with the Regents' desires for the University's new president."
Clarke said Regent Deane Baker "was very reluctant but said he didn't want a divided board."
Lehman said Baker had supported Faulkner but also agreed Bollinger would be an effective president.
"The first time they voted two Regents passed and the other six voted for Bollinger," he said. "The second time, they all voted to support and endorse Provost Bollinger."
Varner said she was glad the vote was unanimous, but does not believe it was crucial.
"I think it's great that we all agreed," she said. " But I don't think it was necessary."
The other three candidates in the pool from which Bollinger was chosen were Stanley Chodorow, provost at the University of Pennsylvania; Carol Christ, vice chancellor, provost and English professor at the University of California at Berkeley, and Larry Faulkner provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
A fifth finalist, Michigan Literature, Science and Arts Dean Edie Goldenberg, withdrew her name from consideration whena court decision prevented the candidates from meeting with the Regents in private.
Goldenberg withdrew her name the afternoon before the list of finalists was released so her identity as the fifth candidate was not known until last Wednesday.
