Trustee Chair Campbell Addresses Senate in Year's Final Meeting

Board of Trustees Chair Bill Campbell, CC '62, delivered a strongly worded endorsement of University President Lee Bollinger's work in his first four years in office, telling the University Senate that the president is "laying the groundwork for Columbia's future."

Cambell discussed some of the most pressing issues facing the University, including fund-raising and the proposed campus expansion into Manhattanville. He said his intention as chair of the board is not to be a decision-maker, but rather a counselor and adviser to Bollinger.

"Everything Lee has done here has been systematic in its approach," Campbell said. "My job is to put in place a group of 24 trustees - where they can provide input so that Lee can operate in a much better way."

Before Campbell spoke, Bollinger delivered a brief end-of-the-year report about the state of the University. He previewed the University capital campaign that is expected to begin next spring, saying that he hoped Dawn Greene's $200 million gift to fund the Mind, Brain and Behavior Center will inspire other major donations.

"It's a magnificent gift that we think is a harbinger of things to come. All of that is developing in a very, very good way," Bollinger said.

Campbell and Bollinger expressed optimism about the progress that has been made on the Manhattanville expansion plan. Bollinger said he expects the "phase one" buildings to be up within four or five years, though the later stages of the project could take several decades.

"There will be a lot of things that will come out of the Lee Bollinger regime that won't hit prime time until after he's gone," Campbell said.

Although a large percentage of the senators left after Campbell finished speaking, the remaining group heard end-of-the-year presentations from a number of committees. A representative from the University's Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing talked briefly about Columbia's decision to divest from companies with ties to Sudan, and faculty senator Sharyn O'Halloran presented a report about the proposed Designated Suppliers Program.

The senate was originally expected to vote on the DSP, which was proposed by the activist group Students for Economic and Environmental Justice as a way to make sure firms that produce Columbia apparel do not use sweatshop labor. O'Halloran said that the DSP is in conjunction with Columbia's values, but that it produces a number of legal, economic, and logistical challenges. The senate agreed to discuss the issue again in the fall.

The senate also approved three new master's programs, in film studies, sports management, and construction administration.

Sumeet Shah, SEAS '08 David Ali, CC '07, Danielle Wolfe, BC '07, and Tiffany Davis, CC '08, will join the senate as new undergraduate student senators in September.