For Bollinger, a Summer of Reflection—and Jogging

One might imagine that a person who launched a $4-billion capital campaign, took flack for inviting and lambasting Iran’s president, shepherded a campus expansion plan through the city’s review process, and led Columbia University as its campus was shaken by hate crimes and a hunger strike would take a long vacation.

Almost, but not quite. Bollinger did spend as much time as he could outside of the hubbub of New York, but he didn’t completely leave his professional responsibilities behind.

For Bollinger, the summer of 2008 meant a period of leave to his Vermont home with his wife, Jean, to reflect. “I’ve been president for six years, so it seemed time to step back and do some reading, some reflection,” Bollinger said. Bollinger spent his Vermont days working on a new book about the press, reading, running, and contemplating the way he does things in Morningside Heights.

In Vermont, Bollinger had two goals: stop thinking about his everyday responsibilities while exploring the big-picture thoughts that seem unreachable amid the din of New York traffic.

Bollinger kept in touch with his colleagues in Low, but life proceeded at a different pace. “I tried to also avoid day-to-day kind of meetings and issues that tend to draw you into a whole life of that kind,” he said.

A typical summer day involved waking at 6 a.m. and then sitting down to write. His book, set to be published later by Oxford University Press, will review the role of freedom of the press as a matter of constitutional law in 20th-century history. The second part, Bollinger explained, concerns how “the world is changing now in ways that would have a very significant impact on the press.” In the third and final part, Bollinger will present a plan for reforming the press.

At about 8 a.m., Bollinger would typically break from his writing to read the newspaper. He also took time to catch up on television and novels, particularly enjoying Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson, a book he picked up on Jean’s recommendation. “A good novel allows me to get away from the things I ordinarily think about,” Bollinger said. “I start a lot of novels and I don’t finish them, they don’t keep my attention. This one had a kind of reflection-on-life structure to it.”

Despite his repeated public references to American Idol in speeches on campus, Bollinger said he has never watched the singing competition. Instead, he prefers the drama of Mad Men and The Wire , and the comedy of Saturday Night Live and Curb Your Enthusiasm . Since Bollinger cannot freeze his activities to watch the newest episodes during the school year, he records them.

He would usually return to his manuscript around noon.

In the middle of each Vermont day, Bollinger would go for a run. At the same time, worlds away in Beijing, sprinter Usain Bolt of Jamaica set world records during the Olympic games. Bollinger did follow the Olympics and has a special affinity for the track and field events.

“I’m very much taken by the quality of the athletes,” Bollinger said. “It’s also very interesting from the standpoint of observing China and its role in the world.”

As an expert on freedom of speech, Bollinger was less impressed by China’s behavior during the games. In response to Beijing’s denial of passes to those who wished to protest, Bollinger said, “It’s very clear that the notions of freedom of speech and the press in China are very different from what they are in the United States.” Despite this difference, Bollinger believes it is important to “build relations with them and try to use them to improve on the fundamental rights issues.” In fact, Columbia is working on opening a research office in the capital.

Bollinger would typically write until about 5 or 6 p.m., finish his work for the day, and relax over dinner. “Sometimes we watched movies,” Bollinger said. Sometimes, he would go sailing.

In addition to vacationing on the coast of Maine, Bollinger strayed from his abode only twice. Bollinger traveled to Spain to meet with the architect of the Northwest Science Building, and in mid-July, he traveled to Illinois for the marriage of his son, who has the same name, to third-grade teacher Jennifer Lynn Ellis.

Bollinger raised the topic of his son’s marriage with students at a fireside chat and at Columbia College’s Class Day in the spring. “In my mind, when I talk to students, I want to talk to them not only about their courses and majors and issues, but what it’s like to be a young person. And in my own view, it’s that relationships are among the most important for a good life,” Bollinger said.

The fruit of his introspection, Bollinger said, is the knowledge that he may do things “a little differently” at Columbia. “The framework has now been set for Columbia to preserve its greatness and to allow it to grow and develop and evolve. And we have improved the financial position of Columbia enormously through the efforts of hundreds,” he said.

Bollinger expects his biggest challenge this semester to be the current financial turmoil. “We just haven’t seen yet the impact of that on the institution,” Bollinger said, adding that with the ailing economy comes Columbia’s responsibility to prepare students for a dwindling job market.

Nonetheless, Bollinger said that his respite allowed him to recharge for the new year. He feels, he added, like “a freshman all over again.”

joy.resmovits@columbiaspectator.com