Columbia President's Visit to U of M Will Mark 50th Anniversary of Brown Decision
For release: January 23, 2004
For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey

The University of Memphis will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown vs. Board of Education decision with a lecture by the president of Columbia University. Dr. Lee C. Bollinger will discuss the decision, which ended racial segregation in public schools, Thursday, Feb. 12, at 4 p.m. in the Fogelman Executive Center, Room 136. A reception will follow.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the U of M.

Bollinger became president of Columbia in 2002. A graduate of the University of Oregon and Columbia Law School, he served as a law clerk for Chief Justice Warren Burger of the U.S. Supreme Court. Bollinger then taught at the University of Michigan Law School and later served as its dean for seven years.

In 1994 Bollinger was named provost of Dartmouth University, and he became president in 1996. His teaching and research interests are focused on free speech and First Amendment issues. He has published books, articles and essays on these subjects and others. Bollinger has received several awards for his strong defense of affirmative action in higher education, including the National Humanitarian Award from the National Conference on Community and Justice.

For more information, call 678-2769.

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