New Columbia President Inaugurated Lee C. Bollinger, the 19th president of Columbia University, stands before Alma Mater on Oct. 3, the day of his inauguration into office. Columbia University inaugurated Lee C. Bollinger as its 19th president on Oct. 3 in a day-long celebration highlighting the university's diversity and commitment to academic excellence.

In his inaugural speech, President Bollinger reflected on the history, legacy, and contributions of Columbia, the role of a university in society, and its responsibility to address the great issues of our time. He also addressed his vision of Columbia and its leadership role in New York City, its partnership with surrounding communities, and its place as a citizen of the world.

He added, however, the university continues to be constrained for space. "If college and university rankings were based on creativity per square foot," he said, "Columbia would far surpass everyone." He noted that expansion was one of the most important issues the university will face.

In a self-effacing manner, President Bollinger quipped about how inaugural speeches can be unmemorable, saying he "would not be surprised if sometime in the near future scientists uncover a particular gene whose function it is to exclude from memory inaugural speeches." Yet he also honored Nobel laureate Dr. Eric Kandel, University Professor of Psychiatry and Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Center for Neurobiology, and Behavior, for his contributions in understanding memory.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former mayor David Dinkins, speaking on behalf of Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), honored Mr. Bollinger with speeches as part of the ceremony.

Formerly president of the University of Michigan and provost of Dartmouth College, Mr. Bollinger is a legal scholar with expertise in free speech and the First Amendment. He is an alumnus of Columbia's Law School, where he also is a professor. He became president of Columbia on June 1.

The day started with an early-morning 5-K run led by Mr. Bollinger. The official investiture ceremony took place on the Columbia plaza, where David Stern, chairman of the University Trustees, presented Mr. Bollinger with the university's 248-year-old charter, ceremonial keys, and the President's Chair, once owned by Benjamin Franklin. Following the ceremony and speeches, participants enjoyed a lunch on the South Lawn. The afternoon also included four interdisciplinary symposia.

NIH Director Visits Dr. Elias Zerhouni, director of the National Institutes of Health, visited Columbia University Health Sciences Sept. 27 on his first trip to a medical center outside the Washington, D.C., area since being named to his post in May. For an hour, Dr. Zerhouni answered questions about stem cell research, education and research funding during difficult economic times, and potential constraints on clinical research due to new federal patient privacy regulations. Pictured above during his visit are, from left, Dr. Gerald Fischbach, executive vice president and dean; Dr. Zerhouni; and Dr. Herbert Pardes, president and CEO, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Not pictured but on the panel was Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., dean of Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Dr. Zerhouni acknowledged problems exist with stem cell research funding but maintained such funding is available and that research progress is occurring. "We should push the field of stem cell research," Dr. Zerhouni said, adding that significant basic research remains to be done with stem cells. The NIH director also noted that young investigators are not being ignored: Researchers receiving their first NIH grant make up 31 percent of all grantees. And he said he will investigate whether funding for M.D. and M.D./Ph.D. research training programs is sufficient.

The School of Dental and Oral Surgery will administer up to $15 million in funds aimed at improving access to dental care among low-income and medically disadvantaged populations. The grants in this Pipeline Profession & Practice: Community-Based Dental Initiative, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), will be presented to 10 dental schools around the country. "These dental schools will work to reduce gaps in care through community-based education programs that expand patient care to underserved patients," says Judith Stavisky, RWJF senior program officer.

The Pipeline Profession & Practice national program office is based at the School of Dental and Oral Surgery and directed by Dr. Allan Formicola, former dean of the school. "The new RWJF initiative will help the dental schools expand their programs to reach these populations who face obstacles to oral health care and to increase enrollment of underrepresented minority students," Dr. Formicola says.

The Mailman School of Public Health kicked off a new course this semester, The Tobacco Seminar Series: Unfiltered View. This first-of-its-kind seminar presents an overview of tobacco control research, including youth prevention, smoking cessation, and tobacco policy.

The course, facilitated by Dr. Donna Shelley, assistant professor of sociomedical science at Mailman, offers presentations by leading tobacco researchers. It is underwritten through a $2.75 million American Legacy Foundation grant to Mailman's Center for Applied Public Health. The foundation is a national, independent public organization established by a 1998 tobacco settlement. The three-year grant provides funds for tobacco-related research, initiatives, and the creation of a model educational program.

The course was created to promote debate about the future of tobacco control and to provide further study and training in the development, implementation, and evaluation of science-based and multilevel interventions for tobacco control in partnership with priority populations and state and local health departments.

The seminar is co-sponsored by Mailman and the New York state and city health departments. The one-credit course is open to public health workers, researchers, and graduate students with an interest in tobacco research.

The semester began with a presentation by Dr. Cheryl Healton, president of the Legacy Foundation, who discussed "Tobacco as a Social Justice Issue." Everyone is invited to attend the remaining lectures this semester, free of charge, on a non-credit basis. They take place in the new Psychiatric Institute, Room 6602, from 3 to 4 p.m. The remaining 2002 lecture schedule is as follows: Nov.5, Dr. Brian Sands, Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center, "Creating Smoking Cessation Services at the Health and Hospital Corporation"; Nov. 26, Dr. Ron Bayer, Mailman, "Ethics of Tobacco Control"; and Dec. 3, Dr. Ursula Bauer, New York State Department of Health, "Using Existing Data to Evaluate Tobacco Control Programs: Limits and Opportunities."

The course will be repeated next semester on alternate Thursdays from 3 to 4 p.m. For more information, contact Lisa Gaffin at lg2094@columbia.edu