Benno C. Schmidt, Jr.

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Benno C. Schmidt, Jr. (born 1942^[1] or circa 1945^[2]) is a former president of Yale University, where he served from 1986 to 1992 as the university's sixteenth president. He was Dean, Columbia Law School immediately before leading Yale, and its Harlan Fiske Stone Professor of Constitutional Law. He is a noted scholar of the First Amendment, the history of the United States Supreme Court and the history of race relations in American law. He clerked for Earl Warren, Chief Justice, United States Supreme Court.^{[3] [4]}

Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Yale University 3 Edison Schools 4 Professional and civic service 5 Film 6 References

[edit] Early life and career

Schmidt's father was Benno C. Schmidt, Sr., a longtime friend and associate of John "Jock" Hay Whitney. In 1946 Whitney and the elder Schmidt started what became the first venture capital firm in the United States, J.H. Whitney & Co.

Schmidt, Jr., attended Philips Exeter Academy and Yale University. As a Yale undergraduate, Schmidt was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon like both his father (University of Texas Chapter) and Jock Whitney (Yale Chapter), and Wolf's Head Society. He went on to Yale Law School. Following graduation from law school, he became a law clerk for Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren, then worked for two years in the U.S. Department of Justice before joining Columbia Law School as a faculty member. His areas of expertise as a legal scholar include the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the history of race relations in American law, and the history of the U.S. Supreme Court.^[4]

He achieved tenure at Columbia in 1973, was named Harlan Fiske Stone Professor of Constitutional Law in 1982, and was serving as dean of the law school in 1986 when he left to become president of Yale.^[4]

[edit] Yale University

Schmidt was president of Yale from 1986 to 1992. His tenure at Yale left a mixed legacy. Answering faculty reports of poor writing abilities among incoming freshman, Schmidt convened a committee to review the problem and, reflecting the committee's recommendations, subsequently added significant writing programs at Yale (such as the residential college writing tutor that remains a fixture at each college today). Schmidt also established the EP&E program (Ethics, Politics & Economics), which was modeled on Oxford's PP&E program. Today, EP&E is one of the most popular majors at Yale. He built a number of new interdisciplinary programs, especially in environmental sciences, molecular biology, and international studies.^[5]

Schmidt, moreover, anticipated the need to repair the physical plant, which had fallen into a state of disrepair. Ultimately, his successor, Rick Levin, would lead the widespread renovation of the physical plant, but it was Schmidt who originally focused Yale's attention to the looming problem. Schmidt raised over a billion dollars for Yale, and the endowment grew faster than at any other university.^[4] However, many faulted him for a lack of physical presence on campus. As part of his agreement to serve, he had maintained his primary residence in New York where his wife, a documentary filmmaker, was based. Schmidt questioned the existence of certain academic programs at Yale, causing further controversy. He vowed also to never set foot in his society, Wolf's Head, until it coeducated. The society tapped women for the first time in the spring of 1992, the last year of Schmidt's Yale presidency.

[edit] Edison Schools

Schmidt left Yale in 1992 to become chief executive officer of Edison Schools, a for-profit corporation that operates public schools in several districts. From 1997 to 2007, he served as Edison’s chairman. Since the, he has been the corporation's vice-chairman.^[6]

[edit] Professional and civic service

Schmidt is chairman of the Council on Aid to Education, a not-for-profit organization that provides assessment and strategic planning services to colleges and universities.^[4] He also serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York (CUNY).^[4] Then New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's Task Force on CUNY was led by Schmidt, and in 1999 Schmidt authored a report that provided CUNY's present and successful blueprint.^[4] He is the current chairman of the City University of New York Board of Trustees.^[4]

He chaired successfully a recently completed capital campaign for the Phelps Association, the alumni arm of Wolf's Head Society. The campaign was the largest on behalf of a society.

[edit] Film

Schmidt had a cameo appearance in Woody Allen's film Husbands and Wives (1992) as the first husband of Mia Farrow's character and in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) as Dr. Smith.

[edit] References

Academic offices
Preceded by A. Bartlett Giamatti	President of Yale University 1986-1992	Succeeded by Howard R. Lamar, acting