Henry Bienen
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Henry Bienen is the current president of Northwestern University. He was elected president on June 13, 1994 and took office on January 1, 1995. He has announced his retirement effective August 31, 2009.
Bienen succeeded Arnold Weber as president of Northwestern. During President Bienen's tenure, Northwestern has undergone many changes. The average SAT score for entering freshmen has increased by more than 125 points, the total university budget has doubled to $1.4 billion, the university's endowment has more than tripled to approximately $7 billion and the amount of sponsored research done at Northwestern has doubled to more than $350 million annually. For the first time ever in 1997, Northwestern was listed by US News and World Report in the top ten universities for undergraduates. Northwestern has been ranked consistently in the top 10 or 15 U.S. universities by U.S. News and World report since he took office.
President Bienen's time at Northwestern has also been marked by sometimes difficult relations with Evanston, with one lawsuit against the city of Evanston reaching the US Supreme Court. Northwestern's relations with Evanston's mayor Lorraine H. Morton have been more positive than with other city councilmen.
Bienen also currently teaches a very popular political science seminar for undergraduates at Northwestern. Early on in his presidency, a strong undergraduate movement emerged calling on the university to add Asian American studies. The movement took a number of actions including a hunger strike, after facing resistance from the Northwestern Administration. Northwestern went on to create the department after a few years of campus activity. In addition, Northwestern's athletic program had many successes since Bienen took office. Northwestern's football program, which historically had not been as strong as other NU teams, has improved. It went to a bowl game five times during Bienen's tenure, including a 1996 trip to the Rose Bowl that was the first in almost 50 years.
Under his leadership, Northwestern embarked on a large fundraising campaign that resulted in the construction of major new buildings on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses. Recent additions to the Evanston campus include: the Center for Nanofabrication and Molecular Self-Assembly; the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center; and the McCormick Tribune Center, home to the Medill School of Journalism. Another recent addition is the Arthur and Gladys Pancoe-Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Life Sciences Pavilion. The building was dedicated to memory of the Pancoes' granddaughter Beth Elise Pancoe. The Pancoes contributed 10 million dollars to the construction, while Evanston Hospital contributed another 14 million dollars, with the balance largely coming from the Federal Government. On its Chicago campus, Northwestern recently opened the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center. During Bienen's term The International Center for Advanced Internet Research ICAIR was also created at Northwestern in conjunction with IBM and other corporate partners.
Bienen came under fire in May of 2008 with the choice of Chicago mayor Richard Daley as the 2008 commencement speaker. Some students felt that Daley was an insufficient speaker, with concerns focusing on his ethics, lack of relevance outside of Chicago, and the fact that recent commencements had more influential speakers, including Senators Barack Obama and John McCain.
Prior to becoming president of Northwestern, Bienen served as dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Foreign Policy at Princeton University. During his early academic career, he was a respected analyst of ethnic conflict and the influence of the military and of violence on development in the third world and especially Africa.
Bienen received a bachelor's degree with honors from Cornell University in 1960 and a master's degree from the University of Chicago in 1961. He received a Ph.D. from Chicago in 1966. He received the University of Chicago Professional Achievement Alumni Award in 2000.
[edit] Retirement
Northwestern University President Henry S. Bienen, who led the University to increased academic prominence, financial strength, and athletic success, plans to retire from his position effective August 31, 2009, announced Patrick G. Ryan, chair of the University's Board of Trustees.
In a letter to the Northwestern community, Bienen said, "I continue to enjoy my job immensely, but I truly believe that it is important for institutions to be refreshed regularly with new leadership.
"I have been privileged to work with many, many outstanding Northwestern faculty, students, staff, alumni, and trustees," Bienen added. "It has been an honor to serve as Northwestern's president — and a great experience."
To honor President Bienen and his wife, Patrick G. Ryan and the University's Board of Trustees announced on May 13, 2008, that the Northwestern University School of Music will be named the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music, effective Fall 2008.
