Henry Bienen
Encyclopedia
Henry Samuel Bienen is an American academic administrator and former president of Northwestern University
. He was elected president on June 13, 1994 and took office on January 1, 1995. He announced his retirement effective August 31, 2009. He has since taken a position with Rasmussen College
as Vice Chairman effective September 1st, 2009; he will also serve as chairman of the United Football League's board of directors.
as president of Northwestern. During President Bienen's tenure, Northwestern underwent many changes. The average SAT score for entering freshmen increased by more than 125 points, the total university budget doubled to $1.4 billion, the university's endowment more than tripled to approximately $7 billion and the amount of sponsored research done at Northwestern doubled to more than $350 million annually. In 1997, Northwestern was listed by US News and World Report in the top ten universities for undergraduates for the first time. Northwestern was 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 was also 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
had been more positive than with other city councilmen.
Bienen taught 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 ultimately created the department after a few years of campus activity. In addition, Northwestern's athletic program had many successes during Bienen's term. Northwestern's football program, which historically had not been as strong as other Big Ten teams, improved. The team appeared in a bowl games five times during Bienen's tenure, including a 1996 trip to the Rose Bowl its first in nearly fifty years.
Under his leadership, Northwestern embarked on a large fundraising campaign resulting in the construction of major new buildings on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses. Additions to the Evanston campus included: 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
; and the Arthur and Gladys Pancoe-Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Life Sciences
Pavilion. 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 and, on its Chicago campus, Northwestern opened the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center.
Bienen came under fire in May 2008 with the choice of Chicago mayor Richard Daley as the 2008 commencement speaker. Some students believed 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 also served on the Board of Directors of Bear Stearns
beginning in 2004 until that firm's collapse during the financial crisis of 2008.
Bienen received a bachelor's degree with honors from Cornell University
in 1960 and a master's degree in 1961, and Ph.D. from 1966, both from the University of Chicago
. In 1998, he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
. He received the University of Chicago Professional Achievement Alumni Award in 2000.
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."
In September 2008, the Northwestern University School of Music was renamed the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music to honor President Bienen and his wife, Leigh Buchanan Bienen.
In December 2008, Morton O. Schapiro was named President Bienen's successor.
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. He was elected president on June 13, 1994 and took office on January 1, 1995. He announced his retirement effective August 31, 2009. He has since taken a position with Rasmussen College
Rasmussen College
Rasmussen College is a 110-year old for-profit private college offering Bachelor's and Associate's degrees at multiple campuses in Minnesota including Blaine, Brooklyn Park, Eagan, Bloomington, Lake Elmo, Mankato, Moorhead and St...
as Vice Chairman effective September 1st, 2009; he will also serve as chairman of the United Football League's board of directors.
Life and career
Bienen succeeded Arnold R. WeberArnold R. Weber
Arnold Robert Weber was the president of Northwestern University from 1985–1994. His tenure at Northwestern was remarkable for stabilizing the university's finances and enhancing the Evanston campus environment.-Biography:...
as president of Northwestern. During President Bienen's tenure, Northwestern underwent many changes. The average SAT score for entering freshmen increased by more than 125 points, the total university budget doubled to $1.4 billion, the university's endowment more than tripled to approximately $7 billion and the amount of sponsored research done at Northwestern doubled to more than $350 million annually. In 1997, Northwestern was listed by US News and World Report in the top ten universities for undergraduates for the first time. Northwestern was 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 was also marked by sometimes difficult relations with Evanston, with one lawsuit against the city of Evanston
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
reaching the US Supreme Court. Northwestern's relations with Evanston's mayor Lorraine H. Morton
Lorraine H. Morton
Lorraine H. Morton was mayor of Evanston, Illinois, from 1993 to 2009.She was born in Winston-Salem North Carolina and moved to Evanston in 1953. She has one daughter and two grandchildren.Morton was re-elected in 1997, 2001 and 2005...
had been more positive than with other city councilmen.
Bienen taught 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
Asian American Studies
Asian American Studies is an academic discipline which studies the experience of people of Asian ancestry in America. Closely related to other Ethnic Studies disciplines such as African American Studies, Latino/a Studies, and Native American Studies, Asian American Studies critically examines the...
. The movement took a number of actions including a hunger strike, after facing resistance from the Northwestern Administration. Northwestern ultimately created the department after a few years of campus activity. In addition, Northwestern's athletic program had many successes during Bienen's term. Northwestern's football program, which historically had not been as strong as other Big Ten teams, improved. The team appeared in a bowl games five times during Bienen's tenure, including a 1996 trip to the Rose Bowl its first in nearly fifty years.
Under his leadership, Northwestern embarked on a large fundraising campaign resulting in the construction of major new buildings on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses. Additions to the Evanston campus included: the Center for Nanofabrication and Molecular Self-Assembly; the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
Design Center; and the McCormick Tribune Center, home to the Medill School of Journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
; and the Arthur and Gladys Pancoe-Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Life Sciences
Life sciences
The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, like plants, animals, and human beings. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of...
Pavilion. During Bienen's term The International Center for Advanced Internet Research ICAIR
ICAIR
The International Center for Advanced Internet Research at Northwestern University was established in 1998 as a research center focused on creating future Internet technologies. iCAIR and its research partners have established multiple research and development projects directed at creating next...
was also created at Northwestern in conjunction with IBM and other corporate partners and, on its Chicago campus, Northwestern opened the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center.
Bienen came under fire in May 2008 with the choice of Chicago mayor Richard Daley as the 2008 commencement speaker. Some students believed 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
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school has granted undergraduate A.B. degrees since 1930 and graduate degrees since 1948...
at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. 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 also served on the Board of Directors of Bear Stearns
Bear Stearns
The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. based in New York City, was a global investment bank and securities trading and brokerage, until its sale to JPMorgan Chase in 2008 during the global financial crisis and recession...
beginning in 2004 until that firm's collapse during the financial crisis of 2008.
Bienen received a bachelor's degree with honors from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1960 and a master's degree in 1961, and Ph.D. from 1966, both from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. In 1998, he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
. He received the University of Chicago Professional Achievement Alumni Award in 2000.
Retirement
Northwestern University President Henry S. Bienen, who led the University to increased academic prominence, financial strength, athletic success, and student satisfaction, 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."
In September 2008, the Northwestern University School of Music was renamed the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music to honor President Bienen and his wife, Leigh Buchanan Bienen.
In December 2008, Morton O. Schapiro was named President Bienen's successor.