Office of the President, Lee C. BollingerDavid Hirsh Appointed Executive Vice President for Research July 25, 2003 Dear Columbia Community,
I have several announcements to make about changes within the administration. Many of you who know David, and are familiar with his great character and human warmth, also know how fortunate we are to have him as a colleague. Here I would just add a few words about his professional biography. David has been at Columbia since 1990 as the Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. Professor and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics in the College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is a distinguished molecular biologist working in the fields of molecular genetics of development and nucleic acid structure and function. His research has focused on gene expression in early development and the processing and maturation of messenger RNA. More recently, David has sought to define the molecular basis of the inflammatory response.
David has also worked in the private sector. From 1985 to 1990, he was Executive Vice President and Director of Research at Synergen, Inc., a biotechnology company whose purpose was to develop proteins as therapeutics for treating disease. I would also like to use the occasion to note two other changes. First, I have asked Robert Kasdin, as Senior Executive Vice President, to assume full responsibility for matters involving University finances. John Masten, the Executive Vice President for Finance, will now report to Robert Kasdin. And, second, I have changed Susan Feagin's title to Executive Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations. Sincerely, Lee C. Bollinger |