Benno C. Schmidt, Jr.

Benno C. Schmidt, Jr. 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. [Press release, [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2000_Sept_28/ai_65547157 Benno Schmidt Elected a Director of Argosy's John Marshall Law School/Atlanta] , "Business Wire", September 28, 2000] [http://www.kauffman.org/item.cfm?item=765 Benno C. Schmidt, Jr. Trustee Biography] , Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation website]

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.

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.

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 freshmen, 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). Under Schmidt's leadership, Yale also established the Ethics, Politics and Economics (EP&E) programRaymond Carlson, [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/23181 Ten presidents and 130 years at the University] , "Yale Daily News", January 28, 2008] 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. [New York City Mayor's Press Office, Release #201-98, May 6, 1998]

Schmidt anticipated the need to repair the physical plant, which had fallen into a state of disrepair. Schmidt questioned the existence of certain academic programs at Yale, causing further controversy, and his proposal for an 11 percent reduction in the size of the faculty was not well received. Schmidt raised over a billion dollars for Yale, and the endowment grew faster than at any other university. 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 City where his wife, a documentary filmmaker, was based. He vowed also to never set foot in his society, Wolf's Head, until it admitted women.Andrew Cedotal, [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/17505 Rattling those dry bones] , "Yale Daily News", April 18, 2006] The society tapped women for the first time in the spring of 1992, the last year of Schmidt's Yale presidency. On the morning of commencement later that year Schmidt resigned the presidency at a meeting with the Yale Corporation.

Schmidt's successor, Rick Levin, led a widespread renovation of the university's physical plant, but it was Schmidt who originally focused Yale's attention to the looming problem.

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. [ [http://www.edisonschools.com/edison-schools/about-us/executive-team/benno-c-schmidt Edison Schools website bio of Benno Schmidt] ]

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. He also serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York (CUNY). Former 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.

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.

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.

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