George Campbell Jr. (born December 2, 1945) is an American theoretical physicist, who was the eleventh president of

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union, is a private college on Cooper Square in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-s ...

from July 2000 to July 2011.

Education

Campbell earned a PhD in theoretical physics from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

in 1977 and a BS in physics from

Drexel University Drexel University is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony Joseph Drexel, Anthony J. Drexel, a financier ...

in 1968. He is a graduate of the Executive Management Program at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

Career

Campbell served as president of

from July, 2000 through June, 2011, and upon retirement was elected President Emeritus by the board of trustees. During Campbell's tenure, Cooper Union replaced 40 percent of its academic space and grew its endowment from $100 million to more than $600 million. Previously Campbell was the president and CEO of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), Inc., a non-profit corporation focused on engineering education and science and technology policy. Additionally he spent 12 years at

AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...

Bell Laboratories, served as a U.S. delegate to the International Telecommunication Union, and served on the faculties of Nkumbi International College

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

, and

. He has published papers in mathematical physics, high-energy physics, satellite systems, digital communications, science and technology policy and science education and is co-editor of ''Access Denied: Race, Ethnicity and the Scientific Enterprise''. He has served on a number of national policy boards, including the United States Secretary of Energy Board and the Morella Commission of the U.S. Congress. Campbell currently serves on the Board of Directors of Consolidated Edison, Inc. He is also on the Board of Trustees of

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...

MITRE Corporation The Mitre Corporation (stylized as The MITRE Corporation and MITRE) is an American not-for-profit organization with dual headquarters in Bedford, Massachusetts, and McLean, Virginia. It manages federally funded research and development centers ...

, the Josiah Macy Foundation, the United States Naval Academy Foundation and is chairman of the board of trustees at

Webb Institute Webb Institute is a private college focused on engineering and located in Glen Cove, New York. Each graduate of Webb Institute earns a Bachelor of Science degree in naval architecture and marine engineering. The school is noted in the marine indu ...

Cooper Union controversy and investigation by New York state Attorney General

In the wake of the Cooper Union's difficulties that led to a

financial crisis A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with Bank run#Systemic banki ...

during the presidency of

Jamshed Bharucha Jamshed Bharucha is an Indian-American cognitive neuroscientist who has served in leadership roles in higher education in the United States and in India. Bharucha is the founding vice chancellor emeritus of Sai University, Chennai, and was pre ...

wherein the School dismantled its 150-year mission of free tuition, many faculty, students and alumni questioned Campbell's actions and intentions as president. Prior to the controversial decision, a 2009 article in ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' had reported that the school would sidestep a crisis. Despite this and other reports, on October 31, 2011, Bharucha announced an insurmountable deficit that allegedly could not keep the institution sustainable without tuition. In May 2013, former Board of Trustees investment committee chair John Michaelson admitted the school could have continued to use the endowment to cover deficits and would have survived until 2018, when the higher payments from the Chrysler lease start. In an investigation of Cooper Union's finances released in a cross petition on September 2, 2015, New York state Attorney General

Eric Schneiderman Eric Tradd Schneiderman (born December 31, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 65th attorney general of New York from 2011 until his resignation in May 2018. Schneiderman, a member of the Democratic Party, spent ten year ...

found that "President Campbell misinformed the community as to the strength of Cooper Union’s finances, when they had sufficient information to know the truth of the school’s increasingly dire condition." Additionally, Schneiderman found that Campbell had an "apparent conflict of interest" in a $175,000 bonus that would to be awarded George Campbell Jr., if construction of the New Academic Building at 41 Cooper Square was completed while he was president. The investigation concluded that the Schools financial difficulties in fact had happened under Campbell's presidency and planning: "The Attorney General’s financial and operational investigation, which began in August 2014 and the results of which are being released today, revealed that Cooper Union’s current financial problems are rooted in the failure of a 2006 plan to finance the construction of a new academic building at 41 Cooper Square. The plan involved the school taking out a $175 million mortgage loan on the land it owns beneath the

Chrysler Building The Chrysler Building is a , Art Deco skyscraper in the East Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. Located at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, it is the tallest brick building in the world wit ...

, while simultaneously committing to a long-term renegotiation of its lease with the tenant that owns and operates the building."

Awards

Campbell received the Drexel University Centennial Medal as an inaugural a member of the Drexel 100, the Leon J. Obermeyer Award from the City of Philadelphia Board of Education, the 1993 George Arents Award for distinguished alumni of Syracuse University, and several honorary doctorates including Syracuse University. He is a Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

and the

New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), originally founded as the Lyceum of Natural History in January 1817, is a nonprofit professional society based in New York City, with more than 20,000 members from 100 countries. It is the fourth-oldes ...

Personal life

Campbell was born to Lillian and George Campbell on December 2, 1945, in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. He has been married since 1968 to

Mary Schmidt Campbell Mary Schmidt Campbell (born October 21, 1947), is an American academic and government administrator, and museum director. She was the 10th president of Spelman College, serving from 2015 to 2022. Prior to this position, she served as a director a ...

, who is the former president of

Spelman College Spelman College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia ...

and dean emerita of

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

. Campbell and his wife have three sons and live in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, Georgia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Jr., George 1945 births Central High School (Philadelphia) alumni Drexel University alumni Educators from New York City Living people Presidents of Cooper Union Syracuse University alumni Yale School of Management alumni