“And getting seated close to the president paid off, because he was the architect of the tax cut,” Adler adds.

Although Hubbard returned to the academic world in 2003, he remains an active supporter of the Bush administration and advised Bush’s reelection campaign last year.

BACK IN ACADEMIA

Hubbard went to New York to work at Columbia’s Graduate School of Business, where he rose to be dean in 2004. After joining the Columbia faculty in 1994, Hubbard gained a reputation for his leading academic work in financial markets, particularly in public finance and private entrepreneurship. While his work on information security, senior-executive compensation, and investment cash-flow sensitivity earned high marks, his research on Social Security and tax incentives has gained particular prominence, his colleagues say.

Hubbard also spent a year as a visiting professor of business administration at Harvard Business School (HBS) from 1997 to 1998.

Light, who worked with Hubbard during his time at HBS, says that he was impressed with Hubbard’s “deep understanding” of his work.

“He’s one of the best, if not the best, on the intersection of public finance on the one hand...and financing private enterprises on the other,” Light says, describing Hubbard as “careful and circumspect.”

“He measures his words and actions with other people carefully....He’s a good listener,” Light remarks. “But he also has clear views and makes them known in a discussion.”

Hubbard’s colleagues at Columbia offer praise for his first year as dean.

“Glenn is a real straight shooter,” says Columbia professor Eli M. Noam ’70. “He is good to his word and respects faculty and their research.”

Adler adds that Hubbard is “one of the most widely and best-published members of our faculty even though he’s dean, and he commands much respect for that reason.”

Adler also says that the faculty appreciate Hubbard’s leadership style as dean.

“I don’t know of any enemies he has on the faculty....There’s no muttering about Glenn,” Adler notes. “He does not try to dictate other people’s choices. He judges very much on the basis of merits.”

Hubbard’s friends and colleagues speak highly of his personal attributes.

“Glenn is probably one of the most organized and effective people I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s almost super-human in his ability to get things done,” says Gertler, who has known Hubbard since the late 1980s.