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.
Early on in his presidency, a strong undergraduate movement emerged calling on the university to add Asian American studies.
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.
[citation needed] Northwestern's relations with Evanston's mayor Lorraine H. Morton were more positive than with other city councilmen.