Grayson Louis Kirk was an American political scientist who served as president of Columbia University during the Columbia University protests of 1968. He was also an advisor to the State Department and instrumental in the formation of the United Nations.

Columbia University, officially Columbia University in the City of New York, is a private, Ivy League, research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhattan, it is the oldest institution of higher education in New York and the fifth-oldest in the United States and is considered one of the most prestigious universities in the world.