In a press conference Nov. 5, when her husband accepted the U-M presidency, Jean Magnano Bollinger said she "couldn't be happier for Lee; his life has been spent thinking about these issues" that he will now face as University president. But she said emphatically that she did not wish to be known as "the president's wife" and would have to figure out how to make her "very private life of spending eight hours a day in my studio" combine with the "much more public life" that Lee must now lead.

Originally from Seattle, Jean, like Lee, is a graduate of the University of Oregon; she went on to receive a master's degree from Columbia University in 1971.

Jean Magnano Bollinger was one of the founders of the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum for children, where she served as associate director following its opening. In the mid-1980s, Jean decided to become a full-time practicing artist, which she has pursued ever since (including a period of time as a special student in the Art School at the University).

Jean sees her work as having moved through several stages: from mixed media constructions in wood, metal and more recently plant life to her present work creating large graphite drawings, "organic constructions." Her work has been shown and received awards in Michigan, Vermont and New Hampshire. Before leaving Ann Arbor in 1994, she had a studio in Dexter and now is located in Lebanon, New Hampshire.