:: netwoman's blog ::

Harvard's New President

At first I thought hell froze over, but then I double checked the news - yes indeed, Harvard has named their 28th President - Drew Faust - a woman.

"This is a great day, and a historic day, for Harvard," said James R. Houghton, the senior member of the Harvard Corporation and chair of the presidential search committee. "Drew Faust is an inspiring and accomplished leader, a superb scholar, a dedicated teacher, and a wonderful human being. She combines a powerful, broad-ranging intellect with a demonstrated capacity for strong leadership and a talent for stimulating people to do their best work, both individually and together. She knows Harvard and higher education, and her interests extend to the whole of the University, across the arts and sciences and the professional domains.

Somewhat unsurprising is the timing of all this, considering that Harvard came under fire and scrutinity two years ago for sexist remarks made by President Lawrence Summers. While I applaude Faust's appointment (as she has some respected feminist accomplishments under her belt), this might be a political move of the university to counter past issues - a way to smooth things over perhaps...

posted by Netwoman @ 9:52 AM