Cambridge, Mass.
For the first time in its 371-year history, Harvard University this week named a woman, Drew Gilpin Faust, as its president. Faust, a 59-year-old historian of the South and the Civil War, succeeds Lawrence Summers, whose presidency began to unravel in 2005, after he suggested that women might lack an “intrinsic aptitude” for the hard sciences. Faust heads the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, a small Harvard think tank. Some colleagues questioned her ability to manage a large organization, but she seems to possess the necessary tact. Referring to her predecessor’s tumultuous tenure, she said Summers’ “powerful thinking and impatience for results cleared the way for important new initiatives.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
6 scenic white water rafting destinations to get your heart racingThe Week Recommends Have a rip-roaring time on the water
-
Dangerous substances in Lunchables are raising concerns over children's healthIn the Spotlight High levels of lead and sodium were recently found in the snack packages
-
The Week contest: Fired artPuzzles and Quizzes
