“It’s a man’s world, sweetie, and the sooner you learn that the better off you’ll be.”

thus spoke the mother of drew gilpen faust.

much has been discussed in the media over the weekend about the naming of harvard's twenty-eight (and first female) president, dr. drew gilpen faust. although i tend to object to over-emphasizing 'firsts,' i am quite happy about this choice, whether or not she has a uterus. dr. faust, the civil war historian and president of the radcliffe institute at harvard, was educated at bryn mawr and penn, and was a professor of history at penn for 25 years. she is a feminist and civil rights activist, starting at the age of nine, when she wrote a letter to president eisenhower asking him to end segregation. i am confident that dr. faust will cease to suggest that differences in 'innate abilities' help to explain why more men become scientists or engineers than women.

the only distressing thing i find about this choice is not the choice itself (although as mr. anarchov pointed out, it might not be the best PR move to have your university president named dr. faust) but the fact that it took an institution that is 140 years older than the country to choose a female president. will it be another 140 years before the american public is ready for a female president?