Announcement ends eight-month search for president

The election of Shirley Tilghman as the 19th president of Princeton University marks the end of a comprehensive — and highly secretive — selection process.

Led by search committee chair Robert Rawson '66, the selection process was managed by a diverse panel of distinguished trustees, students and faculty — including Tilghman herself.

The remaining members of the committee were instructed not to discuss the selection process, leaving all statements to the chair and vice chair of the search committee, Rawson said.

Beginning with broad-based e-mails and letters, the committee listened to any voice in the Princeton community it could find. It cast its web far and wide, looking for names of potential candidates.

"The process was organic," Rawson said. "We started with broad mailings and e-mails — we had 200 names. Then we talked to our faculty chairs and experts to winnow that number down."

The only undergraduates on the committee — former USG president PJ Kim '01 and Lisa Lazarus '02 — held open forums to garner student input.

Though the student forums were not well-attended and those who did participate said they were frustrated by the search committee's silence, Rawson said student voice was weighed heavily in the selection process.

The secrecy that frustrated many students and alumni, however, was considered by the trustee-led committee to be the most important feature of the search process, vice chair of the search committee Paul Wythes '55 said.

"That's one of the risks that's inherent in this type of process," Rawson said.

"When you ask people to talk openly and candidly about someone — especially someone down the hall — you have to make sure everything is confidential. Princeton is a small family, he said.

While maintaining confidentiality, the committee then spoke with several hundred professionals and leaders in the higher education community.

"We talked to leaders in higher education and friends of Princeton," Rawson said. "The questions we asked were primarily what do you see as the challenges in higher education and where do you see Princeton going?"

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As the same names were mentioned again and again, the committee began to think more specifically about a smaller group of candidates.

In narrowing down the list, Rawson said many members of the committee began to ask him if they could consider a member of the group — and they all named Tilghman.

"She was a very valuable and strong member of the committee," Rawson said. "But shortly into it, people said, 'Shouldn't we be considering her?' "

Though Tilghman was integrally involved in the search for the first four months of the process, she eventually withdrew from the committee to be considered as a candidate, she said.

The committee as a whole first discussed her candidacy nearly three months ago when Tilghman left a meeting early — to teach a class.

"It gave the committee a chance to discuss this together," Rawson said. "We realized she was a great candidate and she withdrew from the committee."

During the next several weeks, the committee decided to scrutinize Tilghman's record and determine whether she was the best choice, Rawson said.

He said gender did not play a role in the decision. Though he agreed it may be "time" for a female president at Princeton, he maintained that the decision was made on abilities and personality alone.

"[Gender] was not a factor. We looked through candidates that were women and candidates that were men. We didn't have two columns for them."

Though the committee called on Tilghman to run one of the most prestigious universities in the country, she will leave behind a successful science career as she moves her office to Nassau Hall.

"She's a 15-year faculty member and she's totally dedicated to Princeton," Rawson said. "One source, who isn't a Princetonian, said this is probably the only presidency [Tilghman] would ever consider. You also have to remember that she will be giving up a thriving research lab to take on the challenges of being president of Princeton."

Dedication to Princeton and a high moral character made Tilghman, according to Rawson and the board of trustees, the best choice for the 19th president of the University. Editor's Note: This breaking story was appended to the May 4th issue of The Daily Princetonian's online edition at 2:35 AM on May 6th.