Under the austere portraits of George Washington and King George II, flanked by President Harold Shapiro and trustees executive committee chair Robert Rawson Jr. '66, in a room modeled after the English House of Commons, sat Shirley Tilghman on the day in May it was announced that she would be the 19th president of Princeton and the University's first female leader.
In a space fraught with the past and present history of married men, Tilghman presented an external contradiction as a single mother — head often turned to one side, eyes both soft and sharply focused, and speech, both humble and forthright.
As Rawson spoke of Tilghman's long list of laurels and praise during the May 5 press conference, she reacted with a modest smile.
"Canadians are taught that silence is bliss when it comes to yourself," said the Toronto native in an exclusive interview following the conference.
But Tilghman did not hesitate to boldly commend the trustees on their decision.
"It is a wonderful feeling to be the first woman president," said Tilghman, after Shapiro and Rawson had introduced her as a paradigm for those values represented by the University. "It is time for a woman president," she added confidently, in the spotlight of flashing cameras.
And though she is the first president in more than a century not to hold a degree from the University, Tilghman unflinchingly asserted that she is a true Princetonian. Unfazed by a question about how adequately she would be able to relate to Princeton, Tilghman launched into a clear and logical discussion of her wide-ranging experiences at the University.
It was while serving on The Committee of Three — known officially as the Faculty Advisory Committee on Appointments and Advancements — that Tilghman said she was transformed in her "heart from being a faculty member to being a Princetonian."
While acting as a committee member, Tilghman addressed not only those issues that pertained to her own academic discipline — molecular biology and genetics — but to those related to all constituencies of the University.
Tilghman recalled with a laugh her experiences serving on a search committee for a new librarian. She openly admitted that she had only entered Firestone twice — once to find a book for her daughter, Rebecca '02. She said that during the process she learned the value of the library to various groups within the University.
And eliciting laughter from the audience, Tilghman noted that as a University parent she has an insider's perspective on the life of a Princeton student.
"The hardest time was probably freshman year, learning things about student life that I would have preferred not to have known," she said.
While enmeshing herself in the Princeton community has been a gradual process, Tilghman has always felt at home in the world of science.
A pioneer in molecular biology and one of the architects of the effort to map the human genome, Tilghman has embraced issues that extend beyond the boundaries of merely her own academic field.
Tilghman has entered the realm of politics by working on such contentious issues as stem-cell research and human cloning, as well as being a fervent advocate for women in science throughout her career.
In the past, she has come out as a vocal opponent of the tenure system which she has alleged often leaves no room for women as both professors and mothers. She has also previously called for the cancellation of Federal funds for meetings that do not include women on their panels.
In contrast to Shapiro, who began his career as an economist and politician and gradually took an interest in the field of science, Tilghman has entered politics with a background in science.
Even Tilghman's conversational style resembled that of a "political scientist."
As she answered questions during the interview after the press conference, the manner of her speech had the linear, thoughtful precision of an academic report, while the content of her conversation, like that of a politician, seemed the carefully thought-out synthesis of the thoughts and opinions of those around her.
"I am a very social thinker," Tilghman said, gesturing to the press conference audience with a flat palm. "I am not someone who takes deep walks in the woods [but I] try to have a group of people to sit down and think [the issue] through with me," she added.
Tilghman has carried her philosophy into the classroom where she denounces the idea of talking heads spewing facts in front of a blackboard.
"The best teaching is where you are exploring ideas," she said about her experience leading a freshman seminar titled "The Role of Asymmetry in Embryogenesis."
Tilghman has clearly demonstrated a passion for both teaching and research, receiving the 1996 President's award for distinguished teaching and earning a place in the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
But while she brings her scholarly accomplishments to Nassau Hall, her pure administrative abilities at Princeton have yet to be tested.
"I came in with a huge advantage, and the advantage is that we are at the end of the most successful capital campaign," Tilghman said. "So I have a window at the beginning of this presidency . . . The pressure to be constantly out on the road is not there."
However, former University President Robert Goheen '40 said in an interview earlier this year that raising money was a key component of the presidency. "I think none of us likes raising money," Goheen said, "but you learn to stomach it."
"It's probably good if [the new president] had administrative experience," he added. "But I would rate that secondary if there is a good administrative staff. A new president can learn from them just as I learned."
And before racing off to meet with the trustees on that first day of her appointment, the life scientist noted her commitment to a new course of study.
"I'm going to divest myself of all external responsibilities so I can get to know this campus," Tilghman said.
For the first year, a prominent woman, known to the outside world for contributions to her field, said she will be "a kind of homebody" — learning a new job.
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