On a warm spring afternoon, while undergraduates sprawl on Cannon Green, Shirley Tilghman leans across her conference table with intensity.
In her first year as University president, she has addressed alumni and congressmen, responded to the events of Sept. 11 and faced controversy surrounding faculty resignations. She is determined — to say what she means, to convey her passion for the University's future, to tackle every possible obstacle.
Her friends, she says, would most likely describe her as "busy and focused."
Still teaching molecular biology and spending Fridays in her laboratory, Tilghman certainly has a full plate. She meets with both the provost and the Committee of Three twice a week. She has lunch meetings nearly every day and takes at least one major trip a month, said Marcia Snowden, her executive assistant.
Tilghman has managed to spend most of her time on campus this year, working to fill major staff positions.
One year ago, when newly appointed, Tilghman said she would spend her first year in office in "sponge mode" — absorbing information about the University and its inner workings so as to formulate plans for the future.
Those plans, she says, are "starting to gel," and for now they include developing the sixth residential college, diversifying the faculty and increasing the University's international focus.
A look back at this year shows that Tilghman has already begun to work on these priorities through fund-raising, faculty recruitment and strategic appointments.
Faculty recruitment
Tilghman said she believes in cultivating a diverse faculty — both in discipline and personal background — and she has moved decisively to do so this year.
Although the University's academic programs are generally strong, the new administration sees room for particular improvement in specific programs.
"We want to support the creative arts here," says Provost Amy Gutmann. "One indication of our commitment is the offer we made to Chang-Rae Lee."
Lee, a prominent young novelist, will join the faculty next year, teaching as part of the creative writing program.
The new administration's most publicized victories, though, have been additions to African-American Studies.
Professors K. Anthony Appiah and Cornel West GS '80, who had a highly publicized falling out with Harvard president Lawrence Summers last year, will be joining the faculty in the fall. West credited personal appeals by Tilghman and Gutmann as key factors in his decision.
However, not everyone supported the intensity of the recruitment effort.
"Cornel West is a one-man advertising machine," said Robert Hollander '55, an Italian professor. "Anybody who recruits him is going to get dragged into the eye of his media storm. You can't blame the Princeton administration for the media storm. You can wonder what they thought they were doing."
As a result of the appointments, some speculated that the administration planed to make the program a department. Tilghman said any decision would be based on whether the University's educational mission would require such a department.
As of now, she says: "I have to be convinced."
A flair for development
Tilghman's focus may be on other issues, but administrators and faculty say she is a gifted fund-raiser. She heads a world-class development operation, which earlier this year garnered a $30 million gift from Meg Whitman '77 for the new residential college.
"She connects extremely well with potential donors — she's enthusiastic and interested," says Thomas Wright '62, University vice president and secretary. "I've seen her twice at fund raisers . . . with [my] classmates. She wows them."
One obstacle Tilghman faces in dealing with alumni donors is her gender. All classes before 1970 knew the University as an all-male institution — and some want it to remain so.
"We now have a lady president and a lady second-in-command," wrote Hugh Lewis '41 in a letter to the Princeton Alumni Weekly. "To save time, I recommend that the trustees promptly convert Princeton to a single-sex, female university and be done with it."
Though many alumni wrote PAW objecting to Lewis's view, he reports receiving many letters from alumni agreeing with his sentiments.
The Class of 1946 certainly seems to approve of the new president — it was the first of 10 classes to offer Tilghman an honorary degree, rushing Nassau Hall three days after the announcement and presenting her with a class jacket and hat.
"I know there are some old farts around who don't think she should be a woman," says Al Lukens '46. "I don't think that goes for anybody in our class, because we've met her, and we think she's terrific."
Tilghman has additionally diversified the staff through her appointment of strong, qualified women in top positions of the University.
Tilghman's first appointment was Gutmann. Tilghman maintains that Gutmann's gender did not affect her selection process and that she was surprised when a colleague called to her attention that some might criticize the appointment as gender-based.
"I don't think it crossed my mind," she said. "I think I'm just blind to [gender]."
Professor John Fleming GS '63, professor of English, insists that Gutmann is extremely qualified.
"Amy Gutmann is one of the smartest people at Princeton," he says.
Most recently, Tilghman named as the new Wilson School dean Anne-Marie Slaughter '80. Slaughter says she met with Tilghman twice during the selection process and doubts gender would influence the president to appoint an unqualified candidate.
"Shirley Tilghman is someone who is very obviously committed to hiring the right person for the job, regardless of gender," Slaughter says.
She adds that having women in positions of power at the University make it an especially attractive place for her.
"Working with women of the caliber of Shirley Tilghman and Amy Gutmann is a very exciting opportunity."
Facing challenges
The year has not been entirely smooth for Tilghman, however.
In interaction with Slaughter's predecessor, Michael Rothschild, Tilghman faced her administration's first controversy.
Earlier this year, Tilghman says, she and Rothschild, then Wilson School dean, "had a disagreement." Rothschild, who had planned to retire at the end of the year, decided to resign early.
Some accused Tilghman of encouraging Rothschild to leave or of firing him. She begs to differ:
"I certainly wanted him to stay until the end of the year," she says.
In a separate incident, Tilghman and Richard Spies GS '72, then vice president for finance and administration, had different opinions of the best relationship between finance and administration.
Tilghman said the two should be separate to prevent "an inherent conflict of interest." Spies, disagreed and is now an administrator at Brown University.
Wright cites the shock of Sept. 11 and its resulting economic downturn as challenges that the new administration has faced.
"President Tilghman and Provost Gutmann have effectively repositioned the University's plans in ways that don't have any shocks for its programs," Wright says. "It required very careful recalculation and calibration . . . and many other Universities are reeling."
Personal life of a public figure
Tilghman considers the need to maintain a personal life one more challenge of her demanding job.
When fantasizing about the free time she rarely finds, she imagines mountain getaways and remote beaches. She walks her 10-year-old beagle in the evenings and reserves a half hour for pleasure reading.
"It's seven days a week and the hours are long," says former President Hal Shapiro GS '64 of the job. "The demand for your time is insatiable."
Shapiro had the support of his wife, Vivian, a beloved University figure after whom the cafe in the campus center is named. As a single mother, Tilghman has a more difficult time.
"I think it makes the job a little harder not to have a partner," she says. The job Vivian did is "just a job that's just not going to be done."
For support, Tilghman looks to friends, family and colleagues, she says. Another concern for Tilghman is the line between her public and private time.
"Very early on, I made a conscious decision to keep my public and private life separate," she says.
For instance, she does not think her atheism, should concern others.
"I'm not a proselytizing atheist," she says. "Just as I hope no one else judges me by my spiritual journey, I do not judge other people."
A continuing desire to lead
She says she can see herself finishing two five-year terms if all goes well.
But Wright thinks she underestimates herself, suggesting she will remain even longer.
"My guess is that this will be a long presidency and a very strong president who will leave a very powerful and personal stamp," Wright says.
"She's very analytical and clear-thinking, which is helpful in being a superb executive. That's what I think of her—she's a superb executive," he added.
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