Dean Fred for President?

Lawrence Summers attributed the dearth of women in high-level positions in science and engineering to a lack of "intrinsic aptitude." Since he uttered those fateful words last January, a gathering storm seems to have descended upon the Harvard president and just last week, Summers decided that enough was enough and threw in the towel.

Summers' five-year tenure as Harvard president makes him the shortest-serving president since the Civil War, a tenure marked by tabloid controversy and the dramatic departure of Cornel West 'GS 80. While known for his vociferousness and "bully pulpit" tactics, the Harvard president invoked much dislike from women, Harvard faculty and academics across the country but seems to be overwhelmingly loved by the students. In fact The Daily Princetonian reported on the day of his resignation that "Support for Summers remains high among students ... Only 19 percent of students said Summers should resign, while 57 percent said he should not."

The Harvard Crimson's poll got me thinking about Princeton's own President Tilghman and whether she would generate as much support from the student body. Elected just around the same time as Mr. Summers, she has been in office since June 15, 2001. She is a world-renowned scholar and pioneer in the field of molecular biology and was a member of the Princeton faculty for 15 years before becoming president. While Tilghman is impressive enough on paper and clearly a devoted member of the Princeton community, if the 'Prince' conducted a poll today on whether or not the student body approved of her, I, personally, would not know how to respond. To be frank, I have absolutely no idea whether I approve of her or not because I have no idea what her vision is for the University or where she plans on taking it in the next few years.

One thing I always admired about Summers was that he had a clear vision for what he saw as the ideal Harvard and often spoke of it in addresses to students and faculty. In my four years at Princeton, however, Tilghman has chosen to take a different path and has largely stayed out of the limelight. In fact, I'm confident that you are more likely to see Hobey Baker strolling around the campus than Tilghman wandering through Frist. As far as her policies go, I am still totally lost trying to decipher her vision of Princeton in the 21st century.

Since my freshman year, Tilghman has hired noticeably more women to prominent positions in the administration, filled the void of our larger-than-life Dean Fred with a dean of admissions from a small, single-sex, Division III school in Wellesley, Mass., called for more students with "green hair," picked a fight with our underground Greek life by sending a discouraging email to incoming freshman and given Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel free rein on the increasingly unpopular road of grade deflation. Trying to connect the dots, I ventured to her personal webpage courtesy of the University (www.princeton.edu/president) and was thoroughly disappointed by the scarcity of an agenda. Even her listed recent public addresses either had nothing to do with Princeton or were last made during the freshman welcoming ceremonies back in September.

In my time here, the campus rumor mill has chosen to label Tilghman as the "death of fun" and a president trying to break from Princeton's ingrained traditions. Despite the cries for "Dean Hargadon for president," I think the student body is simply in the dark over Tilghman's plans for the University.

When I last heard her speak at my freshman year convocation ceremony, I was told that Princeton is unique in that it is totally devoted to the undergraduate student body. With that thinking in mind, it's about time for Tilghman to devote some time to the undergraduates and give us a manifesto or agenda for her time as president. I'm tired of seeing Malkiel as the face of the administration, and with the arrival of Whitman College in fall 2007, I would like to have Tilghman stand before us and talk about her plans and intentions for the University. Woodrow Wilson was a vocal president and expressed his vision for Princeton and regardless of all his shortcomings, so was Summers. The students have questions — I think it's now time for Tilghman to bite the bullet and take a clear stance on all the issues. Chris Berger is a history major from New York City. He can be reached at cberger@princeton.edu.