Harvard and Columbia both have new presidents taking over this summer: Claudine Gay at Harvard, and, just named, Minouche Shafik at Columbia. With their ascendance, more than half of the Ivy League will have female presidents, including these two women of color (Gay’s parents are Haitian immigrants; the Egyptian-born Shafik describes herself as “brown”). It is a welcome and overdue change. But how much difference is it actually going to make for these institutions, and the role they play in society?
The Limits on Change in Universities
The Limits on Change in Universities
The Limits on Change in Universities
Harvard and Columbia both have new presidents taking over this summer: Claudine Gay at Harvard, and, just named, Minouche Shafik at Columbia. With their ascendance, more than half of the Ivy League will have female presidents, including these two women of color (Gay’s parents are Haitian immigrants; the Egyptian-born Shafik describes herself as “brown”). It is a welcome and overdue change. But how much difference is it actually going to make for these institutions, and the role they play in society?