Harvard’s First Female President to Speak at Caltech

Drew Gilpin Faust, who broke barriers as Harvard University’s first female president, will address the Caltech community Wednesday, Dec. 3, as part of the Institute’s Presidential Distinguished Speaker Series. 

Faust served as Harvard’s president from 2007 to 2018. She now holds the position of Arthur Kingsley Porter University Research Professor at the institution. 

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Athenaeum. Advance registration has closed, but walk-up guests may join a standby line. 

The speaker series brings prominent figures to campus to discuss topics spanning science, engineering, culture, public policy and higher education. Faust’s background as a Civil War historian and university leader positions her to address multiple areas. 

Her scholarly work has earned national recognition. “This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War” reached finalist status for both the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize. The book won the Bancroft Prize and appeared on The New York Times’ list of the 10 best books of 2008. 

Faust’s recent memoir, “Necessary Trouble, Growing Up at Midcentury,” chronicles her childhood in segregated Virginia. The work explores her path to becoming a historian of the South’s conflicts. 

Before joining Harvard, she taught at the University of Pennsylvania. She specialized in antebellum Southern history and the Civil War era. 

Faust founded Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. The center focuses on interdisciplinary research and exploration. 

Her presidency marked several Harvard firsts. She was the first woman to lead the university. She was also the first president raised in the South and the first since 1692 without a Harvard degree. 

The Library of Congress awarded Faust the John W. Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity in September 2018. She belongs to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Society of American Historians and the American Philosophical Society.

Faust earned her bachelor’s degree from Bryn Mawr in 1968, graduating magna cum laude. She completed her master’s and doctorate in American civilization at the University of Pennsylvania. 

For questions about the event or requests for ADA accommodations, email events@caltech.edu.