Gutmann, a professor of politics at Princeton University since 1976 and the founding director of its University Center for Human Values, has been appointed by President Shirley Tilghman to succeed Professor Jeremiah Ostriker as provost, the second-ranking officer of the University, effective September 1. The appointment was enthusiastically approved today at a special meeting of the executive committee of the Board of Trustees.
Since 1990, when the multi-disciplinary University Center for Human Values was created to support teaching, scholarship and public discussion of ethics and human values, Gutmann has been the Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor. She served as Princeton's dean of the faculty from 1995 to 1997 and as academic advisor to the president from 1997 to 1998. She also has served as a member of the Priorities Committee and the Course of Study Committee, has chaired the board of the Whig-Cliosophic Society, and has been director of graduate studies for the politics department. She has been a member of search committees for the deans of admission and the graduate school, and of many other committees. As dean of the faculty she staffed the Committee on Appointments and Advancements, which oversees all faculty appointments and promotions.
Tilghman said, "My goal was to appoint a provost who would bring exceptional credentials as a teacher and scholar, particularly in the humanities or social sciences; who has a broad and deep understanding of this University; who has demonstrated skills as a senior administrator; and who would share my excitement about the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for Princeton. Amy Gutmann brings all these qualities and more. She is a scholarly leader in her field and a gifted teacher. She has strong interdisciplinary interests, as reflected in the center she has directed so ably. As dean, she was very effective in attracting excellent faculty to Princeton. She has experience with and cares about all areas of the University. And she is a person of great intelligence, very high standards, and deep concern for the wellbeing of others."
Gutmann said, "The prospects of being provost and part of such a terrific team are exhilarating. I am especially eager to serve at this time in Princeton's history because the opportunities seem boundless for making higher education more accessible, innovative and excellent than ever."
Gutmann has taught political philosophy, democratic theory, the history of political thought and practical ethics, and has won the President's Distinguished Teaching Award. She has also won the Ralph J. Bunche Award "for the best scholarly work in political science that explores the phenomenon of ethnic and cultural pluralism"; the North American Society for Social Philosophy Book Award; and the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights Award for the "outstanding book on the subject of human rights in North America."
Her most recent books include Democratic Education, Democracy and Disagreement (with Dennis Thompson), Color Conscious: The Political Morality of Race (with Anthony Appiah); Ethics and Politics (with Dennis Thompson), designed for an innovative course at Princeton in ethics and public policy and now assigned in practical ethics courses across the country; and Freedom of Association . She also has published many articles and reviews in leading scholarly journals, newspapers and other publications.
Gutmann is serving as president of the American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the National Academy of Education, and is a founding member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Practical and Professional Ethics. She serves on the board of the Princeton University Press, the Board of Trustees of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, the advisory council of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, and the editorial boards of many scholarly journals.
Gutmann received her B.A. from Harvard-Radcliffe College, her M.Sc. from the London School of Economics, and her Ph.D. from Harvard University. She is married to Michael W. Doyle, Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton, who is on a public service sabbatical to serve as assistant secretary-general and special advisor to the secretary-general at the United Nations.
As the second-ranking officer of the University, the provost serves as the president's general deputy and, in the absence of the president, as the University's senior officer. The provost is responsible for the overall academic program, works closely with faculty and other administrators on staffing matters, provides general oversight for many of the University's support and administrative operations, and is responsible for developing short-term and long-term recommendations regarding resource allocation, including chairing the Priorities Committee, the faculty-student-staff committee that makes recommendations each year to the president regarding the following year's operating budget.
Contact: Marilyn Marks (609) 258-3601
