J-Mac, J. D., J-Dawg. Jane Dammen McAuliffe hasn’t even taken over as President of Bryn Mawr yet and already she’s accumulated a plethora of nicknames. When I asked for her opinion regarding the future president of the college, Jessica Varney ’10 responded: “I’m not sure I can say because I haven’t seen her in action yet. There’s a Facebook group dedicated to her, though!”
Sure enough, the “Jane Dammen McAuliffe Fan Club” has 177 members at Bryn Mawr, already up 44 ladies since its mention in the Valentine’s Day issue of Bryn Mawr Now. Why be a fan? Well, McAuliffe is a Renaissance woman in the boldest sense of the term – as the group description indicates, she graduated from a women’s college; earned a Ph.D. in Religious Studies; taught at Emory University, University of Toronto, and most recently Georgetown University; and served as Dean for the undergraduate population of Georgetown University’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Not only does she have a background in teaching and advising college students, but McAuliffe has also edited and written on the subject of Islam for over 60 publications. This is no small task: just consider that each volume of the Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an averages about 600 pages. Since it consists of six volumes, that makes the Encyclopaedia approximately 3600 pages – and that’s just one single publication!
“I heard her giving a speech to faculty at the Campus Center last month,” says Chelsea Choate ’10 on McAuliffe. “She’s an engaging speaker, but I don’t know if she brings anything to the table that other Presidents haven’t.” Terah Edun ’10 has a different point of view: “I think it’s fantastic that our new President is an established authority on Arabic and Islamic Studies. Hopefully this will generate more interest in the subject – the prospect of having a major in Middle Eastern Studies by the time I graduate is so enticing!”
For some, like Terah, it’s McAuliffe’s academic achievements that distinguish her from other administrators. As a scholar of Islamic studies, she shows a willingness to transcend cultural boundaries which reflects and reinforces Bryn Mawr’s commitment to diversity. For others, though, it’s McAuliffe’s ability to balance her personal life with her career aspirations that sets her apart from the rest. Remarkably, she’s the first female President of the College who’ll also be a mother during her time in office.
While McAuliffe served as Dean for Georgetown College, a college with a student population three times the size of Bryn Mawr’s, she worked to make the school’s programs as original and relevant as possible. The caliber of her past work has definitely raised students’ expectations for her future undertakings. “It will be interesting to see how she transitions into the position,” states Jessica Varney ’10. McAuliffe officially succeeds current President Nancy J. Vickers on the first of July.
