Higgenbothams Accept Joint Posts

Evelyn Brook Higgenbotham, a scholar of Afro-American religious history, has accepted a joint tenured position between the Afro-American Studies Department and the Divinity School, officials said yesterday.

Higgenbotham's husband, U.S. Circuit Judge Leon Higgenbotham, a nationally-known jurist once rumored to be on the short list for Attorney General, will serve in a joint appointment between the Kennedy School of Government and the Law School.

The Higgenbothams, currently faculty members of the University of Pennsylvania, will arrive in fall 1994.

Evelyn Higgenbotham will become the sole Black woman tenured in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and will be only the second ever, according to Afro-American Studies department chair Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Carter Professor of General Jurisprudence Charles Fried said last night that the Law School was not offering Leon Higgenbotham a tenured professorship.

Gates, who is also DuBois professor of the humanities, said last night he is ecstatic at the two appointments.

"It's just astonishing to be able to recruit a couple this strong," he said. "This is a real coup for Harvard University."

The two were wooed by a number of schools, including Duke and New York University, he said, but "we won."

Both scholars are now members of the University of Pennsylvania faculty. Evelyn Higgenbotham is a professor of history, and Leon Higgenbotham is a professor of law and adjunct professor of sociology.

Evelyn Higgenbotham's principal academic focuses are the study of African-American women's history and religious history, Gates said.

"She's a graceful, elegant, eloquent scholar," he said.

She will likely teach a survey course in African-American history as well as a more specialized class in religious or women's history, Gates said.

Leon Higgenbotham, a federal district judge for almost 30 years, was reported by The Washington Post to be on the short list to replace Attorney General nominee Zoe Baird. He is a University of Pennsylvania trustee and holds over 50 honorary degrees.

Besides his accomplishments on the bench, Gates said, Leon Higgenbotham is a distinguished scholar and author.

Higgenbotham's book In the Matter of Color was the "first sophisticated scholarly account of the relationship between race and the law in the United States," Gates said.

The two new appointments are indicative of the University's strong valuation of the importance of diversity in its faculty, Gates, said.

"The Rudenstine-Knowles admin- istration has clearly demonstrated its commitment to diversify the faculty," he said.

Deans from all the involved schools were also important in the process, as well as University Provost Jerry R. Green, who served as a link between the various faculties, according to Gates.

The Higgenbothams could not be reached for comment yesterday

Deans from all the involved schools were also important in the process, as well as University Provost Jerry R. Green, who served as a link between the various faculties, according to Gates.

The Higgenbothams could not be reached for comment yesterday