'Chainsaw Drew'

Woman. First. Historian. Asked to describe her for the first time, critics and admirers alike pulled from a surprisingly similar word-bank. These words, in various guises and combinations, accompanied the announcement of Drew G. Faust as Harvard University’s 28th president. The diction formed not only a picture but a problem, as commentators and the national media raised questions as to whether the search committee had focused on gender, a “feminist bent,” at the expense of experience.

Elizabeth Warren would like to add another description to that mix. In a Feb. 12 article, the Gottlieb professor of law at Harvard Law School told The New York Times, “We used to call her ‘Chainsaw Drew.’”

“I definitely feel that it’s is a very apt description,” Warren, who worked with Faust when they were both at the University of Pennsylvania, said later. “It’s a good nickname! Just look at what she did at Radcliffe.”

Faust came to the helm of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study in January of 2001, just as the school attempted to reshape the remnants of a women’s college into a thriving think tank. At the time, the school faced a budget shortfall and vocal contingent of alumni dissatisfied with the process of merging with Harvard. By mastering a staff cut-back that reduced the workforce by 25 percent and reaching out to graduates, Faust managed to heal many of the institute’s wounds, at worst, garnering a nickname that likens her to a fictional serial killer in southwest Texas.

‘THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS’

Faust arrived at Radcliffe when its decision to merge with Harvard had already been finalized—in a sense. “There’s that saying, ‘the devil is in the details,’” says Mary Maples Dunn, who was interim dean of Radcliffe at the time. “There were a lot of details.”

Amongst these particulars were the alumni who felt dispossessed following the dissolution of Radcliffe as a college, and the establishment of Radcliffe as a home for visiting researchers.

“There were a lot of unhappy alumni,” Dunn recalls. “I did talks around the country about the merger. I guess I thought if I thought this was a smart thing to do, maybe they would too. But the audience was quite hostile.”

Dunn and fellow members on a search committee were simultaneously searching for a new dean during these tumultuous times. “Drew Faust had been nominated by a number of people, including me,” Dunn says, who taught Faust when she was a student at Bryn Mawr. But it was ultimately Faust’s sense of purpose that sealed the deal.

“She had a very strong vision of what the institute should be like,” Dunn adds, “and she was very articulate in explaining that vision to everyone.”

It was that same vision and sense of purpose that helped quell the fears of concerned alumni. “I was not in favor of the merger,” Diana E. Post ’67, former second vice president of the Radcliffe College Alumnae Association, says. “But the role that Drew Faust played was terrific. We were somewhat of an angry group, some more than others, but the alums were very comfortable with her. In meetings she was straightforward, open, and honest about her plans”—qualities that made implementing drastic changes that much easier.

TOUGH CHOICES

Along with vision, however, came a host of challenges that made implementing these changes that much harder. “Drew had to consider what fit or didn’t fit, what she could or couldn’t afford,” Dunn notes. “[And] none of the changes were off the wall or impulsive.”

The changes, however, were profound. The primary problem that Faust had to deal with was an overburdened budget and a too-large staff. “Drew had to dismiss 25 percent of the staff,” Radcliffe alumna Charlotte P. Armstrong ’49, who served as president of the Board of Overseers from 1998 to 1999, recalls. “It was very, very painful, but the changes were done in as humane and gentle a way as possible,” she adds.

“There was good communication between the union and the leadership at Radcliffe,” director of the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers Bill Jaeger says of the lay-offs. “There was effort to minimize the disruption in workers’ lives. Some of the attrition was done by not filling open jobs, but there were still a number of people who involuntarily lost their jobs.”

As the cut-backs may have come largely as a surprise to many workers, this difficult process was made even more complicated.

“I had told people that I was doing my best to protect jobs,” Dunn says. “It’s possible something that I said gave the impression there wouldn’t be any lay-offs. But Drew never promised anything. It wasn’t her style—she knew the financial situation was imperative.”

As painful as the changes were, they may have benefited the institute in the long-term. Radcliffe performed especially well on an employee engagement survey conducted last year by the Office of Human Resources and Communications. The survey showed that Radcliffe scored highest in the University on measures of “local leadership,” according to Mary O’Brien, a representative at the office.

“Her first responsibility was to the Radcliffe Institute, and she carried out that responsibility with a strong hand,” Warren says. “Drew’s a very strong person. That she’s polite should not fool anyone.”

While Faust won’t move into Mass. Hall’s corner office until July 1, those who have watched her at Radcliffe say that some of the leadership traits that earned her the moniker “Chainsaw Drew” will likely come with her. There have already been signs of her willingness to shake things up: About two weeks after her appointment as president, for instance, Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development Donella M. Rapier announced her resignation, suggesting in a letter that Faust had asked her to step down.

“She’s not afraid to make changes,” Warren insists. “Will she be able to make tough decisions as president? Her experience at Radcliffe tells us yes.”