Letter: It’s about time that Utah universities have women leaders
(August Miller | Utah Valley University) Astrid Tuminez speaks to the audience after she was announced as the first women president of Utah Valley University at a press conference on the campus of Utah Valley University Friday April 20, 2018.
Many of Utah’s major universities now have women presidents, which I applaud.
In 1971, as associate dean of engineering at the University of Utah, I attended a dean’s meeting while the dean was away. All of the attendees were male. One of the agenda items was President Jim Fletcher’s harangue about the scarcity of women in leadership positions. After he singled out the university librarian for criticism, the librarian defended himself, “Most of our staff are women, except, of course, the librarian and the associate librarian.”
None of the men in the room picked up on this. I have regretted ever since not pointing out that damning “of course.”
America is a better place now.
Noel de Nevers, Salt Lake City
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