VOA慢速：多数常春藤联盟学校如今都有女校长
Most Ivy League Schools Now Have Female Presidents
刘立军 供稿
TRANSCRIPT
Three women started new terms as presidents at Ivy League universities in July. Their appointments mean that six of the eight highly selective schools are led by a female president.
Sian Beilock is now the first female president at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Nemat Shafik, who was born in Egypt, is the first female president at Columbia University in New York City. And Claudine Gay is the first Black person and the second woman to lead Harvard University.
They joined Christina Paxson at Brown University in Rhode Island, Martha Pollack at Cornell University in New York, and Elizabeth Magill at the University of Pennsylvania.
The two Ivies with male presidents are Princeton University in New Jersey and Yale University in Connecticut.
l Are the numbers similar anywhere else?
While women lead six out of eight Ivy League schools, the story is far different at other American colleges and universities.
Only about 32 percent of college or university presidents are women. That number comes from the American Council on Education (ACE).
The organization says in its 2023 report that the data is important because of the makeup of college students in the United States.
Today, there are more women in colleges ― about 60 percent of all students ― and more minorities. But about 70 percent of college presidents are white, and 46 percent are white men. Only 10 percent are women of color. And most college presidents are about 60 years old.
Hiro Okahana led the research team for ACE’s report. He called the news of the three new Ivy League presidents “a very exciting thing to see,” but he also called it “an anomaly.” An anomaly is a piece of information different from the expected result in a study.
Choosing women and minorities, he said, “sends a good message” to colleges and universities. But he did have one concern:
“It is important that they are bringing into a place where they are set up for success, and being able to thrive as leaders. So we will continue to see how their presidencies will shape up to be and lead these institutions toward the future.”
ACE’s study showed that some women who became university presidents felt they did not get enough information about the university’s health before they took the job.
Felecia Commodore teaches higher education at Old Dominion University in Virginia. She wrote about the Ivy League presidents for The Conversation. Commodore suggests the news is important, but it would be a bigger story if large public universities in the U.S. had more female or Black presidents.
Of note, large universities such as Ohio State, Penn State and Texas A&M recently appointed female presidents.
l Do students care about their presidents?
Carolyn Pippen is a college advisor for IvyWise, a company that helps students prepare for college. She said students have so many things to consider ― study programs, housing, and post-graduation ― they don’t often think about the president. She gave Harvard as an example.
“I don’t think there are any students that are worried that Harvard is going to be anything other than a fantastic experience and certainly going to set them up for success.”
Some students, though, see women taking leadership positions at colleges as “wonderful.” That is what Ava Ayala said. She will start her second year at Colorado State University this autumn.
“I think that having more women in these roles really opens up pathways to allow other people, maybe of different race or gender, to step into those roles next.”
Colorado State appointed a female president in 2023.
l What next?
Okahana, the research leader, said colleges and universities should work to widen their search for future presidents.
If they are looking for leaders who better reflect their student population, they should consider business leaders, medical experts, and others. “We know there are many different pathways to rise up to the college presidency,” he said.
Sometimes, that can include people who were international students.
Okahana is from Japan, and he went to college at a large university in California. He said seeing and talking with the school’s president made him think about working in higher education.
And his report showed nearly 10 percent of American college presidents were not born in the U.S.
“So,” he said, “there are some readers and listeners of this piece who might lead an institution in the United States one day.”
I’m Dan Friedell. And I’m Jill Robbins.
VOCABULARY
1. anomaly n. a thing, situation, etc. that is different from what is normal or expected 异常事物；反常现象。例如：the many anomalies in the tax system 税制中的许多破格现象
2. presidency n. the job of being president of a country or an organization; the period of time sb. holds this job 主席的职位（或任期等）；总统的职位（或任期等）
QUESTIONS
Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.
1. According to the passage, which Ivy League university is led by a president who was born in Egypt?
A. Dartmouth College.
B. Columbia University.
C. Harvard University.
D. Brown University.
2. What percentage of college or university presidents in the United States are women, according to the American Council on Education (ACE)?
A. About 32 percent.
B. About 60 percent.
C. About 70 percent.
D. About 46 percent.
3. What concern does Hiro Okahana express about the appointment of women and minorities as university presidents?
A. They will not be able to lead these institutions effectively.
B. They may not receive sufficient information about the university’s health before taking the job.
C. They should be set up for success and be able to thrive as leaders.
D. Their appointments are anomalies and do not reflect the overall trend.
4. What does Carolyn Pippen believe most students might not often consider when preparing for college?
A. The study programs.
B. The housing conditions.
C. The post-graduation prospects.
D. The gender of the college president.
5. According to Ava Ayala, what impact does having more women in leadership positions at colleges make?
A. It decreases the quality of the education.
B. It opens up pathways for people of different race or gender.
C. It makes the university less attractive to prospective students.
D. It discourages other people from stepping into leadership roles.
6. According to Okahana, what kind of professionals should colleges and universities consider when looking for future presidents?
A. Only academic leaders.
B. Business leaders and medical experts.
C. Only international students.
D. Only individuals born in the U.S.
7. As mentioned in the passage, approximately what percentage of American college presidents were not born in the U.S.?
A. About 10 percent.
B. About 32 percent.
C. About 46 percent.
D. About 60 percent.
KEY
1. According to the passage, which Ivy League university is led by a president who was born in Egypt?
A. Dartmouth College.
B. Columbia University.
C. Harvard University.
D. Brown University.
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。根据原文中的信息“Nemat Shafik, who was born in Egypt, is the first female president at Columbia University in New York City”，可以看出，出生在埃及的这位校长管理的是哥伦比亚大学，所以答案是B。
2. What percentage of college or university presidents in the United States are women, according to the American Council on Education (ACE)?
A. About 32 percent.
B. About 60 percent.
C. About 70 percent.
D. About 46 percent.
【答案】A
【解析】细节题。根据文中的信息“Only about 32 percent of college or university presidents are women. That number comes from the American Council on Education (ACE)”，可以了解到，在美国大学或者学院的校长中，女性占比约为32%，所以答案是A。
3. What concern does Hiro Okahana express about the appointment of women and minorities as university presidents?
A. They will not be able to lead these institutions effectively.
B. They may not receive sufficient information about the university’s health before taking the job.
C. They should be set up for success and be able to thrive as leaders.
D. Their appointments are anomalies and do not reflect the overall trend.
【答案】C
【解析】推理题。Hiro Okahana在文中表达的担心是：“It is important that they are bringing into a place where they are set up for success, and being able to thrive as leaders.” 从此句可以推理出，他关心的是这些被任命的女性和少数族裔能否在他们的位置上成功并作为领导者不断进步。因此，答案选C。
4. What does Carolyn Pippen believe most students might not often consider when preparing for college?
A. The study programs.
B. The housing conditions.
C. The post-graduation prospects.
D. The gender of the college president.
【答案】D
【解析】推理题。根据Carolyn Pippen的话“students have so many things to consider ― study programs, housing, and post-graduation ― they don’t often think about the president”，我们可以推断出，在为大学做准备时，大多数学生可能不常考虑学院或大学的校长是男性还是女性。所以答案是D。
5. According to Ava Ayala, what impact does having more women in leadership positions at colleges make?
A. It decreases the quality of the education.
B. It opens up pathways for people of different race or gender.
C. It makes the university less attractive to prospective students.
D. It discourages other people from stepping into leadership roles.
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。根据文中的信息“Ava Ayala said ... ‘I think that having more women in these roles really opens up pathways to allow other people, maybe of different race or gender, to step into those roles next.’”, 可以清楚地看出，Ava Ayala认为在大学里有更多的女性担任领导职务能为不同种族或性别的人也担任类似职务开路，故答案是B。
6. According to Okahana, what kind of professionals should colleges and universities consider when looking for future presidents?
A. Only academic leaders.
B. Business leaders and medical experts.
C. Only international students.
D. Only individuals born in the U.S.
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。根据原文“they should consider business leaders, medical experts, and others”，可以看出，Okahana建议大学和学院在寻找未来的校长时，应该考虑商业领袖、医学专家等人选，所以答案是B。
7. As mentioned in the passage, approximately what percentage of American college presidents were not born in the U.S.?
A. About 10 percent.
B. About 32 percent.
C. About 46 percent.
D. About 60 percent.
【答案】A
【解析】细节题。根据原文“And his report showed nearly 10 percent of American college presidents were not born in the U.S.”，可以了解到，大约10%的美国大学校长不是在美国出生的，所以答案是A。
（封面图片来源于摄图网，版权归摄图网所有）