Radcliffe's Wilson Discusses Past

Radicliffe college President Linda S. Wilson discussed her professional history with a group of about 25 undergraduates at a lunch sponsored by the Institute of politics (IOP) yesterday.

part of an IOP lunch series at Memorial Hall, Willson spent the bulk of her time speaking about her past jobs and her transition fromn teaching chemistry to administrating.

"What does a girl chemist do when she grows up?" Wilson asked rhetorically as she began her talk.

Wilson said made the intial leap out of the classroom after a new job confronted her with students who perfomed on a sub-par levl.

"I didn't really know how to teach where students were ill- prepared and not very interested," she said.

Wilson then began her stint as an administrator at Wahington University. As part of her administrative position, Wilson began attending national conferences studying science policy.

As policy-makers sought to include more women mong their ranks, Wilson said her name was one eople recognized. She began to be apointed to morre and more commitees.

"I'll give myself credit for all the hard work and all the intese travel. I'll give myself credit for being smart," she said . But there were handn'tbeen any [women] there before."

Wilson has chaired theNational Resarch Council's Office of Scientific and Engineering Personal and has served on the Director 's Advisory Council of the National Science Foundation.

"They never forgot my name, and they never fogot my idnstitution, even though there were other people doing the same things for their nstitutions," she said.

Before coming to Radcliffe, Wilson served as vice president for research at the Univesity of Michigan, a job where shee managed vast resources. But she said when Radcliffe called offering er its presidency, she jumped.

"You do not turn down Radcliffe," she said. "That's one of the powers that I have [as president]. I can call almost anyone and ask them to come to Radicliffe, and they come. It's really a very heady feeling."

Students attending the lunch questioned Wilson about the possibility of a merger between Harvard and Radcliffee, reportedly the subject of closed- door talks between the two schools for more than a year.

As she has throughout the negotiation process, Wilson spoke only in generalities about the future.

"We may collaborate more," she said. "Wether that is more formal or whether that remains informal or whether that remains as it is now... that is premature." "It's not reallya controversy, It's questions," she said.