Shirley Marie Tilghman, OC FRS (/ˈtɪlmən/; née Caldwell; born 17 September 1946) is a Canadian scholar in molecular biology and an academic administrator.
A leader in the field of molecular biology, Tilghman was a member of the Princeton faculty for fifteen years before being named president.
She was a secondary school teacher in Sierra Leone, West Africa, in the Canadian University Services Overseas (CUSO) Program.
This marriage ended in 1983, leaving Shirley Tilghman with custody of their young daughter (Rebecca) and infant son (Alex).
[10] Tilghman's work in molecular genetics focused on the regulation of genes during development, particularly in the field of genomic imprinting.
During postdoctoral studies at the National Institutes of Health, Tilghman made a number of discoveries while a member of the team which cloned the first mammalian gene.
As an independent investigator at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia from 1980 to 1986 and adjunct associate professor of Human Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania Tilghman continued to make scientific breakthroughs.
"One is to ensure that our doors are open as wide as possible to every talented student in the world who is capable of doing the hard work we ask of them.
In addition, an effort has been made to strengthen the relationship between the university and Princeton's independent eating clubs, where most upperclassmen take their meals, with the goal of enhancing the undergraduate experience of all students.
[24] Along with the renewal of the Department of Chemistry, these steps have both capitalized on Princeton's existing strengths and broken new ground, ensuring that the university will, in Tilghman's words, continue "to make the world a better place through the power of the mind and the imagination."
[25] More broadly, Tilghman's presidency has placed an emphasis on increasing the diversity of Princeton's faculty and students; widening access to the university through improvements to its generous financial aid program and the elimination of admission through "early decision"; fostering a multidisciplinary approach to teaching and research; and strengthening the university's international perspective through a wide range of initiatives – from the Global Scholars Program, which brings international scholars to campus on a recurring basis, to the Bridge Year Program, which gives incoming freshmen an opportunity to defer their studies for a year in order to devote themselves to public service overseas.
[26] The size of the endowment and the success of these programs prompted some to question whether Tilghman would implement a policy of eliminating tuition altogether.
Tilghman has appointed prominent men to leadership positions at Princeton, such as Charles Kalmbach as the senior vice president for administration, the highest non-academic administrative post, David P. Dobkin as dean of the faculty, Gutmann's replacement as provost and Tilghman's successor Christopher L. Eisgruber, and Klawe's replacement Vincent Poor.
[31] Supporters of the proposal pointed to studies by former Princeton president William G. Bowen, whose controversial book [32] The Game of Life[33] purported to describe widespread academic "underperformance" of college athletes.
During her presidency, Tilghman was embroiled in a court case pitting her against the family of a major donor to the university, the Robertsons.
[34] In August 2012, Tilghman was subpoenaed in her dual capacities as Princeton's president and as a member of Google's board, as part of a suit to block a board approved 2-for-1 Google stock split that the complaining party claimed would represent "an unfair effort to diminish its voting power while reserving voting rights for the company’s founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin".
Tilghman presided over a major effort to advance the growing community of Princeton Alumnae, culminating in a campus conference entitled "She Roars".
[42] Tilghman served on the board of trustees at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), Long Island, New York, during the early years of her presidency.
[45] Notable Princeton alumnus Peter Lewis 1955 said at the time, "Ideally, she'd be remembered for grooming a terrific successor.
"[46] Tilghman has been elected to the following organizations: She serves as a trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
[90] Tilghman serves on the board of the Broad Institute,[91] founded to encourage a unique model of collaborative, inter-institutional research, initially through joint efforts between Harvard and MIT.
On the other hand, the data that would suggest there are innate differences in the abilities of men and women to succeed in the natural sciences are nonexistent.
On explaining the thinking that led her to found a backup day-care option for Princeton employees introduced in 2007, an idea that reflected her own career management while raising two children, Tilghman said, "For years, I had said that when I retired, I would start a company that hired retired people to sit for working mothers..."[95] Tilghman's publications as a research scientist are referenced in the Research section.