Yale Daily News

Updated: Monday, November 23, 2009 12:00 a.m.

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At Mr. Levin’s side, a first lady and a conscience

Staff Reporter
Published Monday, April 28, 2008

With her diminutive frame, pixie-cut salt-and-pepper hair and crisp black wardrobe, Jane Levin does not stand out in a typical Yale crowd.

But as the wife of Yale’s 22nd president and director of undergraduate studies for Directed Studies, the selective freshman humanities program, Levin is a University power player who does more than just stand by her man — although she does that as well.

“She is my conscience, and she always has been for 40 years,” her husband, University President Richard Levin, said.

But backing up Yale’s top man is not always easy. From the...

#1 By Edwin E. 3:04p.m. on April 28, 2008

an amazing and hilarious profile of jane. good job at capturing her character. --a former ds-student--

#2 By jjht66 5:55p.m. on April 28, 2008

Excellent article on a person who sounds wonderful.

#3 By (Anonymous) 4:29a.m. on April 29, 2008

I had Jane Levin for DS...totally old school and closed minded. Truly frustrating as a student coming in without much prior knowledge...pisses me off that she got appointed to that post without any prior experience whatsoever then had the nerve to claim that her opinions were absolutely correct. Just shows how politics works in this University.

#4 By Former Levin Student 11:11p.m. on April 30, 2008

I have to say that I completely disagree with post #3. I had Prof. Levin when I was a freshman--a freshman, it should be noted, without "much prior knowledge"--and I found her to be a warm, engaging and enormously intelligent professor.

#5 By a better writer 8:49a.m. on May 2, 2008

this is a poorly edited piece. the use of quotation is confusing--when the actors have the same surname, and are related, and esp. because it's a personal bio-piece, the writer should have used first names to distinguish, rather than just keep writing "Levin said," etc.

#6 By Andrew 2:13p.m. on May 10, 2008

jane levin is a spectacular lecturer and one whose enthusiasm always inspired me, even though she was never directly my teacher in DS.

also, i agree with comment number 5: what were the editors thinking on that one??

#7 By NancyT 6:34p.m. on May 18, 2008

I think it's time to forgo the practice of referring to everyone by last name only, with no titles, expecially when an article is about two people with the same last name, as this one.

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