Prof. to lead U.S. agency

History Professor Mary Frances Berry, a longtime civil rights advocate, was named by President Clinton on Friday to chair the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Berry, the commission's senior member, will become the first woman to hold the post in the agency's 35-year history. She replaces Arthur Fletcher, a former director of the United Negro College Fund. The eight-member commission, which acts as a national clearinghouse for civil rights information, reviews federal law for its impact on civil rights and monitors the government's equal opportunity programs. It has no enforcement power, however. Berry's colleagues at the University had nothing but praise for her, both as a person and as a professor. "She's a person of wisdom and humor," History Professor Drew Faust said last night. "She's good at dealing with people's differences and, at the same time, she's deeply committed to human rights." Faust said Berry, who is on leave this year, is an activist for human rights in South Africa and for civil rights in the United States. Richard Beeman, who was chairperson of the History Department when Berry was hired, said she "brings together, in an extraordinary way, the talents of a scholar and an activist." "She is both an exceptional public person and an exceptional historian," he said. "She is one of the very few people in my profession who is able to combine those things." Former University President Sheldon Hackney said Berry, who served as the commission's vice chairperson during the Carter administration, is ideally suited for this position. "She cares about her students and they respond very well to her teaching," said Hackney, now chairperson of the National Endowment for the Humanities. "Wisdom is hard to come by on campuses sometimes. Finding somebody as wise as Mary Berry was a wonderful discovery for me." While at the University, Berry has held numerous academic extracurricular posts. In addition to serving on the commission, she was president of the Organization of American Historians, a large scholarly society for professors and teachers of history. In recent days, Berry's role in U.S. politics has made her a prominent figure in the administration. She was a leading critic of Clinton's decision to abandon the nomination of Law Professor Lani Guinier as head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. History professor Bruce Kuklick called Berry a "go-getter." "I think she is a terrifically smart and interesting woman," he said. "She has a lot of pizazz, a lot of moxie and a lot of get up and go." Berry could not be reached for comment last night. Beeman said he thinks Berry will be a success as the commission's chairperson. "She'll continue to stand for the things she has championed for all the years she's been on [the commission]," he said. "She's a person with very clearly stated ideological commitments and she's a very practical, hard-headed woman."