As William Murchison informs us in this SeeThru post, Rutgers is going to be blessed with a “Gloria Steinem Chair.” The money comes mainly from the Ford, Knight, and Revson foundations, with Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg also contributing to it.

Perhaps this position, as yet unfilled, will lead to serious scholarship, but I’m strongly inclined toward Murchison’s view that this “has the smell of a thoroughly tendentious enterprise.” Expect plenty of cheerleading for feminist dogmas about, e.g., the labor market and its persistent under-valuing of women’s work. Do not expect the slightest challenge to such beliefs.

It will, of course, be a lovely sinecure for the prof who lands the job. Don’t be surprised if she (c’mon — a man can’t have the Gloria Steinem Chair!) will invite Gloria herself to give an illuminating lecture on campus for a lofty honorarium. Ms. Steinem gave such a talk at East Carolina several years ago, and Professor Anthony Papalas wrote about it for the Pope Center here. (Actually, it wasn’t illuminating at all.)