The Kennedy School of Government yesterday announced the appointment of Merilee S. Grindle as the Mason Professor of International Development, making her the only woman among the school's 23 tenured faculty members.

In a statement, Kennedy School Dean and University Provost Albert Carnesale called Grindle "an outstanding scholar, teacher and citizen" of the school.

"She has been recognized internationally for her research on public policy in developing countries and by her students for excellence in teaching," the statement said.

Grindle is no stranger to the Kennedy School, where she has been a lecturer and a fellow at the Harvard Institute for international Development (HIID).

The decision to tenure Grindle comes after criticism of the faculty in recent years by student groups for failing to tenure more women.

According to Kennedy School spokesperson Steven R. Singer, of the school's 29 full professors, a category which includes both tenured and non-tenured positions with full faculty rank, Grindle and Public Service Professor of Electoral Politics Shirley Williams are the only women.

Seven of 31 assistant and associate professors--positions referred to as "tenure-track"--are women, Singer said.

Grindle is currently the faculty advisor to the Edward S. Mason Program, which brings leaders from developing and newly industrialized countries to study at the Kennedy School.

Mason, for whom both Grindle's chair and the study program are named, was a dean of the Kennedy School who began many of its international programs.

Grindle said in a statement it was "particularly meaningful" for her to honored with a chair named for Mason.

"Through my association with the Kennedy School, HIID and the Mason Program, I feel very tied in to his legacy." Grindle said in a statement. "I hope this position will allow me to contribute usefully to Harvard's increasingly international role."

Grindle has authored several books, including Searching for Rural Development Bureaucrats, Politicians and Peasants in Mexico and State and Countryside.

The statement said Grindle's current research focuses on the role of the state in development and on the contributions of leadership and ideas to policy-reform initiatives. A new book is expected next year.