Amidst the subdued splendor of Loeb House's high ceilings and oriental rugs, President Neil L. Rudenstine announced yesterday that Drew Gilpin Faust of the University of Pennsylvania will serve as the first permanent dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.

The Crimson confirmed her appointment on Friday, and Rudenstine publicly introduced Faust yesterday afternoon.

Faust is the Annenberg Professor of History at Penn and has served as director of the Women's Studies program since 1996. She will receive tenure in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in addition to becoming dean of the Institute.

Though officials involved in the search had said they would like to have a permanent dean in place at Radcliffe this fall--one source said just last week that "having a permanent dean in the fall would be ideal"--Faust said yesterday she will not assume the Radcliffe helm until January 1, 2001.

This delay means Acting Dean of Radcliffe Mary Maples Dunn will remain in her post until Faust moves into Greenleaf House, a home on Brattle Street formerly reserved for the president of Radcliffe College.

Yesterday's announcement was a quiet one, with only a few members of the press in attendance.

In a sitting room decorated with dark Colonial portraits, Rudenstine stood stiffly in front of three reporters and several photographers while Faust sat nearby on a couch.

"Drew Faust is exactly what we wanted in a first dean [for Radcliffe]," Rudenstine began. "She is of the highest intellectual distinction and versatility and is outstanding in her own field."