Speaking before a packed Agassiz Theatre, the dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study kicked off a series of celebratory lectures yesterday with a speech about her research on identifying the dead in the Civil War.

University President Neil L. Rudenstine introduced Radcliffe Dean Drew Gilpin Faust at the beginning of the event, praising her ability to "deftly deal with societal abstractions and define terms in her many books." He joked that if he "were to summarize the honors of Faust, we would all be here until the snow storm stopped."

Rudenstine also praised Faust's scholarship, calling her lecture "marvelous."

"Her historical work is very important, and I'm confident she will carry out the Institute's goals," he said.

Faust said she was enthusiatic about the upcoming series of Radcliffe lectures, which will include talks by author Toni Morrison and Lamont University Professor Emeritus Amartya K. Sen. This special lecture series is bringing leaders from the humanities and the sciences, the arts, and the professions to the Radcliffe Institute during 2000-2001

"I'm very excited about the lectures and I'm going to try to make this the most exciting place for advanced study in the United States," she said.

The harsh weather did not prevent a large crowd from hearing Faust speak, who said she was "honored by everyone's presence despite the harsh weather."

Her speech, entitled "Missing in Action: Naming the Dead in the American Civil War," focused on the changes in governmental policy in identifying the missing or dead in the Civil War, and how those changes resulted in "one of the most powerful shifts in thoughts on war."