News & Views item - July 2011

 

Student of History, English, German, and Arabic Appointed New French Science Minister. (July 8, 2011)

With the resignation of Dominique Strauss-Kahn as Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and his subsequent replacement by Christine Lagarde, the Ministry of Higher Education and Research became vacant when Valérie Pécresse was appointed the junior budget minister and government spokesperson.

 

As a result Laurent Wauquiez, formerly in charge of European affairs, is the new Minister for Higher Education and Research. Mr Wauquiez (36) has the honour of being France's youngest cabinet minister.

 

A product of the École Normale Supérieure and the École Nationale d'Administration he studied history, English, German, and Arabic.

 

Whether or not he shows himself to be a strong voice for French science and tertiary studies remains to be seen, but Bertrand Monthubert, national secretary for higher education and research of the opposition French Socialist Party remarked dryly he'll have: "a tough job quelling the research and academic communities' deep fears for the future."