Boston, Feb. 10 (AP): In its 371-year history, Harvard University has been led by puritans and patriots, by clergymen and congressmen.

But so far, the oldest and wealthiest university in the US has never been led by a woman. That seems likely to change, in what would be a landmark for women in academia. Harvard has scheduled a news conference tomorrow to name its 28th president. The university will not say who it will be, but a source familiar with the decision, speaking on condition of anonymity because the announcement has not been made public, confirmed historian Drew Gilpin Faust has been told her name will be put forward to the Board of Overseers.

Harvard is hardly on the cutting edge. Already, three of its fellow Ivy League schools are led by women. MIT, the University of Michigan and England’s Cambridge also already have women presidents. But Harvard remains the ultimate establishment bastion and it has historically been dominated by men. It has also been the scene of well-publicised debates lately about women in higher education, prompted by comments by Lawrence Summers, the previous president, that natural ability may partly explain why fewer women reach top-tier science jobs.

Those factors make Harvard more than just another school to name its first woman president. Faust's appointment will inevitably prompt reflection across higher education about the state of the glass ceiling.