Former Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson attended an annual admissions conference in Texas last weekend as questions swirled in the admissions community about his sudden departure.
Penn officials continue to remain tight-lipped, and those at the National Association for College Admission Counseling's annual conference said the circumstances surrounding Stetson's resignation remain a much-discussed topic.
"People in the community want some sort of explanation," said Jeannie Borin, president of the college consulting firm College Connections.
"It would really behoove [Stetson] to make a statement of some sort as to why he's leaving, and why right at the start of the application season he's decided to leave," she said.
Before Stetson's August departure - which the University has refused to discuss - he was one of the most visible figures in the higher education sector.
"In a profession where people tend to quickly come and go, Lee Stetson was one of those fixtures who had not only been there for so many years, but at a place so prominent as the University of Pennsylvania," said Mark Sklarow, the head of a trade association representing admissions consultants.
Losing such a fixture so suddenly and in such a bizarre and reticent manner has left admissions consultants asking a host of questions.
"He's always been an outspoken [admissions dean], and it's weird that he went out not with a bang but with a whisper," said Michelle Hernandez, the head of Hernandez College Consulting.
Most admissions consultants said Stetson has always been well-liked in the community, making his quick exit even more unexpected.
"People are in the waiting game" to see what happened before they react, said Marcy Roberts, a high-school guidance counselor in Boca Raton, Florida.
Stetson was at the conference to participate in a panel on Advanced Placement courses with Harvard Dean of Admissions Bill Fitzsimmons and two high-school guidance counselors.
Representing Penn at the NACAC conference were Interim Dean of Admissions Eric Kaplan and a delegation of regional directors, according to the Admissions Office.
Those at the conference said Penn's admissions officers fielded questions from curious attendees as to what had happened to Stetson but still refused to comment.
The University has instructed representatives of the Admissions Office not to speak about Stetson's departure, and Penn President Amy Gutmann has only said that the resignation was in the "best interests" of Stetson and the University.
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