The University announced yesterday that Eric Furda, the vice president for alumni relations at Columbia University, will take over as the new dean of admissions at Penn on July 1.
Furda served as the executive director of undergraduate admissions at Columbia from 1995 to 2004. Prior to working at Columbia, he served as a regional director of admissions at Penn.
"He is our ideal candidate and this is his dream job," Penn President Amy Gutmann said.
A 1987 Penn graduate, Furda said he is excited to be back after almost 20 years away from his alma mater.
"This is the right time for me to come back," he said. "This is the only job I would have considered in the country."
Gutmann said that the University "considered the whole universe" in its search for a new admissions dean, but over the five-month search period narrowed the list down with the help of the search firm Witt/Kieffer to a list of top candidates.
Furda said that while he "was certainly aware that the position was open" and had strong interest, it was the search firm who initially contacted him.
During his time as the admissions director at Columbia, applications to Columbia College and Engineering school increased by more than 70 percent and 67 percent, respectively.
"He had a transformative effect at Columbia," Gutmann said. "He really understands the role of admissions in a University."
In a press release, Provost Ronald Daniels added that Furda "shares the University's commitment to increasing access to Penn for talented students from diverse backgrounds."
"As an alumnus he brings his background as a student" said current Admissions Dean Eric Kaplan. "He's a wonderful people person and he's going to bring a strong personality and a really collegial leadership style to this office."
While many expected the selection of a new dean of admissions to take longer, Gutmann and the Provost said they were confident the search was conducted as thoroughly as possible.
"The results speak for the excellence of the process we took," Gutmann said.
Susan Feagin, executive vice president of development and alumni relations at Columbia wrote in a message to her staff that Furda's new appointment was "bittersweet news".
"Eric is a wonderful colleague," she wrote. "I know we are all personally sorry to see him leave Columbia."
Before he assumes his position as dean of admissions on July 1, Furda will serve as the special assistant to the President and the admissions office at Penn.
"There is a lot for me to learn over the next few months," Furda said. "I need to relearn Penn."
He added that his goals include bringing better technology to Penn's admissions process so that admissions officers have time to make "more thoughtful decisions". He also hopes to have a significant presence on campus and reach out to current as well as prospective students.
"I don't feel the pressure to create ideas and themes to represent the institution because I think Penn has done a great job doing that," Furda said, referencing the recent capital campaign and the Penn Compact. "My responsibility is to help represent those themes to 17- and 18-year-olds" through the admissions process.
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