Trustees expected to OK Hale today

The University Trustees are expected to confirm the appointment of Janet Hale to the post of executive vice president in their stated meeting this afternoon, Secretary Barbara Stevens said yesterday. "We're expecting that she'll be confirmed with no problem," Stevens said. "[The Trustees] are looking forward to her being here." Hale worked in the federal government for over 12 years. Her most recent job was associate director for economics and government at the Office of Management and Budget, which she left in January after almost four years. Prior to working at OMB, Hale had jobs at the Department of Transportation from 1986 to 1989, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1981 to 1986. In 1989, Hale testified before a Congressional subcommittee investigating favoritism and mismanagement at HUD about her role in two HUD controversies. One of these questionable actions, the mismanagement of a HUD-backed housing insurance program, eventually cost the government several hundred million dollars. Stuart Weisberg, staff director and general counsel to the House Government Operations subcommittee on employment and housing, told The Philadelphia Inquirer last month that this program was "one of the most fraud-prone programs and one of the biggest financial disasters for HUD." Weisberg also said that Hale was neither "a hero" or "a villain" in the HUD scandals and that she herself had never been under Congressional investigation. University officials who interviewed Hale for the job, including President Sheldon Hackney, said last month that they had no knowledge of her testimony before Congress with regard to the HUD scandals. Many University administrators said that they had assumed Diversified Search, the executive search firm that the University hired to find candidates for the job, would not have picked Hale as a candidate if they discovered Hale's actions were questionable. But Judy von Seldeneck, a Diversified official who worked on the five-month long Executive Vice President Search, said last month that the firm had not delved into the specifics of Hale's testimony before Congress about HUD. "It didn't seem important to [Hale] or anyone else we spoke to so we thought it wasn't an issue," von Seldeneck said at the time. Von Seldeneck added that top University officials knew that Hale had been at HUD during the time of the HUD scandals. Hackney said last month that he was aware that Hale was at HUD during a period of "some inconsistencies." Hale said last month that she had been "totally forthcoming" about her role at HUD. Von Seldeneck said that Diversified selected Hale as a candidate after she received exemplarly personal recommendations from several former top government officials, including former OMB Director Richard Darman and former Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole. She added that these references convinced Diversified that Hale's judgement was sound. Mimi Eckert, the office manager of The Association of Executive Search Consultants, a trade organization to which Diversified belongs, said earlier this month that a "reputable" search firm should have looked into the details of Hale's actions at HUD. Despite reports of Hale's questionable dealings at HUD, faculty members, student leaders and administrators said they are looking forward to Hale's arrival on campus late this month. Hale will replace former Executive Vice President Marna Whittington, who left the University last September, as the University's chief administrative officer. "[Hale] had a basic grasp of student concerns and she seemed open to our ideas," said Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Jeff Lichtman, who also interviewed Hale. "I think we are excited to work with her. Hopefully, she will carry on the tradition of Dr. Whittington in really working with students." Hackney said last month that any worries he might have had about Hale had been "assuaged" and that he was looking forward to her arrival on campus. Hale said she is also eager to come to the University. "I am very excited about coming to the University," she said last month. "It's a great institution with wonderful faculty and students." University officials said earlier this week that Hale would be behind her desk in the Franklin Building by April 1. At OMB Hale oversaw the budgets of the departments of the Treasury, Transportation, Commerce, Justice, and 25 smaller agencies. The combined total of these budgets was over $70 billion. The University's current $1.5 billion budget is about two percent of that figure. Trustees will also vote on the proposed 5.9 percent tuition and fees increases for the next fiscal year. Stevens said they are expected to approve the increase. The Trustee Budget and Finance Executive Committee will meet today at 1:30 p.m. in the Faculty Club. The stated meeting will take place at 2:30 p.m. in the same place.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.