Pick academic pres., students say

It's academia or bust. That's where both undergraduate and graduate students said the Presidential Search Committee should look for candidates. Several students at last night's second search committee open forum said they think "non-traditional" candidates from non-academic professions would not keep the quality of education a priority. In answer to their concerns, Trustee Board and Search Committee Chairperson Alvin Shoemaker said the committee is looking primarily at academic candidates. Shoemaker said the probability of finding a candidate without academic experience who is "appropriate" for the University is slim. "Part of the search committee's job is to leave no stone unturned," Shoemaker said last night. "We're looking at non-traditional candidates just in case they fit Penn's needs." Shoemaker added that a non-academic president would have the advantage of approaching the problem of managing a university from a different perspective, one that is not rooted in academic tradition. Shoemaker and the 15 students who attended the forum agreed the next president should demonstrate strong leadership. "We're looking for someone who can stand up and make tough choices," Shoemaker said. "The president will have to do more with less resources. Universities everywhere will be dealing with dwindling resources." The committee is looking for a president who will make a strong commitment to improving the quality of the community, he added. One way the new president could improve campus relations is to set up a long-term campus residence plan. "I think if you want to solve campus [communication] problems, then you'll need a comprehensive residential living plan," Shoemaker said. "For the first two years, undergraduates should live in common houses. "My feeling is that if you all get up in the morning and brush your teeth together, then you'll be careful of what you say the night before." Several students expressed the worry that a president might become too engrossed in building and lose sight of investment in faculty and other human resources. One graduate student asked Shoemaker and the student search committee representatives if they are asking candidates about how they would deal with the human side of the University. "The problem with that question is that nine out of 10 candidates will say, 'of course we support human resources,'" Shoemaker said. "[The search committee] is doing its best to look at each candidate's record on dealing with these things, but we really won't know how they'll act once they are in office." He said the committee is looking for a candidate who will be able to listen to students, faculty, staff and other administrators. "In the final analysis, the Trustees have the ultimate say on whether to fire or hire a president," Shoemaker said. "We count on a president who will listen before he or she makes any decisions. No president can survive without some support from the University community." One graduate student who attended the forum said he felt the session was productive. "I don't think it hurt to have contact with the chairman of the Board of Trustees," said Brian Huck, a third -year history graduate student. "I don't think we told them anything they didn't already know, but I hope we enforced their priorities."