GSE dean still not appointed

Although a list of finalists for the new Graduate School of Education dean was submitted to the president and provost nearly four months ago, an appointment still has not been made. Ira Schwartz, dean of the School of Social Work and a member of the search committee, said the group of five GSE faculty members and five people from outside the school conducted a "pretty exhaustive search." In addition to placing advertisements in newspapers and academic journals, calls were made to sources in government, academia and elsewhere to try to select from the best possible candidates in the field. Schwartz estimated the committee looked at 50 to 60 resumes, from which a list of four or five finalists was presented to University President Judith Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow in July. GSE Professor Rebecca Maynard, who chaired the committee, said public meetings were held to gather input from GSE faculty, staff and students. The search committee also enlisted the help of a search firm. Maynard refused to name the finalists. Schwartz said the committee's work "pretty much ended" after meeting with Rodin and Chodorow. Interim GSE Dean Nancy Hornberger, who was not a member of the committee, praised its composition. "I was impressed with the membership of the committee," she said. Executive Assistant to the Provost Linda Koons said the president and provost have been interviewing candidates whose names were presented to them. Schwartz said the administration, in choosing a candidate, is not limited to the list presented to them. "If they feel they want to look further, that's a prerogative that they have," he said. Maynard said she does not feel the length of the search or the time Rodin and Chodorow have spent interviewing candidates is unusual. "I think the process is proceeding in a usual and acceptable fashion," she said. Schwartz attributes the length of the process to the fact that Rodin and Chodorow just took office this summer. "We have an unusual circumstance here because Penn is going through a transition at the top level," he said. Hornberger, who has led GSE since former Dean Marvin Lazerson became interim provost in July 1993, said she is not an "active candidate." "If they thought I should do it, I would consider it," Hornberger said. She added, though, that she does not feel she is being considered.