Rodin draws praise from nat'l leaders

National leaders are talking about University President Judith Rodin. Since Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen appointed Rodin to an independent panel designed to examine safety and security at the White House last week, many University and national officials have discussed the reasons for and implications of the appointment. Last week's announcement came following two breaches of security at the White House, one involving a plane crash in September. The other was a shooting spree last month aimed at the White House from beyond the gates on Pennsylvania Avenue. Bentsen said the independent panel will release a report in mid-January that will assess various options and make suggestions on ways to improve security for the first family and the vice presidential family. One possibility is the closing of the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House. But many say this option will ruin public access the president's home. Treasury Under Secretary for Enforcement Ron Noble praised Rodin, saying she came highly recommended and has dealt with the same issues the panel will confront. "She has to grapple with the question of security and public access all the time," Noble said last week. "There are no easy answers." Noble said he relied on background checks, interviews and recommendations to determine the "short list" of candidates, which he later sent to Bentsen for final selection. He added that he considered Rodin's intelligence, her psychology background and her position at the University in his decision. "There are certain people who you'd assume would be on this committee," he added. "A sitting university president doesn't come to mind. "She has great judgement, and a tremendous commitment to various professional affiliations and committees," Noble said. "We're pretty darn lucky." But Noble said he could not specifically say what made Rodin the ideal choice above others in her field. "That's a tough question," he said. "I guess it was the strength and power of the people who mentioned her. She seemed like the right person." Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson and Wharton junior Dan Debicella said the appointment is "a great honor for the University." "I think she was appointed especially because of her background in psychology, which will lend some insight into the minds of the sick people who would try to hurt the president," Debicella said earlier this week. Rodin earned her doctorate degree in psychology and concentrates on eating disorders in her work. Debicella said he hopes Rodin's appointment would not "take away much time from her duties here at Penn." Noble said the Secret Service must conduct full internal investigations on the appointees before they can begin, adding that he will not know the time commitment involved until the group forms an agenda at its first meeting. Vice President for Government and Community Relations Carol Scheman said Rodin's scholarship and scientific background have "brought enormous standing to the University." "We should not be surprised when she's tapped for these national positions because she is a national figure with quite unique talents," Scheman said, noting that Rodin is also on the President's Council on Advanced Science and Technology, which advises President Clinton on science-related issues. "There are just not a lot of people who operate at the scholarly and public policy leadership level she operates on," Scheman added. Noble said Rodin brings a "fresh perspective" to the panel, as its only representative who is not government-affiliated. The other members appointed to the panel include former Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Carswell, former Transportation Secretary William Coleman, former Energy Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense Charles Duncan and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman David Jones. Noble said Rodin's gender was not a factor in his consideration, although she is the only woman on the panel. "Her record was so extraordinary," he said. "She wasn't picked because she was a woman." Noble said he had difficulty getting Rodin to agree to the position, noting that he spent three to four weeks attempting to contact and persuade her through phone calls and faxes. "I had to work the hardest to get her to say yes because of her commitment to Penn," he added. "We had the Secret Service and everyone else looking for her. "It was a tough sell," Noble said, noting that he did not meet with Rodin in person during the process. Rodin could not be reached for comment for this article.