Rodin selects Wofford aide as chief of staff

Washington writer also hired Assembling the best administrative team in all of American higher education is no easy task. Just ask University President Judith Rodin, who is still trying to round out her staff roster to accomplish this goal -- almost seven months after taking office. Rodin took another step toward finishing the job yesterday, welcoming two new advisors from Washington to College Hall. Chief of Staff Stephen Schutt, who held a similar position with former U.S. Senator Harris Wofford (D – Pa.), and Staff Writer Jeff Hartman joined new Director of the President's Office Linda Gilvear, whose appointment was announced last week. All three began the week in their new posts. However, Rodin is still searching for a permanent Executive Vice President, director of the Office of Affirmative Action and director of the African American Resource Center. Gilvear, Schutt and Hartman will be working in an environment markedly different from the one left behind by former University President Sheldon Hackney, Rodin said. Former Interim President Claire Fagin began the task of administrative restructuring by thinning out the number of middle-management personnel, and the positions Gilvear, Schutt and Hartman now hold resemble those recommended by a preliminary Coopers & Lybrand report Fagin commissioned last year. "[Gilvear and Schutt] are replacing Linda Hyatt and John Wells Gould, but their jobs are different," said University spokeswoman Barbara Beck. Gilvear, who spearheaded the recently-concluded Campaign for Penn, said last week she planned to spend many of her first days on the job "organizing my thoughts, prioritizing what needs to be done first." But while Gilvear may be performing mental gymnastics this week, Schutt and Hartman -- having just arrived from Washington -- will be learning their way around Locust Walk and attempting to meet as many people as possible. Schutt, a 1983 graduate of the University Law School, worked as an attorney and in state government before spending more than three years as chief of staff for Wofford. As chief of staff, Schutt recruited, hired and supervised campaign workers and devised and implemented legislative initiatives. He also directed a $13 million fund-raising effort. Schutt said he wanted to work with Wofford -- who was president of Bryn Mawr College before being appointed to the Senate by former Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey -- because of Wofford's ties and commitment to higher education. Schutt added that the experience he gained while running Wofford's office should prove invaluable in his new role at the University -- where one of his responsibilities will be acting as a liaison between the president's office and many campus constituencies. "This University is a large place -- with many people, who have many legitimate needs that are not always in concert with each other," he said. "[But] they all need to be looked at and dealt with." Schutt will also be engaged in economic development planning and policy-making activities, assisting Rodin in achieving her priorities for the University. "It's a very exciting thing in life to join with somebody who really has a vision, and to try to accomplish that vision," he said, referring to Rodin's undergraduate education and administrative restructuring plans. Hartman, who is Rodin's new staff writer, will also be active in the implementation of the 21st Century Project on Undergraduate Education by serving as a liaison to a variety of student activities. "Some have remarked that I'm good with hot air," he said, acknowledging that his previous job was with the Natural Gas Supply Association. "[But] it looks like I'll be handling some of the correspondence duties and speechwriting assignments." A 1990 graduate of the College of William and Mary with a degree in English and a Princeton native, Hartman said he is glad to be at the University. "I enjoy writing," Hartman said. "I never believed that I could earn a living writing, and in that sense I am very appreciative of [this] opportunity." Rodin echoed her new employees' enthusiasm. "[Schutt and Hartman] will be significant additions to the Penn community and wonderful additions to my office," she said. "[They] will add strength and staff support where we need it."

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