Professor Rendell

The curent DNC chair and former mayor taught his first two Penn classes yesterday. Ed Rendell has held many positions in his political career -- district attorney, big-city mayor and now general chairman of the Democratic National Committee. But to the students in the Penn courses he's teaching, he's just Ed. Yesterday, the recently-departed Philadelphia mayor kicked off the semester as an instructor in the Urban Studies Department by holding the first sessions of the two classes he will be teaching this semester, Urban Studies 470 -- "Can Cities Survive" -- and Urban Studies 320/Political Science 320 -- "The Science of Politics: Who Gets Elected and Why." Rendell, a 1965 College graduate, returned to his alma mater to try and help a new generation of students. And in fact, Rendell got his political start at Penn, serving as vice president of the Undergraduate Student Government. From the outset yesterday, Rendell used lessons learned from his own life on the campaign trail to help students understand exactly what was expected of them in his class. "People who work in a campaign sink or swim together," he explained to the 60-plus students assembled for last night's Urban Studies 320 lecture. "And that's going to be true here too." But the campaign Rendell was talking about wasn't one of his runs for mayor or district attorney -- both positions he has sought, and won, throughout his political career. Instead, Rendell was referring to the campaigns his students would be running themselves. As their cumulative project for the semester, students will apply what Rendell teaches them to design their own campaigns, with groups of five students guiding one of four fictional candidates toward victory in the mock election of Urban Studies 320. Students in the lecture class will learn aspects of campaigning, ranging from campaign finance, to the role of media in politics, to how endorsements influence an election. And it will all be done by combining Rendell's on-the-job experience with the knowledge of the guest lecturers he intends to bring to class this semester. "Mass media has changed it all," Rendell proclaimed when providing students with an overview of issues they will encounter in the coming semester. As proof, Rendell explained to students how he strategically crafted statements released to the press in an especially conservative district during a past campaign. "You should always remember where you are and who you're talking to," he continued. The students in the seminar class will also use group projects to enhance their understanding of urban issues, but will do so from a policy rather than campaign perspective. "He wants us to look at real problems and consequences and come up with real solutions," explained College senior Jessica Oliff, a history major enrolled in the course. Rendell's political prominence prompted 50 students to apply for the 20 slots in his seminar and over 500 students to pre-register for his lecture. However, only 50 undergraduates and 10 graduate students were eventually admitted into the larger class. Dozens more arrived to class last night in hopes of gaining enrollment. "The reasons I'm taking this class are probably obvious," said College senior Elizabeth Cohen, a political science major who managed to enroll in Urban Studies 320 last November. "You can probably learn more from his experience than from any professor who has been here for 20 years." Yet despite Rendell's political achievements, students remained most impressed by his commitment to teaching the classes. "He really seems to want to be involved with students," College junior Gina LaPlaca said. "He cares about what the students get out of the class." Rendell himself is no stranger to city political issues. During his eight-year tenure as Philadelphia's mayor, Rendell saved the city's floundering economy, balanced the budget and revitalized the Center City area with projects such as the Avenue for the Arts and the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Perhaps his crowning achievement is luring this summer's 2000 Republican Convention to the city. Rendell was appointed general chairman of the Democratic National Committee by President Clinton in September because of his well-known fundraising prowess. He will spend the months leading up to the presidential elections fundraising for Democratic candidates and is expected to launch a campaign for governor in 2002. Rendell's wife, the U.S. Circuit Court Judge Marjorie Rendell, is a 1969 Penn alumna and University Trustee. Son Jesse is currently a Penn sophomore.

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