STAFF EDITORIAL: At last, a new Wharton dean

We welcome Patrick Harker to the permanent dean's post. But we are troubled as to why the process again took so long. First and foremost, we congratulate Harker on his new position. He brings a valuable combination of youth and experience to the post, and we hope that he is up to the numerous challenges before him. Chief among these is fostering innovation in the way Wharton delivers its educational content. Rapid advances in technology are opening new doors to the classroom for students on campus and, through distance education, across the world. It bears noting, too, that technology is changing the very content of education, as evidenced by Wharton's new program in electronic commerce. We are strongly encouraged by the new dean's commitment to making Wharton a state-of-the-art learning environment. We also expect to see fundraising, interdisciplinary programs and Huntsman Hall's construction near the top of Harker's agenda. But while the 12th dean in the history of the Wharton School prepares to take office, we are faced by a nagging question: What took so long? The University's last four major academic appointments -- the provost and the deans of Engineering, Wharton and the School of Arts and Sciences -- each required searches of well more than a year. By contrast, the presidential search that yielded Judith Rodin lasted about seven months, and most searches nationally take around six months. It is unclear, however, why these searches have taken so abnormally long. We recognize that searches of this gravity take time. And of course, the administration is correct in exercising due caution when selecting its long-term leadership. But there is a competing interest here, that of keeping the ivory tower from growing stagnant under non-permanent direction. In more cases than not, interim officials can do no more than tread water. Potential donors will not make gifts in the absence of a permanent dean's long-term strategic vision, and academic innovation comes to a virtual halt. In the business world -- and at most business schools -- the length of these searches would be unacceptable. The ramifications of poor or delayed decisions demand that high-level positions not remain vacant for long. So while we welcome Harker to his new post, we hope that administrators will proceed with greater speed to fill vacant posts now and in the future.