Rendell shares insider's advice with UA

While effective political leadership may seem rare to many, Democratic National Committee Chairman Ed Rendell says the key is to focus on relevant things that politicians can actually change. The 1965 Penn graduate and former Philadelphia mayor discussed his political experiences with the Undergraduate Assembly last night, providing the student leaders with advice on how to be effective political leaders. Rendell -- who served as the vice president of men's student government in the 1960s and is currently teaching two Urban Studies courses at Penn -- spoke at the final meeting of the current UA's term. "I've always believed that the efforts of any governmental body [are to] focus on things they can change," he said. Rendell illustrated this by describing his own experiences in student politics. "Student government wasn't very relevant in the '60s," he said. "We got up debating about side issues," he later added, explaining that the student governing body spent time debating national and international issues at the time rather than focus on Penn issues. Rendell also added that leadership experience in student government is valuable for anyone -- whether they wish to pursue a political career or not. "Political skills are involved in literally all careers -- this is a great learning process for anything you do," he said. He added that, among these skills, compromise and communication are especially important in all sectors of society. "It's important to have your eye on the big picture [and] learn to compromise on the way," Rendell added. Rendell also commented on the campus changes since his Penn days. He said he was impressed with students' increased involvement with the West Philadelphia community. "In the '60s, Penn was doing a bad job of involving students in the urban experience -- [there was] no relationship with West Philly," Rendell said. He added that Penn's involvement with its neighbors today hardly resembles what it was 40 years ago. While Rendell concluded his informal talk by encouraging some of the current leaders to pursue political careers, he also had advice for those who would pursue other interests. "I hope you will bring an understanding of government to [the career] you choose," Rendell said, "and that you participate and be a giver." UA Chairman Michael Silver said he was very moved by Rendell's words. "He was very engaging," the College senior said, adding that it was great to hear Rendell speak outside of a classroom and political setting. The assembly also discussed budget requests and ongoing projects, including meeting Provost Robert Barchi tomorrow to discuss further developments in the UA's financial aid agenda, basketball courts and Rosengarten Reserve renovations.

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