STAFF EDITORIAL: Diversity in the upper ranks

The University should make an active effort to recruit and hire more women for major posts in the administration. Reflective of a larger national trend, women hold only a small minority of leadership positions across the Ivy League and higher education. But Penn -- the only Ivy school with a woman as its permanent president -- is in a unique position with regards to its peer institutions. Many high-level vacancies have opened in the administration over the last several years. The University, however, has failed to capitalize on opportunities to increase diversity in its administrative ranks. Diversity is a virtue to be welcomed and embraced, one that betters the University and society. To that end, the University should more actively recruit and hire the most talented female candidates for senior-level positions. The best measure of an institution's commitment to these ideals is the hard results of its efforts, and Penn's track record over the last several years has been unimpressive. We recognize that many doors to higher education for women were only opened in the last few decades, and that many doors remain closed to women in the professional world. But we refuse to believe that Penn cannot do a better job recruiting and hiring the most qualified female candidates from business and academia for high-level posts. We are not calling for numerical quotas -- that one or two or nine of the next 10 administrators appointed should be female. We only ask that the University make a concerted effort to bring in more women of talent and ability. Penn was the first Ivy League school to appoint a woman to its presidency, and should continue that tradition of forward thought and action. The University can and should be a leader in this area. As more top posts become vacant over time, we encourage administrators to think of diversity as but another trait a candidate can bring to his -- or her -- position.