Penn not straying far to fill major vacancies

Just a few weeks ago, Penn formed a committee to find a new Health System chief executive officer and Medical School dean. If recent history is anything to go by, this search will be long and pricey, surveying people from all over the country. But in the end, a Penn person will land the job. Whether it's the Philadelphia atmosphere, University leadership or Penn's salary offers, academics from other schools simply have not come to Penn in recent years. The last five major administrative appointees -- for provost, School of Arts and Sciences dean, Engineering School dean, Wharton dean and Law School dean -- were all faculty members at Penn. Experts say that though institutions typically vary in whether they go internal or external, Penn's recent hirings are unusual. "The pattern in higher education is typically to go to the outside," said Bruce Alton, a senior consultant for Academic Search Consultation Service. Bill Bowen of the executive recruiting firm Heidrick & Struggles noted that jobs go to insiders in only about half of searches -- though Penn has gone with the inside guy every time in the past two years. Now Penn is recruiting faces for what might be their biggest challenge yet -- finding a new leader for the beleaguered Health System. After William Kelley was forced out last February, Peter Traber served as his replacement for less than six months. He then left over the summer to work for a drug company. After these troubled months, some people wonder whether Penn will be able to draw a leader from another institution. University President Judith Rodin said she will consider candidates from both pools. However, a source close to the administration said that when a school is in crisis, it is often better to go external -- as was done when Gary Hack arrived in 1996 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to revamp the Graduate School of Fine Arts. However, it can be logistically difficult to move people from schools where they are established, in areas where they have settled with families. Rodin acknowledged that it is "complex to move distinguished senior people" from other institutions. Bioengineering Department Chairman Daniel Hammer -- who sits on the committee to find a vice provost for research -- added that personal issues are increasingly preventing people from changing institutions. "When push comes to shove, [candidates] think about how difficult it is to move my family," Hammer said. But even from within, administrative posts are looking less and less attractive to professors. Hack said that the life of a professor simply is more appealing than the life of a dean -- both at Penn and other institutions. "The best job at the University is being a faculty member," Hack said. "Most faculty members do not consider a dean being a promotion. They consider it a sacrifice." Richard Herring, who chaired the committee that named then-Law School Professor Michael Fitts to that school's deanship, said that he knew of at least three cases where internal faculty members did not agree to become candidates until well into the process and after several consuming external searches. "Quite frequently, people who were initially not candidates became candidates," Herring said. "Well into the process, they were persuaded to change their minds." Many were glad that people did step up, saying that it helps to have someone already familiar with Penn in a top position. "I honestly think it's a tribute to the strength of the faculty," Rodin said. Communications Professor Larry Gross, chair of the Faculty Senate, said that it helps to have someone without the "institutional baggage" of another school. Gross was also on the committee that helped recommend Provost Robert Barchi to his position in the spring of 1999. Before that, Barchi chaired the Neurology and Neuroscience Department in the School of Medicine. "An internal person has a lot of institutional knowledge that allows them to get going with things quicker," Hack added. But most said that there was nothing about Penn or its leadership that would turn people off and stop them from coming here. "Penn is a very attractive institution," Bowen said. "Penn is not viewed in a negative light."

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