Building upon prestige

When John DiIulio came to Penn during the summer of 1999, University administrators lauded the Political Science professor as the spark plug that would energize a beleaguered department. With his impressive academic credentials and widespread notoriety, they said, DiIulio would become a true political science superstar, helping attract much-neeeded staff and prestige to a department that had been the victim of mass faculty defections and bad publicity. On Monday, DiIulio proved those administrators at least partly right, when President Bush nominated the 1980 College alumnus to head a White House office charged with coordinating the dispersement of federal funds to faith-based social programs. DiIulio's appointment to the Bush Administration is, without question, a remarkable tribute to an even more remarkable thinker. Likewise, it's a tremendous feather in the cap of both the Political Science department and the University. To that end, we congratulate DiIulio and wish him well as he assumes control of an office that is virtually certain to become a hotbed of controversy and debate. But along with our pride, we can't help but be reminded that the nation's gain is going to be the University's loss. According to reports, DiIulio's appointment may take him away from campus for anywhere from six months to a full year. And those could be just conservative estimates. During that time , Penn will be denied the research and teaching skills of one its finest. Students won't be able to sit in on a DiIulio lecture. Professors won't be able to exchange thoughts with one of the preeminant theorists in the political world. And the Political Science department -- understaffed, underexperienced and generally underwhelming -- will be reduced once again to just a shell of what it should be That's a pretty dramatic shift in character, considering it reflects the temporary departure of just one professor. Since DiIulio came to Penn nearly two years ago, not a single new full professor has joined him at Stiteler Hall. But this week's announcement changes the playing field dramatically, as it bolsters the reputation of the Political Science department and opens up discussion about the University's strength within the discipline, even outside the traditional academic circles. That's why Penn needs to respond to the DiIulio appointment with a strong, redoubled effort to attract faculty and resources to the Political Science department. While the short-term absence of one of Penn's great professors will definitely leave a void on campus for the next year or so, the long-term benefits to be gained through DiIulio's new prestige may provide for the University for years to come. And that's an opportunity that Penn can't afford to pass up.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.