After months of searching, the administration has named Penn Police Chief Maureen Rush as the new vice president for public safety.
Rush took over the position immediately after the decision was announced last week. She had been serving as vice president on an interim basis since October.
Executive Vice President John Fry, who headed the committee that made the final decision, said Rush will be a good match for the position.
"We were committed to finding the absolute best candidate for the job... and in the end, the best person won," Fry said at a commendation ceremony Tuesday night.
"It's a real tribute to the strength of this police department, and to the people of this police department, that the new vice president comes from within the department," he added.
Rush was the only internal candidate to apply.
University President Judith Rodin had the final interview with Rush and one other candidate.
"She rose through a group of quite talented candidates. She had a lot of challengers and earned the right to this position in the view of those whose input we sought," Rodin said.
Rush said she was thrilled with the decision.
"I feel wonderful," she said. "On a more serious note, I'm very honored by the faith that both Fry and Rodin have placed in me. It's a big job."
Rush, 47, has been with the University of Pennsylvania Police Department for seven years. She started as director of Special Services in 1994, and was then named chief of police in 1996.
During her stint as chief, Rush worked to build the stature of the department -- most notably striving to attain national accreditation, which Penn received in March -- and plans to continue doing the same as vice president for public safety.
"I intend to lead the division in the successful direction that it had been going in for the last five years," Rush said.
Before coming to Penn, Rush worked at the Philadelphia Police Department.
Officials throughout the Division of Public Safety congratulated Rush on the new job.
"The powers that be apparently recognized the job she did as chief," Deputy Chief of Investigations William Danks said. "Public Safety is going to go forward, especially in her hands."
Although Fire and Occupational Safety is the only area in which Rush has not worked first-hand, department employee Ted Bateman said he and his colleagues are very excited to be working with Rush.
"She will move the whole division forward in a concerted effort, and as an entire entity. She's very well in tune with what our mission in Fire and Occupational Services is," he said.
With her promotion, Rush becomes the highest ranking openly homosexual University official -- something she says has had little impact on her professional life.
"I've always looked at gender and sexual orientation as another part of my life, but nothing that makes or breaks what I do in my career," she said.
"But it is wonderful to work in such an institution where diversity is welcome," she added. "It's a comforting feeling to know that as a sexual minority."
The quest for a new vice president began last October, when then-Vice President Thomas Seamon stepped down to head the private security and consulting firm TrainLogic, Inc.
There were close to 70 applicants for the open position, which was whittled to 10, then five and then two through a series of interviews and evaluations.
Fry had initially promised the position would be filled by February, but pushed the deadline back to March, and then April.
"Of all of the searches for vice president at Penn... this was both the longest in terms of seeking out candidates and the most inclusive in terms of involving many members of the community," Rodin said. "We did that because we really feel that Public Safety is a community function in addition to a policing function, and we really wanted the input."
Rush said she was not frustrated by the length of the process.
"Issues were always well-communicated, the process was moving along, and I knew that something like this takes time," she said.
All parties were pleased that the decision was made before this year's Commencement -- a factor Rush was particularly concerned about after the deadlines for the decision kept passing.
"I thought it was very important, as did the president and executive vice president, that the student body be here for the decision," Rush said.
As vice president for public safety, Rush will oversee all three elements of the division -- the police department, special services and fire and occupational safety.
The first project Rush will face is finding someone to fill the position she has now left vacant.
"We'll embark upon a search for the chief of police position, and hopefully place a chief in here by late June or early July," she said.
Rush does not plan to stray far in the search, and already Deputy Chief of Operations Michael Fink -- who has been acting as chief in the interim -- has emerged as a front-runner for the job.
"We'll start the search initially within the division," Rush said. "We feel pretty confident that we have the right talent within the Penn Police Department to fill the position."
Fink declined to comment on the search as the details of the process have not been announced yet, but he made it clear that he does intend to apply for the position.
