After seven months as a top presidential advisor, Penn Political Science Professor John DiIulio resigned earlier this month from his post at the White House to return to the University.
DiIulio, who has been on leave since January, will return to Penn next month and resume teaching this spring.
On Aug. 17, DiIulio stepped down as head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives -- a cornerstone of President Bush's compassionate conservative agenda -- and became the first senior Bush official to resign. DiIulio cited both his pledge to return to teaching and concerns about his health as reasons for his departure.
Bush brought DiIulio to Washington to head up the faith-based initiative, which was designed to increase the flow of federal funds to religious-based charities and organizations.
But during his seven-month tenure inside the Beltway, DiIulio faced criticism from groups and politicians on both sides of the debate over federal funding for non-profit, religious organizations. Many decried the constitutional legitimacy of devoting federal money to any organizations based in religion, and DiIulio, as the figurehead of the initiative, found himself caught in a national debate.
"I always felt we should start in the center and stay in the center," DiIulio said. "I wish I would have been able to be more effective early on in persuading people that the political science of it was right."
DiIulio originally said he would be in Washington for six months, which Bush officials thought was ample time for Congress to pass the initiative. But the legislation did not sit well with Senate Democrats or religious conservatives, creating unexpected difficulties for the future of the bill.
DiIulio's resignation came just a single day after he accomplished one of his largest goals, with the office's release of an extensive report showing that a large gap exists between the funding of secular and non-secular organizations across the nation.
Despite his critics, DiIulio said he believes he accomplished what he set out to do.
"I was asked to come into a Republican organization as a Democrat," DiIulio said. "I was asked to make sure some legislation went through the House and the Senate. I was asked to produce a report on the state of federal funding for nonprofit groups.
"There's no one way to do this," he added. "Somebody has to be wrong."
No successor has been named for DiIulio's position, but some observers believe that the office will be maintained and that the goals set by DiIulio and Bush will be reached.
"I do think there is a commitment to this program," Political Science Professor Henry Teune said. "I don't think they're going to just walk away from it. There are too many expectations."
"Certainly there's going to be a difficult transition while they look for new leadership," Smith added. "In the end, we're likely to get some faith-based cooperation, but not nearly as much as President Bush hoped for."
DiIulio said he believes the office will survive the change in leadership.
"I think it's going to go forward," DiIulio said. "I think the office will continue to have an important role in advancing this issue."
Although he will not teach a course this fall, DiIulio said he plans to gradually resume control of both the Fels Center of Government and the Fox Leadership Program, both of which he helped create.
He will teach an Introduction to American Politics course this spring, as well as one other course which has yet to be determined.
Political Science Professor Rogers Smith said he believes DiIulio was successful in his efforts to bridge the gap between the extremes of the debate.
"I think he appears to have done his job fairly well overall," Smith said. "This is politically controversial stuff, and no one could have steered clear of the controversy."
DiIulio's colleagues were pleased to hear that he would be returning to teach in the department.
"It's a relief to me personally that he'll be here and he'll be playing an active role this fall," Political Science Department Chairman Jack Nagel said. "His selection, his integrity and commitment reflects well on him, and we're delighted to share in the glory."
Nagel added he was concerned about DiIulio's health, which began to deteriorate during his time in Washington. The professor was commuting daily from his home in Philadelphia.
"I'm really pleased for John's own sake that he's decided to come back," Nagel said. "Even for someone with his own prodigious energy and capacity, he was putting himself at risk."
