After Wednesday's announcement that Afaf Meleis will take over the Nursing deanship, reactions among the school were uncharacteristically mixed, ranging from surprise to pleasure -- and even disappointment.
Meleis, who hails from the University of California-San Francisco, will take over the position next January. Gerontology Professor Neville Strumpf has served as the interim dean for more than a year.
Meleis was selected from a field of four candidates, one of whom was internal. Sources have repeatedly identified Strumpf as the internal candidate. The search committee chairwoman, Graduate School of Education Dean Susan Fuhrman, would neither confirm or deny this.
While some expressed enthusiasm at the naming of the new dean, others seemed disappointed that Strumpf wasn't being signed on permanently.
One Nursing source, for instance, said that members of the close-knit school were shocked at the selection of Meleis over Strumpf, whom many students and professors knew well and praised highly.
Interim Undergraduate Dean Kathleen McCauley lauded Strumpf's tenure as interim dean, and expressed mild disappointment that she wasn't appointed permanently.
"I had mixed reactions," McCauley said. "I think Dr. Strumpf has just been phenomenal.
"It was a benefit having her lead at a crucial time in the school," she added.
Professor Lois Evans agreed.
"It is very important that the strength of her leadership be noted," said Evans, who has worked with Strumpf for 17 years. "The school didn't skip a beat and she has re-established important values for research, education and practice."
Serving as interim dean for more than a year, Strumpf has succeeded in increasing research dollars, balancing the school's budget and maintaining morale.
Neither Strumpf nor Meleis could be reached for comment.
Meleis' appointment breaks from a recent trend of appointing internal candidates to top positions in the University.
The five academic administrative appointments prior to the recent selection of Arthur Rubenstein as Health System Executive Vice President and Medical School Dean -- who came from New York's Mt. Sinai hospital -- have all drawn upon internal candidates.
One source said the committee likely preferred an outsider with experiences and expertise unique from Penn; the past two Nursing deans have both come from within the University.
And a Penn administrator said that because University President Judith Rodin has placed such a premium on diversity, the committee may have gone with Meleis for her expertise on nursing across cultures.
"That's been one of her important things," the administrator said.
The source also noted that Meleis has focused a lot on women's issues, again citing these as in line with Rodin's preferences.
Anne Keane, a member of the search committee, did, in fact, laud Meleis for her international accomplishments.
Meleis "is a citizen of the world," the Interim Associate Dean for Graduate and Professional Studies said. "Her scholarly interests, such as women's health and gender minority issues, are very timely and fit very well into Penn's sphere of influence."
Sources said it was particularly unusual for Penn to look outside its own for a new leader given the particular strength of the Nursing School.
But Fuhrman defended the selection of an outsider, saying that the school was only looking for the best fit for the job.
"We look for the best person in each case," Fuhrman said. "There is no preference for an outsider or insider."
"In all good faith, nobody was on the short list who shouldn't have been on the short list," Keene added. "There are strengths to picking an insider and an outsider. Since the beginning, [the committee] has tried to have a comprehensive look across the country. We have looked at Penn and outside of Penn."
While many praised Strumpf, many also noted that they simply didn't know Meleis on a personal level.
Strumpf is "very gracious and charming and very considerate," said Betsy Weiss, an administrative assistant in the Center for the Study of the History of Nursing. But that's "not to say that the one that's chosen's not good."
Weiss continued to praise Strumpf's tenure, saying she was impressed that Strumpf managed to run the school as long as she did.
"This is a real political school," she explained.
