Colleagues say that John Fry's skills will serve him well as a president.

The announcement yesterday that John Fry was stepping down as executive vice president at Penn to fill Franklin and Marshall College's presidential vacancy came as a surprise to some people in the University community, but not to everyone.

While the F&M; Board of Trustees announced him as their choice only yesterday afternoon, a number of signs that Fry would be packing his bags had already surfaced over the past few months.

In early January, the University of Vermont announced that Fry was one of the four finalists for its vacant presidency. Later in the month, Fry withdrew himself from the search, citing both professional and personal reasons for the decision.

Colleagues said that yesterday's news may indicate that Fry's withdrawal from the UVM candidacy came about as the prospects for appointment at F&M; -- a school much closer to his suburban Philadelphia home -- grew more likely.

"Clearly, when John withdrew from [the presidential race at] Vermont, he was already in this process," University President Judith Rodin said.

Throughout his UVM candidacy, Fry made no public indication that he was among F&M;'s final picks, even though its 10-month search had already narrowed the candidate pool to 14 prospects by December.

According to University Treasurer and Vice President for Financial Affairs Craig Carnaroli, Fry has had his eye on moving into the highest tier of higher education administration for quite some time.

"We're all just thrilled for John because it's been a lifelong goal for him to be a university president," Carnaroli said.

Vice President for Business Services Leroy Nunery added that he wasn't surprised to hear Fry's decision.

"It's not a total shock," Nunery said. "Somebody of his caliber is seen as college president material."

Fry himself even admitted that becoming a university president has been a long-term goal of his.

Nonetheless, the former partner at the management consulting firm of Coopers and Lybrand will be faced with a whole new set of challenges and a very different kind of environment at F&M.;

"There's a much bigger portfolio of activities at Penn," School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston said.

Preston explained that because of F&M;'s smaller size, Fry will be dealing with "a more compact set of objectives" than he has faced at Penn.

While his decision to leave will create a huge void in Penn's top-level administration, it comes at a time when the University is in stable condition, thanks in large part to Fry himself.

Since 1995, Fry's list of accomplishments has grown extensively. Most notably, he has led the development and implementation of the Agenda for Excellence, initiated a landmark facilities outsourcing arrangement with the Trammell Crow Company and expanded Penn's real estate horizons with a planned movie theater deal, as well as retail establishments like the Freshgrocer and the shops at Sansom Common.

Fry also played a key role in the development of the University City District, an organization devoted to the welfare and improvement of Penn's local community. He also serves as its chairman, although no specific announcement about his future in that post was made yesterday.

Former UCD Executive Director Paul Steinke said that Fry was the creative force behind the organization's development.

"There is no question that the UCD exists today because of John," Steinke said.

Fry "has been part of the team that led to all of the changes we've made and really played a great leadership role in all of that," Rodin added. "On the other hand, we're proud of those accomplishments and we'll continue to build on them."

Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate Services Omar Blaik said that despite Fry's departure he is confident that the University will continue with its aggressive efforts to make Penn one of the country's best urban campuses.

"Had he left five or six years ago, it... would have been a bigger loss," Blaik said.

"John has really been a major force in executing Penn's plans for revitalization of the campus," Blaik added. "We are in a better position today than we were four or five years ago... in terms of organizational capacity and leadership."

Furthermore, Rodin said that Fry's departure, while a blow to the University, will allow Penn to bring in new ideas.

"Although it's not a good time for him to leave any time, from my time this is the best possible time because we're thinking about new things and different things and sometimes fresh ideas energize the progress," Rodin said.

Steinke added, "Whenever you lose someone of John's stature, it's going to be a shock," but said he believes the UCD will be able to remain strong despite the impending loss of Fry's leadership.

On a different level, the loss of Fry as an administrator follows a trend at the University. Penn has become a breeding ground for future university presidents over the past several years.

All in all, Fry will be the fourth administrator to leave for an outside college presidency in the last five years.

Former Engineering School Dean Gregory Farrington left in 1998 to become Lehigh University's president. Former Vice President and Chief of Staff Stephen Schutt was elected president of Lake Forest College a year ago.

And just this past weekend, former Law School Dean Colin Diver was named president of Reed College in Portland, Ore., effective this July.

Rodin said that this trend is a reflection of how successfully Penn is evolving as an academic institution.

"People are taking notice of what we do here, and higher education is very aware that Penn, among many institutions, is making meteor progress," Rodin said. "Universities are not usually seen as being able to change themselves, and I think we are perceived to have changed over the past five years."

In spite of Fry's decision to leave, he has been a crucial player behind the significant changes that Penn has experienced over the past six years, and those who know him best say the soon-to-be vacant post will be a hard one to fill.

"It's a huge loss for Penn and a huge gain for Franklin and Marshall," Carnaroli said. "The contributions and the impact that he's made will be very long lasting."

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