Rodin's lessons in leadership

University President Judith Rodin addressed the sorority members of Alpha Chi Omega last night in a closed-door, question-and-answer session that focused on the subject of women as leaders. The event, which took place in the Terrace Room of Logan Hall, took the form of an informal conversation. This intimate setting and the dialogue that it created engaged everyone in the room. "I'm very excited about tonight," Vice President of Chapter Relations for Alpha Chi Omega Laura Prostic said. "It gives us a unique opportunity to interact with the president of the University on a personal level. "Alpha Chi Omega is elated to have one of the most successful women come to speak to us and share her personal stories," the College junior added. Rodin, herself a Penn sorority alumna, devoted much of the discussion to issues facing women in today's society and spoke at length about her personal experiences. The first question Rodin faced was whether she felt intimidated at being the first female president of an Ivy League university. "The whole first year, people referred to me as the first woman president," Rodin said. "It was attached to my name. I saw it as a real responsibility. "The intimidating thing is to be a role model when you don't think of yourself as anything other than a person, and I have felt the advantages and pressures of that," Rodin continued. On the topic of women as leaders in society, Rodin pointed to an evolution of female groundbreakers. She spoke of an earlier generation of women who sacrificed their families for their careers. Next came her own generation, who "wanted to see if we could have it all... and made a lot of compromises." Rodin then said that the current generation of women faces "a time of great challenge" as they grapple with the issue of balancing career and family. At the same time, her own generation of female leaders consciously "left the ladder down" for a younger generation to climb. "It's a great time to be a woman," Rodin said. "I think the glass ceilings have come down a lot." When a student asked if Rodin would consider running for the U.S. presidency, she did not rule out the possibility. "I don't have a great yearning to run for elected office, so I don't know what's next," she said. "I believe in serendipity, and so much of life's outcome is good luck, if you're good enough. I've been very lucky." Rodin was then asked about things as varied as eating disorders, how to be a good leader, her personal mentors, her experience as a sorority woman and war with Iraq. Her responses -- direct and at times humorous -- struck the audience as overwhelmingly honest. "I think it's really awesome how open she is about everything," College freshman Rachel Dodson said. "She's willing to talk about topics that other people avoid." College senior Becky Tracy was also thrilled with the event. "I'm a member of the [Undergraduate Assembly], so I went to dinner with Judy Rodin last week, and she is my hero," Tracy said. "She really inspired me to go into everything with my full effort. I think she's a really good role model for the girls on campus." Tracy was not the only member of the sorority to be inspired by Rodin's talk. Alpha Chi Omega President Vivian Rotter said the conversation met her high expectations. "I think that she serves as an inspiration more than anything else," Rotter said. "I really liked what she said about balance between family and career -- just that you have to go for it. I think that is the first honest answer to that. "I feel honored that she took the time to come."