There has been quite a buzz around campus about the identity of Penn's incoming president, former Princeton Provost Amy Gutmann.
While questions have been raised regarding her fundraising and business experience, one issue has pervaded over them all.
"The real question is how long it will take for her to start rooting for Penn against Princeton," Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky said.
"We're going to be the ones paying her."
Aside from all the administrative concerns posed inside College Hall, Gutmann will have her hands full with the booming presence just down the street of Franklin Field and the Palestra, both sacred grounds that Penn fans hold dear to their hearts.
Unlike at Penn, the Princeton Athletic Department does not report through the Provost's Office. Gutmann, however, was still involved in athletic issues at Princeton.
"She was involved in most of the major central issues of the university, including the budget," Bilsky said.
Gutmann also approved funding to the Stephens Fitness Center last year, and added athletic trainers to Princeton University Health Services.
While the lack of direct contact with athletics could be a concern for avid Penn sports fans, members of Penn's Board of Trustees have allayed any worries Bilsky may have had about her qualifications.
"The search committee was heavily laden with people very supportive of athletics," Bilsky said. "They indicated to me they feel very strongly about her, not just as a president, but with her views about athletics and athletics at Penn.
"If they're comfortable about it, then I am too."
Bilsky also said he hopes to have as close a working relationship with Gutmann as he currently does with outgoing President Judith Rodin.
"From my standpoint, [Rodin] did all the things that we talked about, took the time to understand all the athletic issues, and when the time came to be a strong advocate for Penn, she was," he said. "I will miss that, but I look forward to building the same type of relationship with Amy Gutmann."
Gutmann will be the third new Ivy League president in three years, giving the Ivy Council meetings on athletics a whole new dynamic for upcoming years.
"It's like a whole new group of justices were elected to the Supreme Court," Bilsky said. "The chemistry that develops amongst the presidents is always very interesting to witness and very unpredictable."
However, Bilsky said there is currently a "lull" in sports issues facing the Ivy League, so Gutmann will not have a baptism by fire. Additionally, Rodin will be making her final appearance representing Penn at the Ivy Council this June.
"The timing of it from an athletic perspective is very good," he said. "There's nothing really burning for Penn so she will have time to get into that position."
While Gutmann may have other items on her Penn agenda before sports, she will find out quickly just how high the expectations are for Penn athletics.
"What she's going to grasp very early is the spirit and enthusiasm and importance that a wide variety of constituents place on athletics at Penn," Bilsky said. "I'm sure that that was covered [in the hearing], but hearing it and feeling it are slightly different."
