A decade ago, Penn set a precedent by appointing the first female president to grace the Ivy League. Now, with the nomination of Amy Gutmann for the University's top leadership position, Penn has once again found itself at the forefront of gender equity issues.
"We're lucky as an institution that Penn can think past gender roles," said Luz Marin, administrative coordinator for the University's Alice Paul Center for Research on Women and Gender.
Marin is one of many administrators, professors and students who are looking forward to the arrival of the new female president next fall.
"It's a testament to [current University President Judith] Rodin's legacy that [women] weren't held back because they were women," said Rachel Jonas, vice president for communications of the Penn Society of Women Engineers and a junior in Engineering and Wharton.
Like Jonas, many see Rodin's 1994 appointment as a door-opener for female candidates.
"In the old days, people might have said 'we can't have two women in a row,' but we've moved beyond that," said Demie Kurz, co-director of the Women's Studies Program at Penn.
Marin also acknowledged that there was a time "when women weren't being considered on a level playing field" for high-powered jobs.
But, according to Marin, with the recent reduction of much gender-based prejudice, women can "apply and be considered seriously."
Kurz recognized a similar improvement.
"Now that some of the barriers are broken down ... it enlarges the pool of qualified applicants who can be considered," Kurz said.
Despite the advancement in gender equality, she still cited the presence of a "glass ceiling" that women must face when applying for leadership positions.
"I applaud the search committee for not being hobbled by [these] stereotypes," she said.
And although others are equally enthusiastic about Gutmann's nomination, many saw her gender as a non-issue.
"What's gratifying is that it's not such a big deal," said Andy Binns, chairman of the Biology Department.
Binns said he was most concerned about Gutmann's ability to effectively fulfill the role of president, not about her gender.
"We're getting to the point now where there are so many highly qualified individuals out there of all sexes," he said.
Jonas agreed with Binns' mentality.
"My first priority in looking at the candidate is not that she's a woman, but that she's the best person for the job," she said.
With regards to the shortlist of final candidates that was said to have been circulating around top University officials prior to Gutmann's nomination, Jonas said she sees no problem if the last four considered for the position were indeed all women.
"As long as those four people were decided by parameters [the committee] selected in advance, and these people were the best four for the job, then that's great," she said.
Jonas is eager for what she called "another first for Penn" to get underway.
"I really hope that Ms. Gutmann can follow on the heels of Judith Rodin's success and propel Penn to even greater heights," she said.
Marin seemed to share Jonas' enthusiasm.
"I'm excited about the future," she said.
