Penn is now largely alone in the search for a president after Rice and Duke universities announced the conclusion of their successful searches in mid-December.
On Dec. 17, the trustees at Rice University announced that David Leebron, dean of the Columbia School of Law, would be moving to Texas to assume the office of president at the Houston school.
The week before, on Dec. 12, Duke University announced that Robert Brodhead, currently the dean of Yale College, would be taking the helm of the North Carolina school this summer.
With the Rice and Duke searches over, it still remains unclear whether any candidates -- Leebron, Brodhead or otherwise -- were being simultaneously courted by more than one school.
"My guess is that we were" looking at candidates being considered by other schools, said James Pomerantz, a professor of psychology and search committee member at Rice.
"It's kind of this funny guessing game, but I would say the odds are pretty high given the similarities of the three schools," he said.
After a search that began last May, Duke decided on Brodhead, who received his bachelor's, master's and doctorate from Yale.
After completing his Ph.D., Brodhead began teaching English at Yale, where he served as a professor and later as chair of the English Department, before being appointed to the position of dean at Yale College.
Brodhead replaces Nannerl Keohane, who announced on March 1, 2003, that she would be stepping down in June 2004 after 11 years as president of Duke.
"The reaction here at Duke ... has just been uniformly positive and enthusiastic," said David Jarmul, a spokesman for Duke.
"We've just heard nothing but praise and support for the decision," Jarmul said. "We think that Brodhead is just a perfect match for us," he added.
Those at Rice are similarly enthusiastic about their new president.
"There were just so many qualities" that made Leebron an attractive candidate, Pomerantz said.
Pomerantz cited Leebron's "sheer intelligence ... his demonstrated record as an administrator" and "his personal manner" among the many qualities that made Leebron an attractive candidate for Rice -- and what the trustees hope is a perfect fit for the university.
It took eight months of searching to find the right person to replace Malcolm Gillis, who announced in December 2002 that he would step down on June 30, 2004.
Leebron -- a Philadelphia native -- received his B.A. and law degree from Harvard University before teaching at New York University Law School. He moved to Columbia in 1989 and was later appointed dean in 1996.
"I am excited by this new opportunity, but sad that I will be leaving Columbia," Leebron said in an open letter on the law school's Web site.
