While administrative shake-ups are a necessary part of any presidential transition, it is unlikely that the University will see any major changes immediately after Amy Gutmann takes office in July.
Aside from filling the already vacant chief of staff and vice president for development and alumni relations positions, Gutmann will likely maintain the current administrative structure -- at least for the early days of her term.
Though past presidents have implemented changes in administrative structure -- adding, removing or changing positions and those who fill them -- such changes usually did not occur until some time after the president took office.
"A new president comes in and lives with the people who are there for a while" to see if their leadership styles are compatible, said Executive Assistant to the Provost Linda Koons, who has been at the University through several administration changes.
Harold Shapiro, who served as Princeton University's president before current President Shirley Tilghman took office, agreed that it is best to try and maintain continuity from one administration to the next.
"I try to make as few [changes] as possible," said Shapiro, who also served as the University of Michigan's president. "The people [already in office] are probably pretty good, and until I see otherwise, I'd rather go with continuity than find a new person."
Though continuity is important, a compatible leadership team is key to a presidential administration. For this reason, those who report directly to the president are always the most likely to experience turnover when a new president takes office.
"The people who obviously feel vulnerable are the vice presidents, because they work directly with the president," Koons said. However, "no one's in any danger," she added.
Deans also work closely with the president, and Koons noted that in the first year, the deans' relationship with the president will be especially important since they will be responsible for educating Gutmann on the schools that they lead.
Though Gutmann has yet to announce any concrete plans for her administration, she has declared her intention to focus on undergraduate education at Penn. Since the Office of the Provost controls all academic aspects of the University, changes to the office are likely.
Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum said that changes are often made to the Provost's Office.
"In general, the Provost's Office has changed with the new presidents," McCoullum said. "The addition has generally reflected new areas of growth for the University."
Though some changes will likely occur beneath the provost, University Provost Robert Barchi has repeatedly stated that he intends to stay in charge of the office.
Former Penn President Martin Meyerson also strived for balance and change during his administration, bringing in various advisers to assist with initiatives in improving undergraduate education and dealing with serious financial problems.
"I wouldn't say we added positions so much, but we had changes," Meyerson said.
"I think there was a certain continuity across presidents," Meyerson said. However, when he did make changes, new leadership was not often required to implement these adjustments.
Ultimately, any administrative changes Gutmann makes will be determined by her goals for the University. With major vacancies in the executive vice president and vice president for development and alumni relations positions, Gutmann will be able to handcraft a large part of her administration even if she does not make additional changes. Gutmann will also have the opportunity to appoint a chief of staff, a position that current University President Judith Rodin created for her administration.
