University Provost Robert Barchi will leave College Hall to become the fourth president of Thomas Jefferson University on Sept. 1, officials said on Tuesday. The announcement followed a vote by the full board of trustees of Thomas Jefferson University, who approved Barchi as their selection to replace outgoing university President Paul Brucker.
Barchi's selection comes after Thomas Jefferson began a search last October. Though Barchi had been talking to the university over the past few months, he said he was just offered the job in the last few weeks.
"This came up very quickly," Rodin said. "Only in the last several weeks was he even talking to Jefferson, and then I talked with them at the point where they wanted a reference -- but it's not something that's been brewing very long at all."
Thomas Jefferson University Board of Trustees Chairman Brian Harrison said Barchi was a good match for the Philadelphia university.
"He's a person that obviously has achieved a lot at Penn, and over his 30 years he's made tremendous accomplishments there," Harrison said. "We also want a person who is interested in coming to Jefferson and making a difference here."
Barchi's departure is the latest in a number of administrative shake-ups following University President Judith Rodin's June 2003 announcement that she would step down from her post. She has since been replaced by current Princeton University Provost Amy Gutmann, who will take over on July 1. Before Barchi's announcement, current School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston announced in March that he would vacate his post in December 2004.
"I think I've had a tremendous opportunity and a tremendous career at this institution," Barchi said. "I've had almost six years as Penn's provost, and I'm looking for other opportunities for me to use the skills and experience that I've gained to move an institution forward."
Barchi said that Thomas Jefferson's leadership in healthcare -- as well as its location in Philadelphia -- made it a good match for him.
"Thomas Jefferson is one of the oldest and most respected health care degree and educational institutions in the country," Barchi said. "I believe that it can and should have the opportunity to continue to grow and to be an outstanding force in medical education and medical research in clinical care, both regionally and nationally."
"To me, that's a very exciting opportunity to be asked to be involved in the leadership of an institution like that," he added.
Since Barchi's departure occurs around the same time as Gutmann's transition to the presidency, he has agreed to stay on at Penn to ensure as smooth a transition as possible. Brucker initially said he would step down at the end of June, but has agreed to stay on longer to facilitate Barchi's assistance in the Gutmann transition.
"Bob Barchi is committed to helping me make this a smooth transition," Gutmann said. "He's going to continue to meet with me frequently when I get down to Penn come the end of June, and we will make it a very smooth transition."
Barchi has been at Penn for over 30 years. After receiving both his Ph.D. and M.D. from the University, Barchi began teaching in the Biochemistry and Biophysics department, and later in the Neurology department. Barchi created the Department of Neuroscience before he was appointed provost in Feb. 1999. As provost, Barchi serves as Penn's chief academic officer, working closely with the deans of each of the University's schools. Faculty relations and recruitment and budgetary issues are also included in Barchi's many responsibilities.
"Clearly he'll be missed by all of the people who worked with him," said University President Judith Rodin. "He's been a great Penn citizen, not only as provost but surely as the head of the Mahoney Institute [of Neurological Science] and as the chair of Neurology, so there'll be many places in the University where he'll be missed."
For Barchi, the opportunity to lead another Philadelphia-area institution is one he did not want to miss.
"I'm committed to stay in Philadelphia for the immediate future," Barchi said. "The opportunity to move to Jefferson, I think, is a tremendous one for me."
"Decisions to leave a place [at which] you've been for so long are never easy," Barchi added. "But the opportunities that Jefferson provides for me personally -- and the timing of those opportunities -- are such that it was not a difficult decision."
Barchi said it is common for provosts to leave universities around the same time as presidents do because they work so closely together.
"I was brought into the provost's office by President Rodin," Barchi said. "She and I have spent nearly six years working together. We've had an absolutely tremendous relationship, without a doubt the best working relationship that I have ever had with a professional superior."
In addition to the search for a permanent vice president for Development and Alumni Relations -- which recently commenced -- Gutmann must now work to select an interim provost.
"The provost is one of the most important members of the president's team," Gutmann said. "I'm going to be looking for somebody who has the qualities that will help Penn forward in my administration."
While the search committee is formed and begins its work, Gutmann will work to quickly identify an interim provost, whom she will select after meeting with University officials.
"The interim provost will be the first [personnel] decision that I need to make," Gutmann said. "I'll do that probably mid-summer."
Gutmann -- who came to know Barchi while working as the provost at Princeton -- said she will miss him.
"I have known Bob Barchi for many years ... and have greatly admired what he has done at Penn," Gutmann said. "I am a great admirer of his, and we will miss him."
