The appointment of former University Treasurer and Vice President for Finance Craig Carnaroli to the position of executive vice president adds a new layer of history to an important and complex University role.
Management, financial and collaborative skills are key to the success of an executive vice president.
Most agree that current Franklin & Marshall College President John Fry, who served as Penn's EVP from 1995 to 2002, is a prime example of a successful EVP.
Carnaroli, who was initially hired by Fry, described Fry as "an important role model" of his, who acted as a "mentor" and "provided support" during Carnaroli's first years at the University.
Fry attributed his accomplishments as EVP to his ability to integrate Penn's numerous departments.
"I brought to [the different departments] an environment that provided lots of incentives and resources that got them to work together," Fry said.
And though University President Amy Gutmann admitted that the EVP "is probably invisible to most Penn students," Fry highlighted interaction with students as a major responsibility of the position.
A good EVP is "someone who's going to be really accessible to students-- [someone] who will see them on a regular basis," Fry said.
Whether Fry's successor, Clifford Stanley, was capable of fulfilling the student accessibility aspect of the job description remains a mystery -- Stanley left Penn after barely a year in office.
Carnaroli's background indicates that his tenure will probably not be as short as Stanley's.
Carnaroli was originally an undergraduate in the Wharton School and returned to Penn four years ago from Merrill Lynch.
Fry, who stressed the management component of the position, also had experience working for a national company. He was a partner in Coopers & Lybrand's National Higher Education Consulting Practice, and a consultant with the firm of KPMG Peat Marwick before coming to Penn.
On the other hand, Stanley came to Penn with military experience, having served as a major general in the U.S. Marine Corps for 30 years.
Penn has been lacking an EVP since Stanley left in October 2003, but Carnaroli said he is "looking forward to the new challenges," some of which may have been caused by the administrative hole that the University has had to compensate for since Stanley left.
"I think it's a necessary job," Fry said. "I think the institution miss[ed] it" during the time when the position was vacant.
Carnaroli said he intends to create "better linkages between different areas" in the University.
He said he wants to "support a culture of transparent, collaborative decision making."
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