Gutmann takes to new post with ease

As University President Amy Gutmann's first two months in office come to a close, she remains confident, enthusiastic and seemingly calm about her new role.

"It's a cinch of a job," she said with a laugh, demonstrating that her signature sense of humor has not been dulled by her arrival at Penn.

Gutmann said she has found the transition period extremely beneficial, as she was able to begin fostering relationships and outlining initiatives as soon as she was selected as the incoming president in February.

"There was already a lot of groundwork laid," she said. "When I moved in on July 1, I told everybody, "We're ready to work, you know, we're ready to roll.'"

Gutmann's chief of staff, Joann Mitchell, who made the move from Princeton to Penn with Gutmann, said she was pleased with the reaction the two have received from the University community.

"People have really been so supportive and welcoming," said Mitchell, who has worked closely with Gutmann for the past three years and who previously led the Office of Affirmative Action at Penn for seven years. "We couldn't hope for a better start for the new administration."

Gutmann described her first two months as more "exhilarating and exciting" than challenging.

"She's taken to the job with such enthusiasm and such relish," Interim Provost Peter Conn said.

"I see no reason to think that the new president will not prove herself to be one of the leading members of this community and will galvanize this remarkable group of people to move even further," Conn added.

But challenges do lie ahead. Gutmann has an ambitious array of projects that she said she is working on, mainly centered around her top priority of increasing financial aid.

"The single biggest challenge is moving a great institution to be even greater," she said.

Mitchell said one of the more difficult goals she has is to make sure that the President's Office is listening to the diverse range of opinions that exist on campus.

"The greatest challenge is really going to be trying to find a way to ensure that we're being as inclusive as we'd like," she said.

Though Mitchell said she wants to circulate "that message of mutual respect," she simultaneously remains dedicated to "maintaining momentum" and "moving things forward."

Gutmann certainly does not appear to be looking backwards very frequently, saying she rarely consults her predecessor Judith Rodin or former Provost Robert Barchi for advice.

"I've basically left [the old administration] alone since July 1," she said. "I will call on them if necessary, but I haven't found it necessary."

Rodin too acknowledged that although she and Gutmann had "a lot of transition conversations in the spring," they had "not really talked about Penn issues since then."

Gutmann instead spent her time meeting with city leaders, including City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, whose district includes the area around Penn. She has also met with local clergy and community groups.

Both Gutmann and those close to her seem to be confident that she has the skills and drive necessary to lead the University through the years to come.

Gutmann's "emerging vision of this place is so compatible with the highest values of the University," Conn said.

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