Leading by example
To the Editor:
When Judith Rodin became the first female president of an Ivy League institution in 1994, she arrived at a very different University of Pennsylvania. Her battle was most surely uphill; Penn was ranked a dismal 16th in the US News and World Report rankings, its endowment was paltry and relations with the West Philadelphia community were strained. However, Rodin undoubtedly left Penn in better shape than she found it. For the first time ever, Penn is now ranked fourth by itself in the US News rankings. Our endowment is over three times what it was in 1994. And, while still a work in progress, positive relationships are being formed each day between Penn and its neighbors.
It is because of these accomplishments that President Amy Gutmann is taking the reigns of the University at a pivotal time. As she is inaugurated as the eighth University president, the challenge facing her is arguably more difficult than the one facing President Rodin in 1994 -- how do you make a great university even better?
If anyone can make Penn an even greater institution, I am fully confident that Gutmann is the right person for the job. In the six weeks since school started, I have already had the privilege of meeting Gutmann in several different capacities. Following the tragic accident at Psi Upsilon earlier this semester, we had candid discussions about Penn's drinking culture and the alcohol policy. Gutmann genuinely wishes to change both for the better, in hopes of making the Penn community safer for everyone. She ran her first University Council meeting in late September with confidence and poise, intimately aware of the various issues facing the campus and the community. And just last weekend, she led by example, rolling up her sleeves and performing service work alongside students at Sayre Middle School in West Philadelphia.
I know that many of my fellow undergraduates have had similar interactions with Gutmann during her short tenure; people report seeing her walking up and down Locust Walk each day, interacting with students and finding her place at Penn. With her many talents, intelligence and charisma, there is no limit to the great things that Gutmann can (and will) do for Penn. She is certainly capable of tripling the endowment once again and furthering our steadily improving relationship with the local community. However, the big question still remains -- can Gutmann lead us past Princeton University for the top spot in the rankings? Only time will tell.
Conor O'Callaghan
Wharton and Engineering '05
The writer is the president of the InterFraternity Council and a member of the Undergraduate Assembly.
Gutmann devoted to Penn
To the Editor:
Today we are privileged to welcome a new leader to the University. On behalf of the College Republicans, I would like to congratulate Amy Gutmann on her inauguration and the beginning of what will surely be an illustrious tenure here at Penn.
Gutmann, a well-known academic, is joining us after an outstanding 28-year career at Princeton University (but we promise not to hold that against her). Her years of experience and natural capabilities will make her an eminently qualified leader, and I look forward to watching the University continue its growth under her guidance.
In the future, we hope to work with Gutmann to increase student enthusiasm about the political process both in the United States and abroad. Her extensive work on democratic theory, public affairs and political thought will no doubt help to foster an atmosphere of increased student political interest and activism. The College Republicans look forward to engaging in joint efforts with the University to educate students about current issues. No doubt the author of such books as Democratic Education would agree that unbiased political education is the key to molding a new generation of leaders.
As a political group dedicated to promoting democratic values, the College Republicans appreciate Gutmann's commitment to allowing free expression of diverse opinions. We would also be happy to share our unique perspective on both political and University issues with her and work together to find creative solutions to contemporary issues.
Gutmann once remarked, "Three years ago, I said that I didn't want to be a university president. ... I want to be Penn's president." We are thrilled to see that Gutmann is as devoted to the University as we are, and are honored to welcome her to Penn.
Eric Rechtschaffen
College '05
The writer is the president of the College Republicans.
Hope for political awareness
To the Editor:
The Penn College Democrats wholeheartedly welcome President Gutmann to the University. Gutmann has shown outstanding leadership skills throughout her career, and we are grateful that she has chosen to come to Penn. An award-winning political science professor, Gutmann has throughout her career provided important insight into vital issues regarding our democracy, including race and affirmative action, religious freedom, equal opportunity and the importance of political participation. We believe and hope that Gutmann's extensive background will help to move the Penn community toward heightened political awareness.
Gutmann has declared as one of her primary goals at Penn increasing the civic engagement of Penn students, and we have seen a tremendous increase in political interest and energy toward the upcoming election. We applaud her work in this effort, for the only way to change the way politicians talk to our generation is for us to get out and vote, demonstrating that we have a stake in our society -- that we, too, have a voice.
The Penn Democrats have been intricately involved in this effort, working every day to register students to vote and to educate them on the issues that matter most to our generation. Political awareness at Penn, once accused of apathy, is extremely high now, with incredible proportions of students registered and engaged in the election.
One challenge will be getting students out to the polls to vote on Election Day, and this is something that we are working on, as is the University. However, the larger, enduring challenge is in sustaining and even increasing this level of political awareness when the election has passed. Civic engagement is not something that ought to occur once every four years. Nobody understands that and the appropriate role of citizens in a democracy better than Gutmann. We have great hope in the work that she can achieve in fostering civic engagement and in continuing to strengthen the Penn community as a whole.
Rich Eisenberg
College '05
The writer is the president of the Penn College Democrats.
