Mammoth. Rich. Ivy League. In the eyes of the city government, the factors that differentiate Penn from other schools in Philadelphia also make Penn a key player in local politics.
And as Penn moves forward with plans to develop eastward toward Center City, University President Amy Gutmann will face an increasing responsibility in the Philadelphia government.
"Our relationship to Center City is going to be ever more important," Gutmann said. "We're going to have this attractive front door into the University from Center City."
Gutmann will build upon a solid base of political relationships established by Penn's already-strong influence in the city.
"We're larger [than other schools], we're perceived to be richer, certainly our endowment is larger, and we do more," said Carol Scheman, vice president for government, community and public affairs. "We have a health system, we have a law school and we have a business school. ... The city has a problem and they think they'll turn to Penn, and that's not unreasonable."
Penn's status as the largest private employer in Philadelphia makes it an economic powerhouse and the centerpiece of many issues that come across the desks of government officials.
"We focus a large part of our efforts on job growth and job retention," city Commerce Director Stephanie Naidoff said. "We obviously are always looking to maintain a very good relationship with the University."
Naidoff added that Penn's leadership in healthcare makes it an important player in the city because it is "one of the most important sectors of [Philadelphia's] economy."
In addition to its ability to employ a large portion of the local population, Penn is able to serve as an engine for economic change in the surrounding area through its student population.
"We bring people to this city. We bring enormous amount of spending to this city," Scheman said. "We're bringing in scholars from Russia and students from Thailand. We're bringing in research grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. We're bringing in faculty from all over the world."
"Every major city that doesn't have a major university wishes they had one," she added.
Scheman praised City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell's close working relationship with the University. Blackwell -- who has frequent contact with Scheman and Gutmann -- is West Philadelphia's representative in the City Council.
Penn has established itself as an institution willing and readily able to maintain open communication with the city, which has allowed both entities to capitalize on the resources of one another.
Former University President Judith Rodin started the Knowledge Industry Partnership, a unified, city-wide effort to attract, engage and retain students from all local institutions. Like Rodin before her, Gutmann serves on the board of the Schuylkill River Development Corporation and the CEO Council for Growth, part of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.
Gutmann "has expressed at every turn the desire to work closely with the city and to have the city participation in Penn's projects -- involving its role in the community -- be maintained and sustained through her tenure," Naidoff said.
"Penn does an extraordinary job in maintaining and working to broaden and improve the relationship with the city," Naidoff said.
Through the existing "running dialogue ... we can be aware of what direction the University is going to follow, and that kind of information exchange is invaluable," she added.
One of the reasons Penn is able to maintain an open dialogue with the city is its government relations office.
"I closely monitor the activities of City Council, and in that way we decide which legislative measures are of interest or have a potential impact on the University as a whole," said Associate Director of City and Commonwealth Relations Dawn Maglicco. "On any given day at City Council they might introduce or vote on legislation that impacts or is of interest to several of our audiences."
The city is also able to draw on the resources of Penn's diverse faculty to address any number of urban issues.
"There is often a call for experts or an expert in a field of social concern," Maglicco said.
Scheman agreed.
"Penn is an enormously important citizen of the city of Philadelphia," she said. "The city expects Penn to be playing a role in the civic engagement and life of the city -- and the University can't be a major research university without a close and productive relationship with the leadership of the city."
Gutmann also stressed the importance of healthy city relations.
"We have a lot to contribute to the city, and the city has a lot to contribute to our well-being," Gutmann said.
