When Dennis DeTurck was in college, a dean was the bad guy in Animal House and DeTurck, far from aspiring to help run an Ivy League school, was just trying to pass math tests.
DeTurck, who spoke with 16 student leaders yesterday, is now dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
The dean, who describes himself as "still a math major," said that his mathematical mindset applies to his job. His frank, "naive mathematical questions" have offended some colleagues, but most have adjusted to "Dennis' questions."
DeTurck's work starts with "the simple question of, 'How can I help?' -- not, 'How can I take over?'" he said.
"I've found that if you approach life that way, you often end up running things," he said.
Leadership is also based on "asking people questions and really listening to the answers and making observations beyond these answers," DeTurck said.
He illustrated this tactic during the lunch as he described the frustration rising from the overlap of the Penn Relays and spring final exams.
Students proposed and commented on possible solutions. DeTurck agreed with the proposal of altering the academic calendar and declared, "Winter break is too darn short!" later adding, "I'm just getting relaxed, and school starts tomorrow."
While teaching, DeTurck doesn't think, "I have to get through these calculus problems," but rather, "I want to get [students] from here to here today," he said, using his hands to indicate levels of understanding. This thinking also applies to improving different aspects of the College, he said.
Of the curriculum, DeTurck said that "we make it up as we go along" but also described the intricacies of forming a new curriculum.
Administrators learned from the Pilot Curriculum experiment that "students in the College will do very sensible things with whatever freedom you give them. There are very few things you have to make them do ... math being one of them," he said.
Chuck Brutsche, associate director of the Fox Leadership Program -- which hosted the lunchtime leadership session with DeTurck -- said the lunches provide meaningful discussions with campus leaders in a relaxed atmosphere.
"I mean, loosen your tie if you have one or unbutton your shirt," he told the group before DeTurck began speaking.
College senior Brian Redondo, a Pan-Asian American Community House leader, attended the lunch to "learn more about Dean DeTurck and how we as students can approach him and ... use him as a resource for getting things done on campus."
