Penn President Amy Gutmann has announced a general timetable in the search for a new dean of admissions to replace Lee Stetson, the former dean who resigned mysteriously at the beginning of the semester.
Gutmann said the search is proceeding on schedule, and a list of finalists should be complete by the middle of next semester. A new dean is expected to be selected by the end of the academic year.
"We expect, in the first several months of the new year, to be able to start narrowing the field of candidates," she said.
This timetable is broadly consistent with industry standards.
Executive search firms say that it usually takes between six and nine months for schools to announce a final candidate.
The new dean will replace Eric Kaplan, whom the University named as interim dean at the beginning of the semester to bridge the gap between Stetson's abrupt departure and the announcement of a permanent replacement.
Kaplan has said previously that he is not in contention for the position.
Before being named dean of admissions, Kaplan was Penn's associate secretary.
Gutmann has also said that there is "broad interest in the position" and that it is "considered the [most] desired position available in the admissions world."
Experts agree that this is in large part due to Stetson's work to increase Penn's selectivity during his 29-year tenure at the University. Stetson also promoted the recruitment of minority and international students.
And though Stetson's permanent successor won't be announced for several months, executive search firms have said that the new dean will probably be a second- or third-ranking official at another top admissions office eager for advancement.
Experts also agree that the new dean will probably be actively recruited by Witt/Kieffer, the firm leading the search, and will not respond to advertisements placed in leading industry and mass-market publications like The Chronicle of Higher Education and The New York Times.
Neither Stetson nor the University has commented on the reasons behind Stetson's sudden departure.
Gutmann has only said that it was in the "best interests" of both Penn and Stetson.
