Furda's work in Colmbia's undergraduate admissions office - which he led from 1995 to 2004 - focused on increasing the breadth and depth of the university's applicant pool.
Columbia saw a huge rise in applications during Furda's tenure. This was in part due to Furda's efforts to expand the school's name recognition and reputation, Shawn Abbott, a former Columbia admissions officer and current director of undergraduate admissions at Stanford, wrote in an e-mail.
Furda "aggressively expanded Columbia's reach through an extensive print and electronic campaign," Abbott wrote, adding that Furda "didn't take it for granted that every high-school senior in America knew Columbia."
Furda also developed a reputation for transparency with college counselors across the country during his time at Columbia.
"He's very receptive to questions from the secondary-school community," said Alice Cotti, a college counselor currently at the Polytechnic School in Pasadena, Calif. "Some admissions directors want to be behind closed doors and don't want to have those interactions with counselors."
Furda was accessible to both counselors and students, Abbott wrote.
"I know what counselors and those in the admission profession appreciate most about Eric is his willingness to drop literally everything to talk to a 17-year-old," Abbott wrote.
Furda's openness should mesh well at Penn, which under former Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson was also noted for its receptivity to the secondary-school community.
Penn admissions representatives were "all very candid and willing to talk," when Stetson helmed the department, Cotti said.
"I have every reason to believe [Furda] is going to continue that legacy," she added.
Former Columbia employees said this openness translated into a strong and trusting management style.
"He doesn't micromanage, hires competent people and tirelessly worked to retain his staff by keeping the energy alive in the admission office," Abbott wrote.
Furda stood out because he was able to connect the admissions department with the rest of the university, said Terry Kung, who worked in Columbia's admissions office under Furda and is currently a co-director of college counseling at the Oakwood School in North Hollywood, Calif.
Success in admissions, she said, is "being able to interface with all different parts of the university and translate that into the admissions office."
Furda was also noted for his "fun and personable" personality, Kung said.
At Columbia, Furda "had a relaxed style and he was pretty open to new ideas," she said.
