Although the Class of 2009 will graduate to a fiercely competitive job market, its Commencement speaker happens to head a company that annually tops Fortune magazine's "Best Places to Work" list.
Eric Schmidt, Google chief executive officer and chairman, will speak at the 253rd Commencement Ceremonies on May 18 at Franklin Field.
Prior to his appointment to Google in 2001, Schmidt served for 28 years as an innovative Internet strategist, entrepreneur and technological developer.
He has played a key role in Google's success, guiding the company's growth and product development while also helping establish the enviable job environment the company promotes.
"Eric combines a relentless intellectual curiosity with a practical application of technology to meet society's needs - attributes which could apply equally to Penn's founder, Benjamin Franklin," University President Amy Gutmann said in a press release.
Engineering senior Mike Gottlieb, a computer science major, was ecstatic upon hearing that Schmidt had been chosen.
While Gottlieb said he was particularly excited that Penn chose someone from the technology industry, he also noted that he has been impressed when he has heard Schmidt speak in the past.
"The man's brilliant," Gottlieb said. "He's always looking at things from a bigger and better perspective."
His enthusiasm was shared by his classmates, College senior and Class President Brett Perlmutter said.
"The majority of the senior class - from what I have gathered - is very excited," said Perlmutter. "Schmidt's career has bridged many different fields, and his work with Google has a wide appeal."
Several students, like Wharton senior Julia Taich, found the selection particularly relevant as they have friends who work or plan to work for the company. Her roommate is working for Google next year, "so of course I'm really excited about it," she said.
And College senior Danny Cohen said he expects his classmates will be satisfied.
"[Schmidt]'s definitely better than past speakers," he added. "I doubt there will be any protests."
Others, however, seemed stumped when asked about the speaker. Only his connection with Google brought recognition.
Penn will also award Schmidt with an honorary Doctor of Sciences degree. He already holds a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a master's and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
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