Penn presidents past and present are doing great work on the federal political stage. Last month, Judith Rodin was appointed to serve on President Barack Obama’s Council for Community Solutions. Amy Gutmann serves as the chairwoman of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, which recently released its first report.
Gutmann should especially be praised for her concerted effort to involve students in the work of her Commission. The Commission hosted its second meeting at Penn, opened the two-day discussion to the public and even produced a live webcast of the event — providing plenty of opportunities for students to get involved in the process. “I hope you can join me at this important and informative event,” she wrote in an e-mail to the Penn community.
With Penn’s leadership making such a tangible political impact, students’ voices can be heard at high levels of government. Not only should Penn students take pride in the strong national presence their school possesses, but they should also take Gutmann up on her offer when further opportunities to participate arise. More broadly, they should consider these prominent presidential appointments as a personal call to action to take more of an interest in issues related to the federal government.
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