Rodin juggles corporate, govt. duties

Breakfast with a cabinet secretary, lunch with a congressman and dinner with President Bill Clinton. Both the croissants and the conversations are heated. As a member of the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology -- hailed as the premiere advisory group in the sciences -- University President Judith Rodin implores the federal government several times a year to continue funneling dollars into research institutions like Penn. In addition to her University duties, Rodin also divides her time between the three corporate boards and five non-profit or governmental commissions on which she serves. As part of PCAST, Rodin treks to Capitol Hill three times a year, exercising her political clout to save the University millions of dollars. While hobnobbing with the nation's movers and shakers is hard work, it is a prerequisite for a university president whose visibility helps pay the bills, experts say. "If you're not out in the world, you never meet any of the people who can help you," according to Wharton Public Policy and Management Professor Elizabeth Bailey. Both Bailey and Rodin criss-cross the worlds of business and academia through their involvement on corporate boards and research-oriented committees. Rodin sits on the board of directors for Electronic Data Systems -- a consulting and management firm owned by billionaire and former presidential candidate Ross Perot -- and AMR, the holding company for American Airlines. Over the course of a year, Rodin only participates in about six board or commission meetings, either in person or by phone. While she does not receive compensation for her services on non-profit or governmental boards, the three corporate boards pay her a retainer ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 per meeting. She also serves on the board of directors for insurance giant Aetna, Inc., another of whose directors, health-care tycoon Leonard Abramson, recently donated $100 million to Penn. Last December, Abramson and his wife donated the hefty sum -- the second largest in Penn's history -- to create the Leonard and Madlyn Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute. Abramson sold U.S. Healthcare to Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna in 1996. He currently sits on Aetna's board of directors and does consulting work for the company. The University also uses Aetna-U.S. Healthcare as its sole provider for student insurance plans. Rodin said her corporate and University interests are aligned, adding that corporations also desire more money for university research since it benefits their products. And according to Bailey, who currently serves on the Honeywell Corporation's board of directors, among others, it is a reciprocal exchange. "Businesses are ahead of academia in certain issues," Bailey said, adding that she uses discussions from the boardroom of the control technology company to fuel debates in the classroom. Even though her corporate involvement may benefit the University, Rodin must seek approval from the Board of Trustees before accepting any invitation to join a board or committee. Board of Trustees Chairperson Roy Vagelos noted that the board considers how a given committee pertains to Penn and whether Rodin has enough time for the additional responsibilities. "If there's anything like a conflict of interest, [Rodin] would step out," Vagelos said. When asked how Rodin's involvement in Aetna relates to the University's mission, Vagelos replied that it is important for Rodin, as the manager of a large institution, to have "a knowledge of health care and insurance." Rodin receives dozens of invitations to serve on boards and committees -- a professional burden shared by nearly every member of her peer group. "All university presidents are expected to have a national impact and a national profile," Rodin said. In deciding whether to serve on a committee or board, Rodin said she asks herself three key questions: Does it serve Penn? Does it serve higher education? Do I bring something unique to the table? And through "direct access" to President Clinton, Rodin has a hand in policy-making beyond the Penn campus. Established by Clinton in 1993, the PCAST's overarching goal is to advise the president on issues of science and technology. The committee also assists the National Science and Technology Council -- a cabinet-level body -- in shaping science, education and environmental policies. The group has been re-established by every president since Dwight Eisenhower. The 19-member committee -- appointed by the president -- is composed of Nobel prize winners, chief executive officers, scientists and 2 university presidents -- Rodin and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Charles Vest. Rodin and Vest's presence on the committee has helped Clinton understand the reality of research at universities, according to Penn Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman. "Federal science agencies are always trying to do more with less," Scheman noted, adding that Rodin and Vest successfully warded off major threats to decrease research grants, stipends and tuition support for graduate students. Before Rodin joined the committee's ranks in 1993, Penn had lost about $68 million because of the need to adapt to the "inconsistent" administrative procedures of federal institutions like the National Institute for the Humanities and the National Science Federation, Rodin said. "For the last five to 10 years, each [federal] agency that regulates what we do has changed the rules," she added. As a result of the committee's work, in 1996, President Clinton instituted the Presidential Review Directive, an initiative that compelled all federal science agencies to create more uniform administrative policies for university funding. This year, Rodin joined the Council of Competitiveness -- a group of business, labor and university leaders who believe that university research will propel the U.S. to the forefront of a global economy. She also works for two non-profit groups -- the Greater Philadelphia First Corp. and Catalyst, a research and business advisory organization that conducts studies and formulates policy on women in the workplace. As the first female president in the Ivy League, Rodin said she is particularly sensitive to the topics addressed by Catalyst. "I do [it] because I'm a woman," she said. And in the spirit of tradition and public policy, Rodin holds a membership card with the Brookings Institution, an independent think-tank that allows academics to influence the performance of national-level American institutions. "There has always been a Penn president on the Brookings board," Rodin noted. Brookings recently joined forces with the Wharton Financial Institutions Center in launching an annual forum and journal on financial services policy issues.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.