Staff Editorial: Hail to the new chiefs

The impending departures of Executive Vice President John Fry and former Law School Dean Colin Diver, both announced this week, rob Penn of two of its most valuable leaders.

Diver, who will assume the presidency of Reed College in Oregon this summer, served as dean of the Law School for 10 years, stepping down in 1999 to resume teaching full time.

A particularly distinguished leader, Diver increased the size of the law school faculty by one-third and was a prodigious fundraiser. He also oversaw the renovation of Lewis Hall, now Silverman Hall, the Law School's historic home.

Losing a scholar of such distinction and a respected leader is a blow to Penn, but we are confident that the abilities and strengths Diver displayed as dean will serve him well in the Pacific Northwest. We wish him the best of luck.

Though Diver's departure deprives the University of one of its great teachers, it is Fry's decision to leave his post that will have the greatest impact on Penn in the years to come.

Yesterday's announcement that Fry will become the 14th president of Franklin and Marshall College, a small, liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pa., 70 miles west of Philadelphia, is a staggering blow and leaves a void at the very top that will be impossibly difficult to fill.

Since arriving at Penn more than six years ago, Fry has been an integral part of President Judith Rodin's efforts to revitalize the University and West Philadelphia.

A businessman of uncanny ability, Fry has been deeply involved with almost every aspect of every major project Penn has undertaken during his tenure. As the leader of the University's non-academic departments, including real estate, public safety, housing and dining, Fry was instrumental in developing and implementing Penn's retail strategy over the last six years, credited with reducing crime and improving quality of life on campus.

He has also played a large role in fundraising and setting the University's financial ship in order, and in improving Penn's relationship with the surrounding community. He currently serves as the chairman of the University City District.

We are deeply saddened to see Fry go. An important asset and key administrator who deserves much of the credit for turning this University around, he will be sorely missed.

Now, however, it is imperative that the University turn immediately to the question of who will succeed him. Fry has left some impressively big shoes to fill, and the University cannot afford to be without a permanent executive vice president for too long.

Fry brought to the Penn administration a different style and very different professional experience. His business acumen and his non-academic background gave him the ability to think creatively about the University's problems and how to solve them. If Penn's next EVP is to be anywhere near as successful, he or she will need to follow Fry's lead in this regard.

And, of course, finding such a person will not be easy, but the search for Penn's next chief operating officer absolutely cannot take 15 months, which is how long it took the University to find Diver's replacement at the Law School, or longer.

During the past few years, the University has established an atrocious track record in terms of finding suitable replacements in a reasonable amount of time. Let's hope that the executive vice president search will be different.

But for now, we wish John Fry and Colin Diver the best of luck and great success in their new endeavors. They reflect extraordinarily well on this proud University.

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