EVP Fry to leave post Monday

As John Fry's final days as Penn's Executive Vice President come to a close, the University community is preparing itself for the loss of a key administrator.

On July 1, Fry will officially vacate his position as the University's chief operating officer to assume the presidency at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa.

But despite the fact that Fry announced in February that he would be leaving Penn for Franklin and Marshall, the University has yet to appoint a person to fill his shoes.

University President Judith Rodin, who is heading up the search, announced in April that the University had hired Spencer Stuart, an executive search consulting firm, to look externally for people to take on Fry's position.

Since then, the firm has narrowed down a list of prospective candidates that Rodin is using to make a final selection.

"We're actually interviewing finalists and we're quite optimistic about the pool of candidates," Rodin said. "We will be able to make an appointment in a timely fashion."

Rodin added that until a new Executive Vice President is named, the administrators who currently work under Fry will report directly to her.

Since Rodin appointed Fry in 1995, he has overseen the University's finances and investments, community initiatives, supervised the Division of Public Safety and helped to expand area retail and real estate initiatives.

But Fry's work at Penn has extended well above and beyond his call for duty.

During his legacy at Penn, Fry also brought the Freshgrocer, Sansom Common and a new movie theater to campus. In the process, he has also improved the University's relationship with the West Philadelphia community by helping to establish the University City District and the Penn-Assisted Public School.

In addition, Fry played a significant role in the development of the 1995 Agenda for Excellence -- a five-year formula geared toward the advancement of the University's financial status, physical condition and national ranking. More recently, he has helped to draft a new strategic plan which will further build upon the Agenda's successes.

Nevertheless, while the University has not officially named Fry's replacement, many administrators have indicated that the vacant position would not pose an immediate threat.

"The place he is leaving behind is not the same one that he took over," Vice President for Facilities Services Omar Blaik said. "Because of that there is enough strength within the University to continue with the momentum of the past few years."

According to Fry, who will be following through with his responsibilities as Executive Vice President up to his last day of work, there are no pressing obligations that his successor will have to tend to right away.

"I actually think that, in terms of short term hot issues, across the board we have things pretty well in control," Fry said.

Over the course of the spring semester, Fry said that he has continued his involvement with several ongoing projects including improvements in Campus Dining Services, negotiations about the post office properties and the the development of internal management initiatives.

"It's been very busy and I clearly did not play any sort of a lame duck here," Fry said. "I've been very active in the various initiatives we've been pushing... and I've been continuing to focus on them until this week."

If anything, Fry said that his successor will need to take time to get acquainted with the University's affairs before jumping into any of the projects that are currently underway.

The new Executive Vice President "will need to quickly come up to speed with long term issues and the people and culture of Penn," Fry said. "The key is to be patient enough to come in and learn a bit about the institution."

Yet regardless of the stability that he has helped bring to the University, Fry's departure has still garnered bittersweet reactions.

"Definitely Fry's departure is a loss, but we are delighted that he is going on to bigger and better opportunities," Blaik said.

Fry, too, shared similar sentiments about leaving the University, although he said that his work would be in good hands.

"If I have a regret it's that I won't be able to see many of the long term projects that I initiated all the way through," Fry said. "On the other side, I know that we have great people in place to see those things forward."

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