Richard Mo: Just another piece of paper

Bill Gates will be teaching at Penn!

Penn announced late last night that Gates will be teaching a class next semester. Hailed by the popular press as a major coup for Penn, the class will be open to all students.

The limited-enrollment seminar will cover both the technological aspects of software as well as the future evolution of the software market. For a limited, 24-hour window starting at 9 a.m. today, all interested students are to register for the course lottery at http://www.sorry-i-tricked-you.com.

No, Bill Gates will not be teaching at Penn, though the last three paragraphs probably got many of you scrambling for the nearest computer.

Those tech-savvy students wanted to hear Gates share his software industry experiences and predictions. Those students whose knowledge of computers is limited to Instant Messaging wanted to be in a class taught by the richest man in the world simply because, well, he's the richest man in the world.

If Gates were indeed to come to Penn, no one would give his qualifications a second thought. We certainly aren't rushing to learn from him because of his extensive education -- he is a college dropout. We value him because he, in 25 years, transformed Microsoft from a two-man startup into a virtual monopoly that rules the digital world, an experience that trumps any collegiate education.

Yet at the same time, some members of the Penn community question the qualifications of other experienced University officials. There have been, by my count, two, possibly three instances within the last year where an eyebrow was raised because an official didn't fit the typical mold.

In February, in an unfortunate instance of journalistic muckraking on the part of both the Penn and Philadelphia presses, it came to light that Michael Masch never fully completed either his bachelor's or graduate degrees. Some were appalled that our vice president for budget and management analysis and member of the Fels Institute for Government faculty was credits short of both degrees, something he has never denied.

Granted, I know little about budgeting, but there definitely has to be some value in Masch's two decades of work experience. His experience working for Philadelphia as the city budget director makes up, many times over, for the few classes he did not complete. So what if he didn't complete his degrees? His trial by fire helped lead a major metropolitan city from the brink of bankruptcy and insolvency.

And last semester, debate raged on whether then-Executive Vice President John Fry was college presidential material. Amid speculation that he was being considered for various collegiate presidencies, focus centered on one thing: he lacks a Ph.D.

A businessman by training, Fry had never been employed full-time by any university prior to Penn. But even his critics will have to agree that during his tenure, Penn's capital projects improved significantly. I remember visiting Penn once in the early '90s when my reaction to the dilapidated campus was a simple "ewww."

Critics point to a president's role as being the intellectual leader. But, in what is perhaps a sad commentary, universities have become increasingly driven by the bottom line, forcing the president to shift from the environment of Woodrow Wilson's Princeton to the current corporate university. In this era, Fry's record of fiscal achievements speaks louder than his lack of a Ph.D.

And now, Penn has brought in another atypical hire, with retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Clifford Stanley succeeding Fry. I know many people, both students and staff alike, who raised their eyebrows at the decision. How can a military man ever tackle the rigors of being Penn's chief operating officer?

Stanley does not have any experience in private academia. And to say that there is a culture difference between the Marine Corps and Penn is an understatement.

At the same time, he does have experience training Marines and midshipmen. He served as the commanding general of a base, overseeing the operations of a base serving 20,000 members. He has experience working with public and community relations. He is a leader.

Only time will tell whether Stanley will succeed at Penn, but if I were a betting man, I would not bet against him. His past accomplishments and experiences are certainly impressive and rival those of the more traditional finalists.

In our world, we are caught up with fancy degrees, and we sometimes forget that degrees are just pieces of paper. They do not signify practical knowledge, capability, vision or leadership -- only life experience confers these qualities.

I'll take the college dropout from Redmond, Wash., over a hotshot business school graduate any day.

Richard Mo is a senior History and Economics major from Fresh Meadows, NY.

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