Stanley's abrupt resignation comes as 'surprise' to staffers

Penn's top business official's announcement yesterday that he will be leaving the University in less than two weeks came as a surprise to many of his fellow administrators.

Some, like Provost Robert Barchi, had no prior indication that Executive Vice President Clifford Stanley would be leaving.

"It was a surprise to me," Barchi said, "and I haven't really had a chance to talk to Cliff about it."

According to other officials, Stanley's decision to step down seemed to be significantly influenced by University President Judith Rodin's announcement that she would resign at the end of the year.

"General Stanley and I have been discussing his goals and aspirations," Rodin said. "He, after all, was recruited by me and may have had some sense, with my departure, that it was time for him to move on."

However, the reasons behind Stanley's decision to leave the University this month as opposed to June, when Rodin will be departing, remain somewhat of a mystery.

Stanley himself did not return repeated phone calls for comment yesterday.

Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate Services Omar Blaik noted that Stanley had been "strongly recruited" by Rodin, and that her departure probably factored into his decision.

"I believe that her decision to step down by next year must have impacted his thinking about the longevity of his tenure here at Penn," he said.

Though Rodin said she was "not surprised" by the decision, many administrators were taken aback by the announcement.

"He was clear that he had other aspirations," University Treasurer and Vice President for Finance Craig Carnaroli said. "But it's surprising maybe in terms of timing."

Stanley will be leaving Penn on Oct. 10, not even giving the standard two weeks notice.

Blaik said that, because Stanley has only been at Penn less than one year, much of his time was spent becoming acclimated to the University's situation.

"For the first five or six months, a lot of [his job] was getting to know the issues," Blaik said. "From that perspective, it was more of a one-way interaction."

But as he became more comfortable within Penn's framework, Stanley began "delegat[ing] very well to all of us," Blaik said.

"We continued to give him briefings and recommendations about how to proceed" he continued, "and by and large, he took our advice."

As a leader, Stanley will be missed by many.

"He was a good person to work for," Carnaroli said. "He always treated everyone with respect."

Blaik agreed, adding that Stanley did not have the "rigid approach" that might be expected of a retired general.

Stanley also impacted the lives of some students at Penn, such as College senior Lauren Cavanaugh.

When Cavanaugh's window began leaking water last month, her father sent an e-mail to the Executive Vice President's Office complaining about the conditions of the room.

Stanley himself went down to see what the trouble was.

"We were really surprised to see a man in a suit standing at our door," Cavanaugh said. "We never expected him to come down himself."

Stanley inspected the leak, and within a short time, eight different maintenance men came to the room to try and fix the problem, according to Wharton senior Daphne Tong, Cavanaugh's roommate.

"He made us feel like he was on our side and wanted things to go our way," Cavanaugh said. "It was really nice to have somebody on a higher level come down and see what we are dealing with."

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