Gutmann stresses accessibility, makes appearances on campus

University President Amy Gutmann has made it a priority in the first weeks of her tenure to be accessible to a spectrum of student leaders in the undergraduate community.

Gutmann pointedly made herself available to listen to the issues that students themselves hold as important.

One of those issues is the role of the University in the improvement of West Philadelphia neighborhoods.

Gutmann attended a summer seminar with the Penn Program for Public Service and spent approximately half an hour discussing community service at Penn.

"She seemed genuinely interested in working with us to help promote the idea of more service-based learning," Wharton junior and program participant Brian Washington said. "She mentioned that apathy is a moral crime, and she said that in the context of [representing] a great university that has so many resources."

The students simply wrote Gutmann a letter requesting her presence in their class.

"We just thought it would be a nice idea to just invite her to the summer seminar, so we contacted her, and about three weeks to a month later she came," Washington said.

Gutmann has often discussed her desire to interact with students frequently.

"My plan is to be very visible and accessible," she said. "So as soon as I move into the president's house ... I'm going to just walk from the president's house to my office and therefore be accessible in the sense of meeting students."

Members of Penn's Women in Leadership Series found that obtaining Gutmann's presence for their speakers series was also easy.

"Basically I e-mailed [the president's assistant] Leah Popowich, and she responded very quickly," said Ilana Stern, a College senior and senior executive planner of WILS.

Gutmann has "been incredibly accommodating. She's going to come and give a speech, and then she's also going to come and hang out with the girls and talk to them," Stern added.

That event is for freshman women and will take place next Tuesday in the MBA social lounge in Huntsman Hall.

Stern expects that Gutmann will discuss her past leadership roles and encourage the freshmen to "realize their leadership potential."

According to Gutmann, making herself accessible to students will not be done solely out of a sense of responsibility.

"I have to say that one of the reasons I love doing what I'm doing is that I love meeting students," Gutmann said. "When I go to football games and basketball games, I will want to sit with students. So the real question is whether you'll get too much of me."

One student who has already had the chance to meet with Gutmann is College senior and Undergraduate Assembly Chairman Jason Levine.

Both Levine and Cynthia Wong, a Wharton junior and UA vice chairwoman, met with Gutmann in her office in late July, at the request of the President's Office.

"It was a pretty informal introductory meeting," Levine said. "We got a very positive first impression with her. She's very devoted to working with students, and we got that impression right from the start."

Traditionally, UA leaders meet with the University president about once a semester.

"It's probably one of the most important things. It's a really motivating factor to have a president so accessible and able to work with us," Levine said.

Gutmann also has plans to speak with leaders of the Latino Coalition, United Minorities Council, Asian Pacific Student Coalition and UMOJA in a closed meeting in her office at noon this Wednesday.

"She's been a very outspoken advocate on pluralist education," College senior and Latino Coalition spokesman Jesse Salazar said. "So clearly the minority coalitions are very much looking forward to meeting with her and getting lots of her insight."

Imanni Wilkes, a College senior and communications chairwoman of Allies, also noted that Gutmann has reached out to her group.

"I know that we have a meeting scheduled with her, and that we're really looking forward to it," Wilkes said. This article appeared as part of the "Amy Gutmann: Changing of the Guard" series.

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