Bushnell will assume SAS helm as dean

College Dean Rebecca Bushnell will be moving up the administrative ladder beginning Jan. 1, when she will replace Samuel Preston as School of Arts and Sciences dean.

The selection brings an eight-month national search to a close, with yet another internal promotion filling a gap in Penn's administrative lineup.

In her new post, Bushnell will play a pivotal role in determining future renovations of ailing classroom buildings like the McNeil Building and in evaluating the experimental pilot curriculum.

"It gives me an opportunity to shape the future of the school," she said, citing faculty recruitment and retention and school fundraising as additional areas that she plans to focus on during her tenure. "I can really make a difference."

The SAS dean search committee -- which ultimately recommended three final candidates to University President Amy Gutmann in October -- was formed a month after Preston announced he was stepping down in March.

Preston, who has worked extensively with Bushnell during his seven years as SAS dean, described her as "creative, wise ... [and] very focused and action-oriented."

One of Bushnell's most important constituencies -- Penn students -- supports Gutmann's decision.

"She's known to be very accessible and willing to work with students, so I think having her take on the deanship can only increase student involvement," College senior and search committee member Jason Levine said.

Bushnell said she plans to continue the tradition of student-administrator interaction that many say she established as the College dean.

"I think it's important that the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences ... remains accessible to students and communicates with them -- I just have to figure out the right way to do that," she said.

But Bushnell's promotion will leave vacant the position of College dean -- a post that she has held since 2002.

"I hope that I can have someone in place by January first," she said. "That's my intention -- we'll see if I can pull it off."

Many University officials said that the benefits of having someone as experienced with Penn as Bushnell outweighs any detriments the school may experience due to the loss of its College dean.

Search Committee Chairman and School of Engineering Dean Eduardo Glandt said that Bushnell "knows this University inside out" and therefore will be able to transition smoothly into her new role.

"She will hit the ground running -- the hope is that there will be no discontinuity," he said.

As a 22-year veteran of Penn and a longtime English professor, Bushnell "comes in with enormous respect and trust among members of this community," Gutmann said.

Glandt stressed that he thinks the internal appointment indicates the University's progress.

"The strength of the University is measured by whether it has inside people of this caliber," he said.

Bushnell is the latest of several administrative positions that Gutmann has elected to fill with present Penn staff members, including promoting Craig Carnaroli from senior vice president for finance and University treasurer to executive vice president.

Bushnell's priorities and plans for guiding SAS forward focus on many of the principles that Gutmann has outlined for the University as a whole.

Gutmann "and I think alike on many matters," Bushnell said, specifically citing increased collaboration across the University as one of her goals.

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