Keeping Penn in College Hall

Indeed, their power is practically absolute.

And at the very top of this bureaucracy rests Gutmann and new Provost Ron Daniels, both of whom have nearly flawless academic credentials and a long history of excellence in administration.

In total, the University's leadership team is made up of 18 individuals with an average of 6.7 years of experience at Penn.

But only three of these pillars of power -- Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli, Vice President of Human Resources John Heuer and General Counsel Wendy White -- graduated from Penn. Carnaroli is the only former Penn undergrad.

This lack of Penn graduates in high places is a problem. After all, these administrators make big decisions that have very concrete effects on people both within and outside the University.

To the outside world, it helps to have a leader with a strong grasp of institutional history. Gutmann's predecessor, Judith Rodin, lived in West Philadelphia and attended school at Penn.

This gave her instant credibility when dealing with state and local officials. She could turn to community groups and say, "I have seen Penn fail in its prior plans to improve the neighborhood by itself, so I want to work with you."

This is not to say that our president must be a Penn graduate or longstanding faculty member. But in the case that the president is an outsider, you'd hope that she would surround herself with several people who had a better sense of institutional history.

Most Ivy League schools do not have an alumnus as president. Only the presidents of Harvard, Columbia and Yale are graduates of their respective institutions.

But Penn is unique among its peers in its lack of on-campus experience at the top. Brown is the only other Ivy school where neither the president nor provost were students or longstanding faculty members before their appointment.

It's bizarre that Gutmann didn't surround herself with people who have lots of ties to Penn. This would have been both a symbolic and practical way to show that she is interested in preserving Penn traditions and being well-versed in institutional history.

Internally, a lack of Penn alums in the University's leadership team leads to a disconnect, particularly with students.

These leaders make decisions about issues that arise only at Penn. They decide whether Spring Fling should take place in the Quad or somewhere else. They choose which College Houses need renovation -- or whether the college house system works at all, for that matter.

If you've never experienced the thrill of running drunk through the halls of the Quad on an April morning, it is unlikely that you understand why Spring Fling shouldn't be moved.

It's like having someone manage the Yankees who has never played baseball -- it's hard to relate to your players.

Gutmann makes attempts to reach out to students by attending basketball games and hosting holiday parties, but when it comes to dealing with issues that students are most passionate about, she seems to be missing something.

Her speeches never seem to hint at the fact that she understands what the Penn student experience is like.

Gutmann always throws in references to Green Day or Lord of the Rings in an attempt to prove that she's "with it." But these allusions seem forced and are never Penn-specific. There are no references to Hey Day, Spring Fling or late-night trips to Smoke's.

She speaks to us as if we are generic students, not Penn students.

I realize that Gutmann has a lot to worry about, but every now and then we all need to be reminded that she gets it. She needs to remind us that she understands what it's like to march down Locust Walk on Hey Day. But she doesn't. And maybe it's because there's nobody surrounding her who did.

David Burrick is a senior urban studies major from Short Hills, N.J., and executive editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. His e-mail address is dburrick@sas.upenn.edu. Camp David appears on alternate Thursdays.

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