Few doubt that Penn will look vastly different in 20 to 30 years. With many projects already in the works and many more on the horizon, Penn's campus will be transformed for the next generation of Penn students and faculty.
Besides President Amy Gutmann, there are a small handful people who will leave a large mark on that transformation. One of those people was Omar Blaik, who left his position as vice president of Facilities and Real Estate this spring. Before his departure, Blaik oversaw hundreds of employees and helped to design Penn's expansion into the postal lands.
This month, his replacement takes the helm.
Anne Papageorge, who officially takes the post on Oct. 16, comes to Penn with significant experience, currently serving as vice president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. Her role leading the World Trade Center Memorial - a very public project - no doubt played a major role in getting the job.
The problems begin, however, with the fact that Papageorge is more than just a stranger to the Penn campus - she's barely set foot in University City, except when searching out grad schools. With such an important position, Penn must ensure that its Real Estate head has a grasp of Penn's complex history and the vast potential of the postal lands.
When asked about the strengths of Penn's physical landscape, Papageorge was alarmingly vague.
"It's rooted in a deep sense of history, which gives it a strong foundation and a strong groundedness in order to then move toward the future," she said.
Yet, far from dooming her role, her lack of direct experience with Penn means that she will have to work hard - and work hard quickly - to get acclimated to the University and its wider issues.
She should be spending free time reading about the postal lands and her days off visiting campus. And with the hiring of new University Architect David Hollenberg, who has more experience at Penn than just about anyone, she can soak up knowledge.
As she'll soon be shaping the University's future, we hope her descriptions of Penn will be anything but vague in the months to come.
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