Editorial | No more guessing

When it comes to the presidency of Harvard University, gossip spreads fast.

On Monday, The Harvard Crimson listed President Amy Gutmann as one of the 30 names on Harvard's short list of candidates for the presidency.

The Penn community deserves to know whether its president is looking ahead to the University's future, or up the northeast corridor.

While most speculate that Gutmann is not interested in the job, any ambiguity should be removed immediately.

The failure of Gutmann's office to make an announcement leaves faculty, students and other members of the Penn community in the dark. In her third year as top administrator, Gutmann stands to lose the trust she has just started to gain by seeming unsure about her commitment to Penn.

The implications of even perceived interest on Gutmann's part are critical, especially on the eve of a major capital fundraising campaign. Alumni preparing to make major contributions would be less willing to entrust their check to a president they believe prizes Harvard over their alma mater.

And with the first phase of Penn's 30-year eastward expansion plan set to begin next semester, the University cannot afford to seem unstable in the eyes of the rest of the city.

If President Gutmann is interested in the job, she needs to say so; if she's not, Gutmann owes it to the University community to ask Harvard to remove her from their list.

It is unknown what the Penn community's response would be if Gutmann stated an interest in the job. One thing is sure: They have the right to make an opinion based on facts, not speculation. Allowing this uncertainty to persist is an unfair way to treat a university that has placed its reputation, academic future and physical presence in Philadelphia in President Gutmann's hands.

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