Stetson makes sudden departure

In an abrupt turn, Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson has announced that he has resigned from his post, effective immediately.

He has been replaced on an interim basis by Eric Kaplan, who served as the Dean of Admissions at Lehigh University from 2003 to 2006.

Stetson had originally announced in July that he would leave the University after 29 years of service effective June 30, after the next academic year.

He released a brief statement yesterday that offered little explanation for the decision:

"Having announced my impending retirement earlier in the summer, I now recognize that it is in the University's, and my own best interest, to step down immediately, before the commencement of the fall semester. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve this wonderful University for the past three decades."

Stetson's office said he was traveling and could not be reached for comment.

University spokeswoman Lori Doyle said she had no further information about the reasons behind his decision.

University President Amy Gutmann would also not speak about the details behind Stetson's resignation, but she did say that Kaplan would stay on as interim dean through the end of this academic year.

A search committee headed by Gutmann and Provost Ron Daniels has been formed, but it has yet to meet.

Gutmann did not give a timeline for the selection of a permanent replacement.

Stetson's sudden change of heart is an unexpected turn for a man who has received high praise for his success in expanding recruitment beyond the Northeast to destinations both nationally and internationally.

As recently as Tuesday morning, he had given no indication in a DP interview that he would resign sooner than he had previously announced. "I'm not upset about anything," he said at the time. "After 30 years of this position, I've decided I'd like to try other venues, and that's what I'm planning to do."

He also said he had been approached by individuals about consulting in the international arena or possibly doing additional admissions speaking. It is unclear whether he still plans to pursue those options.

The fact that the University now has the most international students of any school in the Ivy League speaks volumes about Stetson's achievements in promoting diversity as the Dean of Admissions.

His first fully admitted class consisted of 29 international students and 267 minority students. Eighty-eight percent of students were from New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania.

The Class of 2011, on the other hand, will be composed of 318 international students and nearly 900 minority students.

Daniels spoke highly of Stetson's proactive nature and positive effect on the University.

"He shows us that the greatest deans of admissions are the ones . who don't just respond to whatever trends or fashions are out there right now, but are able to partner with the rest of the University's leadership to envision how we want Penn to look in the future," Daniels wrote in an e-mail in July. "What we're looking for in the next dean of admissions is someone who has that same kind of vision."

-Staff Writer Alissa Eisenberg contributed reporting to this article.

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