Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 10/31/07 Section: News
Stetson Departure | News Analysis: Secrecy not the norm for Gutmann
Handling of resignation is unusual considering track record of openness
Emily Babay and Albert Sun
University President Amy Gutmann has built her career as a political theorist in the field of deliberative democracy, which emphasizes the political values of openness, transparency and publicity.
Gutmann has for the most part extended her philosophy to her administration at Penn, extolling these principles in her four years as president.
But her refusal to disclose the details behind former Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson's resignation represents an outlier in a long trend of openness as an academic and administrator.
Gutmann's seminal work on deliberative democracy, Democracy and Disagreement, written with Dennis Thompson of Harvard University, devotes an entire chapter to the value of publicity, in which she argues that citizens should be trusted more than leaders with the information necessary to make decisions.
Deliberative democracy experts disagree over the degree to which transparency is appropriate, but Gutmann - who refused to comment for this article - has stressed that at least some measures for accountability in decision-making are necessary.
"For those institutions that cannot function without high degrees of secrecy, we suggest some institutional devices to secure either prior or retrospective accountability," she wrote in a 1999 essay with Thompson.
Gutmann has stressed before that these principles also apply to university governance, and when she first assumed the presidency at Penn, her colleagues said this academic philosophy would translate well.
"It's part of Penn tradition to have a really open and deliberative process, but it also feeds into Amy's background and training," Joann Mitchell, a member of Gutmann's staff at Princeton and Penn, told The Daily Princetonian at the time.
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 8
Staffer
posted 10/31/07 @ 10:49 AM EST
Accountability? There is a staff member in the office who despite being brought to the ombudsman, this departments HR office and others for his sexual harassment of young women has had no accountability or consequences for his actions. (Continued…)
GRP
posted 10/31/07 @ 3:36 PM EST
You need to grow up and move forward. Stetson left, he and the University made a deal not to say anything, they are both honoring that deal and you don't get to know anymore about it. (Continued…)
GRP
posted 10/31/07 @ 4:06 PM EST
You need to stop trying to make the news. Here is what happened. Stetson moved up his retirement for some reason, Penn and Gutmann accepted it and they all made a deal not to speak of it to anyone, both parties are honoring that deal and you don't get to know anymore. (Continued…)
Staff
posted 10/31/07 @ 4:58 PM EST
No, what we need is accountability and leadership, something extremely lacking in the Gutmann administration.
Congress needs to pass a Sarbanes-Oxley Act for non-profits, to clean up the abuses and mismanagement occurring in colleges and universities. (Continued…)
Truth or Consequences
posted 10/31/07 @ 5:18 PM EST
GRP,
Clearly the DP article is a counter spin piece initiated by the Gutman administration. Moreover, contrary to your assertions, it's not ok to cut a deal with long time senior staffer to maintain mutual silence. (Continued…)
90's Alum
posted 10/31/07 @ 6:58 PM EST
I have to agree with GRP. Speaking as lawyer, it is DANGEROUS to start making assumptions left and right about the reasons behind the sudden resignation. (Continued…)
melo
posted 10/31/07 @ 6:59 PM EST
Has it occurred to the DP staff that personnel issues are confidential, and that employers cannot publish abroad an employee's personnel files? Now that would be mismanagement!
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