Replacing Gutmann

Provost Amy Gutmann's appointment to the presidency of the University of Pennsylvania should come as little surprise. Gutmann has served Princeton as a founding director of the University Center for Human Values, dean of the college and, of course, provost. She's been considered by several universities in search of a new president, including Harvard.

It's clear that Penn is getting a topnotch president. Who will replace her is an important question at the University, but given reaction to recent appointees, many will also be paying attention to the new provost's gender.

President Tilghman's high-profile female appointees have drawn both praise and criticism from those who believe she uses gender preferences as a factor in choosing new hires. A 'Prince' editorial on Dean of Admissions Janet Rapelye's appointment encouraged Tilghman to admit she was using gender as a plus-factor. The 'Tory' has been relentless in its criticism of what it believes is the the administration's pro-female bias.

Tilghman denied that gender played any role in Rapelye and the others' appointment at an OWL forum held last September. "It was a surprise to me," she said of gender-bias accusations.

While it's hard to believe that Tilghman was really caught so off guard, her explanation of how she chose past candidates seems a good model for replacing the provost and future vacancies.

Tilghman explained that the higher number of female appointees resulted from changing the image of the ideal applicant. If what you see is a man in a suit and tie, you'll get a man in a suit and tie or be surprised if you don't. Tilghman said she went into the appointment process not looking for a man or a woman, but for the best-qualified applicant.

There is no evidence that Tilghman has been doing otherwise. In picking a provost and in all future appointments, we hope Tilghman sticks to her policy regardless of her critics. The University will be better for it. Even if the next one is a woman.

Or a man.