DEAN'S COLUMN
Shaping the School of Arts and Sciences

In December, President Amy Gutmann announced the appointment of College dean Rebecca Bushnell as the new dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. She succeeded outgoing dean Sam Preston on January 1. A gifted educator and distinguished scholar of English literature, Bushnell came to Penn in 1982 and has served as the school’s associate dean of arts and letters and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. We caught up with her in December to ask about her new job.

Q. What does it mean to you that you’ve been named dean of Arts
and Sciences?

A. Well, it’s a huge responsibility. It means that I will have an opportunity to shape the academic future of the school.

Q. Why is that something you’re excited about?

A. I came into this line of work because of intellectual curiosity, a love of learning. And of course that love of learning is at the core of the School of Arts and Sciences. As dean, I get to be right where the action is. I’m looking forward to meeting more of the faculty and working with departments to bring the most illustrious scholars and best teachers to Penn. Students come here for these brilliant faculty, and the students and faculty are why I love being at Penn.

Q. Do you plan to continue teaching?

A. Yes, probably freshman seminars. Increased contact with students has been a wonderful part of my job as dean of the college. I don’t want to give that up. It’s important that we find ways to give students access to the dean, so they understand that the dean’s office is open to faculty and students alike.

Q. What do you see as the challenges and opportunities ahead?

A. We would like to increase the faculty size, which will be a significant financial challenge. This will mean redoubling our efforts to create endowed chairs. Many of those faculty work and teach in historic buildings that are desperately in need of repair. So another challenge is funding a very ambitious plan to renovate our facilities.

The opportunities have to do with enacting our new president’s Penn Compact. I am excited about her concept of integrated knowledge. Creating cross-school faculty appointments and academic programs with other schools at the university will make Penn distinctive. The president has also cited the need to link Penn with the community, and the School of Arts and Sciences has always been a leader in Penn’s academically based community service programs. Finally, the school is going to be out in front opening up a Penn education to the best students regardless of their ability to pay.

Q. What do you think is the most important quality in a dean?

A. Any dean has to be curious and open to all areas of knowledge. The dean also has to be a good listener, able to learn from others and then put things into action. But intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness are critical – and a lot of patience. And stamina.

Q. Here’s a trick question. What illusions do you have going into
this job?

A. I watched Sam Preston do this job for seven years, so I don’t have a lot of illusions. I know it’s demanding. I’m doing it because I like a challenge and because I care about the School of Arts and Sciences. I’ve given my entire professional life to it.

Q. What do you think is the fun part of academic administration?

A. One of the great pleasures of this job is that I get out a lot and meet all sorts of interesting people – faculty, alumni, parents. I talk to everyone, and I can get the big picture of Penn. It’s never boring because I’m always seeing some new side of the school and the university.