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President of University of Delaware: Patrick Harker
December 5, 2006, Volume 53, No. 14

Patrick Harker

Dr. Patrick Harker, dean of the Wharton School, has been named President of the University of Delaware. He will assume his new position as UD’s 26th president on July 1, 2007.

“Patrick has been an outstanding leader for Wharton, and as we congratulate him on this exciting new opportunity and wish him well, we also know his departure will be a great loss for Penn. In his seven years as Dean, Patrick has propelled the School forward with extraordinary energy and creativity,” said President Amy Gutmann.

“Patrick’s bold vision as Dean—one he articulated eloquently and passionately—was to secure Wharton’s place as the dominant producer of business knowledge and education in the world. While strengthening Wharton’s focus on academic excellence and faculty scholarship, Patrick also drew many eminent faculty to the School. His commitment to the international mission of Wharton was manifest in his efforts to connect with Wharton alumni around the world and to share Wharton’s ideas with business leaders from Hong Kong to Mumbai to Costa Rica,” Dr. Gutmann added.

During his tenure as Dean, Dr. Harker created Wharton West, the school’s San Francisco-based campus, and forged an alliance with INSEAD, the leading non-U.S. based business school. He also oversaw the launching of two innovative and successful initiatives—Knowledge@Wharton and Wharton School Publishing.

“Patrick has garnered respect from colleagues across the University for his skilled strategic thinking and ability to motivate and inspire others. A gifted and indefatigable fundraiser, he led Wharton to complete the largest fundraising campaign in its history,” said Provost Ron Daniels. The Campaign for Sustained Leadership, which raised over $450 million, was the largest fundraising campaign at any business school in the world.

Dr. Harker has deep roots here with all of his degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He earned both his B.S.E. and his M.S.E. in civil and urban engineering in 1981, then received an M.A. in economics and a Ph.D. in civil engineering, in 1983. He has been on the Wharton faculty since 1984, and in 2000, the year he became Dean, he was also named Reliance Professor of Management and Private Enterprise. Dr. Harker had previously served as interim and deputy dean of the School. A senior fellow at the Wharton Financial Institutions Center, he also has a secondary appointment in management, and at SEAS in electrical and systems engineering. Dr. Harker is a leading scholar in the areas of service and technology management and operations research, with several books and scores of professional articles to his name. Dr. Harker was a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator, 1986-91 and a White House Fellow, 1991-92.

“Patrick T. Harker has an excellent combination of experience and skills to lead the University of Delaware forward,” UD board chairman Howard Cosgrove said. “Dr. Harker has served splendidly as dean of one of the world’s most admired business schools, which in turn is a vital part of one of America’s premier universities. He has managed with foresight, creativity and innovation, expanding the reach of the Wharton School across the country and around the world, and those traits will serve him well as he leads this university into the future.”

At the University of Delaware, Dr. Harker will oversee more than 3,900 full and part-time employees and about 21,000 students, along with an endowment of more than $1 billion and budget approaching $700 million.

Almanac - December 5, 2006, Volume 53, No. 14