June 20, 2003

Judith Rodin, president of the University of Pennsylvania since 1994, announced today that she intends to step down from the office when she completes her 10-year term in June 2004. The announcement came following a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Trustees on Penn’s campus.

During nearly a decade of service, Rodin has guided the University through a period of unprecedented growth and development that has transformed Penn’s academic core and dramatically enhanced the quality of life on campus and in the surrounding community. Under her leadership, Penn has invigorated its resources, doubling its research funding and tripling both its annual fundraising and the size of its endowment; created Penn Medicine; launched a comprehensive and widely acclaimed neighborhood revitalization program; attracted record numbers of undergraduate applicants, creating Penn’s most selective classes ever; risen in the U.S News & World Report rankings of top national research universities from 16th in 1994 to 4th in 2002; established new interdisciplinary institutes and created over a dozen groundbreaking interdisciplinary, multi-school, undergraduate and graduate degree programs throughout the University; planned or completed new buildings and major renovations in every school and center; and expanded its international programs and collaborations. Faculty excellence has risen dramatically and there has been significant investment in leading-edge graduate and professional degree programs.

Full release

• Press Release from University Communications
• Letter to the Penn Community
• Dr. Rodin's Biography
• The Rodin Decade at a Glance (pdf file)
• Highlights and accomplishments
• Transforming the Complete Student Experience
• Focusing on Faculty Excellence
• Expanding a Commitment to Research
• Creating a Renaissance in Technology
• Managing Resources Efficiently
• Investing in the West Philadelphia Community
• High-resolution image for media
• History of the Penn Presidency
• The President's website