University officials have announced the appointment of Eric J. Furda C’87 as Penn’s new dean of admissions. He will replace Lee Stetson GEd’71, who left the post unexpectedly and without explanation last September. Interim dean Eric Kaplan will continue to run the department until July 1, when Furda’s tenure begins. In the meantime, Furda will serve as special assistant to the President to refamiliarize himself with Penn and its admission process.
Furda returns to his alma mater after having served as executive director of undergraduate admissions at Columbia from 1995 to 2004. During that time, applications to Columbia rose about 70 percent.
“To put it simply, Eric has become a natural for this position,” said Penn President Amy Gutmann. “His depth of experience and track record of success in highly selective undergraduate admissions, along with his keen understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing higher education today, make him our ideal choice.”
A more comprehensive introduction to Penn’s new admissions dean will appear in the next Gazette.
—T.P.