Stetson resigns (suddenly) from Penn admissions

Parents Corner
1

<p>boy, I must be living in a hole...how'd I miss all of this intrigue?</p>

<p>original announcement in July
<a href="http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2007/07/26/News/Stetson.Resigns.As.Dean.Of.Admissions-2927410.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2007/07/26/News/Stetson.Resigns.As.Dean.Of.Admissions-2927410.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
For the past 29 years, prospective students have eagerly torn open their decision letters from Penn hoping to see a letter, signed by Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson, welcoming them to the next year's class.</p>

<p>But soon, another person's signature will appear at the end of those letters as Stetson announced his resignation on Tuesday, effective June 30, 2008

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</p>

<p>glossy article from Penn Gazzette (tame, party line)
<a href="http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0907/gaz03.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0907/gaz03.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
Average SAT scores have gone from 1261 for the Class of 1983 (Stetson’s first full admitted class) to 1419 for the incoming class.

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</p>

<p>think we'll now get some more sunshine on those numbers?</p>

<p>Sudden acceleration of resignation
8/31 Philly.com
<a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/9495442.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/9495442.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
"Stetson, Penn's dean of admissions, resigns abruptly"</p>

<p>Lee Stetson, dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, has resigned effective immediately.</p>

<p>Stetson had previously announced plans to resign at the end of this academic year. Neither he nor the university would comment on the reasons for his abrupt departure which was reported yesterday by The Daily Pennsylvanian, the campus newspaper.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>lots of speculation about why he resigned so abruptly, including potential health or legal problems...</p>

<p>thread on Penn board: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=388177%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=388177&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>9/7 Daily Pennsylvanian blurb
<a href="http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2007/09/07/Opinion/Opinion.Board.Honesty.Is.The.Best.Policy-2955779.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2007/09/07/Opinion/Opinion.Board.Honesty.Is.The.Best.Policy-2955779.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
Opinion Board | Honesty is the best policy</p>

<p>Penn should be more forthcoming about Dean Stetson's resignation</p>

<p>The abrupt and unceremonious resignation of long-time Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson has left many in the Penn community scratching their heads.</p>

<p>Admissions officers have said they were told by the University not to speak about Stetson's departure and high-ranking administrators claim they were given no information about the dean's resignation.</p>

<p>In yesterday's DP, one senior administrator who wished to remain anonymous was quoted as wondering whether Stetson had encountered either a very serious illness or a very serious legal issue.</p>

<p>The University is doing a disservice to its administrators, faculty, staff and students by refusing to comment on the issue. Their ham-fisted handling of the matter has only invited rampant speculation and left many feeling slighted.</p>

<p>It is certainly possible that the administration - at least those who haven't been left in the dark - has extremely legitimate reasons for being so tight-lipped. Privacy must be respected in certain cases and reputations could be at stake.</p>

<p>But at the very least, they should be forthcoming about why they can't be forthcoming. If the University is trying to protect certain parties then they should explain that.</p>

<p>We deserve something.

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2

<p>Thanks, I missed all that drama too.</p>

<p>I guess the Powers that Be finally figured out that he should have admitted my daughter and didn't.</p>

3

<p>Hope you folks realize that I am kidding.</p>

4

<p>Weird that the admin wouldn't let a veteran of 29 years take a victory lap...if he were ill, surely the announcement would have included that reason--even if the exact nature of the illness wasn't disclosed.</p>

<p>Hmmm...more info to follow I hope.</p>

5

<p>Penn has done an amazing job of keeping the real story under wraps. This goes against all "normal" handling of a top administrator leaving- no parties, no fanfare, just the terse announcement and no comment by the Prez. Something major went down, and no one knows what it is.......</p>

6

<p>I'm amazed I missed this too. I don't recall the AP picking it up, or it appearing in the New York Times. Thanks for putting it here.</p>

<p>The kids on the Penn CC board have done an interesting job of analyzing what might have happened.</p>

7

<p>I remember reading it in the Inquirer back in July but there was never a follow up article. If there's a story, I'm sure it's either a big doozy or no story at all. Can't wait to find out!</p>

8

<p>In the original reason for leaving Penn, Stetson said </p>

<p>
[quote]
Stetson will bring his knowledge to his new role as a national consultant to other colleges and universities on admissions.</p>

<p>"Hopefully, I have learned a lot and can be helpful" at other universities, Stetson said.

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</p>

<p>My conjecture is that he began "consulting" for another school already and Penn told him this was a conflict of interest and/or against his employment agreement. In the business world, it's not unusual that when someone quits to go to a direct competitior they are asked to leave immediately -- in fact, sometimes they are even escorted out of the building. It's just to protect "trade secrets" and isn't meant to denigrate the person.</p>

9

<p>
[quote]
Quote:
Average SAT scores have gone from 1261 for the Class of 1983 (Stetson’s first full admitted class) to 1419 for the incoming class. </p>

<p>think we'll now get some more sunshine on those numbers?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Amen to that! With all the talk about more transparency and less homecooking, one could hope the successor will be a tad more "open" --not to use a better adjective.</p>

10

<p>Are these scores re-centered?</p>

11

<p>Recentered by the College Board or ... Penn? :D</p>

12

<p>Penn Admissions is probably just trying to keep up with the big boys in the scandal department...think Marilee Jones of MIT!</p>

13

<p>this doesn't solve the mystery, but here's a 9/12 excerpt from the Chronicle of Higher Ed on the Stetson resignation subject:
<a href="http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i03/03a00702.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i03/03a00702.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
Mr. Stetson, who had been dean of admissions at the Ivy League institution for 29 years, abruptly resigned August 31, even though he had said he would not retire until next June. Mr. Stetson could not be reached for comment, and a spokeswoman for the university refused to offer any explanation for his departure.</p>

<p>Penn's president, Amy Gutmann, was notably missing from those with kind words for the widely admired dean. When Mr. Stetson announced his future retirement plans in July, Ms. Gutmann had responded (along with Penn's provost, Ronald Daniels) with a statement praising him as "one of the country's leading admissions deans."</p>

<p>A two-sentence written statement from Mr. Stetson did nothing to resolve the mystery. The longtime dean merely said it was "in the university's, and my own best interest, to step down immediately."

[/quote]
</p>

14

<p>A story in The Inquirer???? Did he claim to be probed by space aliens?</p>

15

<p>That's the Philadelphia Inquirer, not the National Enquirer. :)</p>

16

<p>Oh...never mind..</p>

17

<p>Maybe he faked his degrees. I heard another high profile admissions dean did that, so he probably did too.</p>

<p>Either that or he was being blackmailed by his gay lover in the admissions department. Something like that happened here in New Jersey.</p>

<p>As mentioned earlier in the thread, the lack of information from Penn invites rampant speculation! :D</p>

<p>hey, this is gonna be fun!

[quote]
Rumors of illness, however, are coming in a distinct second — many sources believe it could be a slimier scandal, possibly involving a student.

[/quote]
</p>

18

<p>
[quote]
Maybe he faked his degrees. I heard another high profile admissions dean did that, so he probably did too.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I seriously doubt that since his one of his degrees is from the University of Pennsylvania.

[quote]
Lee received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and economics from the University of Delaware in 1963. Upon graduation, Lee completed a management development program with Bell Telephone Company. He then served in South Vietnam as an officer in the Signal Corps in the United States Army.
In 1966 he began teaching at Springfield High School in Pennsylvania and moved on to higher education at the University of Delaware as an admissions officer. After becoming associate director of admissions, and finally the director of admissions, he completed his career at the University of Delaware in 1978. During this time, he completed his master’s of science degree in psychological services with an emphasis in counseling and administration at the University of Pennsylvania.

[/quote]

<a href="http://www.whartoncostarica07.com/bio-m-stetson.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.whartoncostarica07.com/bio-m-stetson.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

19

<p>ellemenope - thanks for the best giggle of the day. Now THAT would have really been interesting.</p>

20

<p>It would indeed have been interesting, but the truth is probably something more mundane like playing footsie in a men's bathroom stall in MN...</p>