Willis Stetson was Dean of Admissions at Penn for an illustrious 29 years and an admired figure in the admissions world. Over the summer, he announced he would retire in June 2008, drawing a shower of praise from sources both inside and outside of the University.

But in late August, just over a month after announcing his retirement, and just as the admissions season was heating up, Stetson made an abrupt turn, as the University declared that he would retire effective immediately.

Since that announcement, not only has there been none of the normal praise that the departure of a longstanding and successful administrator would normally elicit, but the University has also been doing its best to disassociate itself from the longtime dean. Equally bizarre is that Stetson's colleagues and co-workers in the Admissions office found out about his resignation from a voicemail left by him the morning that he left -- the only goodbye to an office that he headed for almost three decades.

The University's handling of the issue has upset nearly the entire community, including students, staff, administrators, faculty, alumni, and donors. Even the majority of the University trustees have been kept in the dark as to what caused Stetson to leave. Since her original statement that it was in the "best interests" of Stetson and the University for the acclaimed dean to leave immediately, Penn President Amy Gutmann has said nothing else. All of this has made the question of why Lee Stetson left Penn, a central question in the world of higher education.

This is The Daily Pennsylvanian topic page for Lee Stetson's abrupt departure from the University of Pennsylvania. Watch this site for the latest news, and comprehensive coverage.

Of all the things students look for in a university "ability to keep secrets" generally isn't a coveted quality. The administration (or at least the handful that are in the know) seem to be having trouble grasping this.

In September, in an effort to uncover the truth about Dean Stetson's mysterious resignation, we appealed to the administration's sense of accountability to the Penn community ? to no avail. The administration seems to be under the impression that it can get away with being secretive and underhanded in its handling of the Stetson affair.

That strategy has utterly backfired.

For one, trustees and alumni aren't happy. One trustee was quoted in the days before the capital-campaign kickoff as saying that he "damn well better get some better information." An alumnus over Homecoming weekend aptly summed up the situation as "completely insane." Others echoed their sentiments.

Far be it from us to tell the experts how to run their capital campaign, but breeding resentment among donors would seem to be a less than optimal tactic.

The administration's silence has failed from a public-relations perspective as well. Two months after the resignation, blogs and college admissions Web sites have unsurprisingly been abuzz over the issue.

Indeed, public-relations experts warned against this very possibility in the DP ("Experts say honesty the best policy for Stetson," 10/12/07).

"When something has gone wrong, the quickest and simplest way to get it behind you is to disclose what you know, admit what went wrong and talk about what your next steps are," said Scott Barkett, senior vice president of crisis management for public-relations firm Dix & Eaton.

Last April, for example, MIT was refreshingly open about the reasons for its own dean of admissions' sudden resignation: It was discovered that she had fabricated her education credentials. The story made national news and then faded, doing no permanent damage to MIT's reputation.

Penn's administration has taken a decidedly different route and paid the price. Trustees are annoyed, alumni are furious, many students feel slighted and the story hasn't gone away.

The only statement President Gutmann has made on the matter was that the former dean's immediate resignation was in both the University's and Stetson's "best interests."

We're not PR experts, but we do know this: It's in the University's best interests for the administration to tell the truth and tell it now.

Eric Kaplan, a former director of admissions under Lee Stetson has stepped in to fill the role temporarily as Interim Dean of Admissions but will be gone by next year. Kaplan has said that he will try to run the office the same way Stetson did, and high-schoolers applying to Penn shouldn't expect any changes at all.

• New dean steps in, but will step right out - 10/9/07
• How can I get in? With dean gone, answer may change - 10/4/07
• New dean, but no change to early decision - 9/17/07
• Q & A with new admissions dean - 9/5/07

The athletics director sits down with the DP and gives his take on Lee Stetson's resignation

Athletic Director Steve Bilsky - ..."I don't know all the issues involved with that. I do know that occasionally when we have personnel issues that are done in a way that both parties sign off on a confidentiality agreement, there are times when I would like to say something but I haven't, or I've not been able to, because of that agreement. So I think you've got to respect that. I understand that there's a desire for the campus community to find out what happened with a high-profile person. But I'm assuming confidentiality agreements were signed, which prohibits both sides to say anything. I've been involved in those myself, so I know you've just got to bite your tongue and move on."...Link

The administration can't expect alumni to donate when it won't say a word about Dean Stetson

Jim Newell......"OK OK, I'll ask just one for President Gutmann: Are you seriously asking me for money now, after you've been embarrassing the school for the last seven weeks? I'm referring to the administration's complete unwillingness to disclose the reason(s) for beloved ex-Admissions Dean Lee Stetson's mysterious, immediate resignation on Aug. 30. It's like a babysitter refusing to feed an infant its Gerber, and then at the end of the day asking that infant for $3.5 billion."...Link

Penn Should be more forthcoming about Dean Stetson's resignation

Staff Editorial..."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."...Link

• 4/2/2007 - Admission rate drops to record low 15.9%
• 11/11/1999 - Selling Penn to future freshman
• 11/15/1996 - Stetson gets College Board post
• 4/16/1992 - U. accepts highest percentage of applicants in Ivy League
• 3/3/1992 - Minorities applying reach all-time high