"Where there is no vision the people perish."
Judith Rodin, President of the University of Pennsylvania, Wins the Philadelphia Award for 2003
PHILADELPHIA -- Judith Rodin, President of the University of Pennsylvania, scholar, author, teacher, catalyst for neighborhood change, trail blazer in higher education, champion of public education, and builder of bridges among people of all backgrounds, has been named winner of The Philadelphia Award for 2003. The award is presented to a citizen of the region who has done the most to "advance the best and largest interest" of the community.
Rodin, 59, the first woman to head an Ivy League institution, receives Philadelphia's highest honor for advancing a multitude of initiatives that have positively impacted Penn, its neighborhood and the entire Philadelphia region, according to William J. Marrazzo, Chair of the Philadelphia Award Trustees, and President and CEO of WHYY.
Marrazzo said, "She is being recognized for her unwavering commitment to elevating the economy of West Philadelphia and the quality of life for its residents; for her leadership roles in galvanizing Philadelphia's higher education institutions in order to keep the region's brightest graduates here and for promoting the region as a high-tech business location."
When Rodin accepts The Award at a ceremony this September, she will join the ranks of a prestigious group of distinguished leaders who have won the Award. The Award, which bestows a $25,000 honorarium, was established in 1921 by Pulitzer-Prize winning author and philanthropist Edward W. Bok.
"I am enormously honored to be named as this year's winner of The Philadelphia Award," Rodin said. "This prestigious award is deeply meaningful to me, as it recognizes the recipient's commitment to improving the life of our community, a role that I have embraced throughout my ten years at Penn. From the beginning of my tenure, I have striven to demonstrate Penn's commitment to its community, through a host of programs and initiatives to help spur economic development, educational opportunity, business growth and quality of life enhancements. I am also deeply honored to join the company of so many distinguished former recipients, who, like me, share a deep love for Philadelphia and its citizens."
It was Bok's vision to honor the achievements of the men and women of Philadelphia, from many walks of life, who, while not pursing greatness, have achieved great things. Other winners include such luminaries as Marian Anderson, Eugene Ormandy, Edmund Bacon, Sister Mary Scullion, Ed Rendell and John Street. Last year's winner was Lorene Cary.
Under Rodin's direction, Penn has risen in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of top national research universities from 16th in 1994 to 5th in 2003. The institution now boasts increased resources, research funding, annual fundraising and endowment.
Rodin also created Penn's West Philadelphia Initiatives, a strategic plan to revitalize the neighborhood around the University. She has focused on creating a clean and safe community, promoting home ownership, improving retail amenities, increasing economic development and improving public education.
She facilitated the construction of a large art-house movie theater and 228-room Hilton hotel on Penn's campus, as well as new restaurants, stores and a 35,000 square foot grocery market. She cultivated partnerships with the West Philadelphia community to help improve the neighborhood's public schools. More than 1,700 Penn faculty, students and staff have joined together with local educators and community members in more than 130 programs at 33 different West Philadelphia public schools. Penn has also helped expand evening and weekend programs at several West Philadelphia schools, offering academics, job training, and cultural and recreational classes for all residents.
As a product of the West Philadelphia public school system herself, Rodin has been committed to improving the learning environment in neighborhood schools, particularly at the Henry C. Lea School, where Penn's Graduate School of Education (GSE) is working to revitalize literacy, math and science programs. GSE was also selected by the School Reform Commission to help manage Henry Lea Elementary, William C. Bryant and Alexander Wilson schools. Another outcome is that Penn, now a national leader in academically-based community service learning, offers more than 100 courses that require undergraduate students to work with Philadelphia school children.
The centerpiece of her accomplishments is her partnership with The School District of Philadelphia to create Penn Alexander School, where students receive a high-caliber education in a state-of the-art setting. This school has been hailed as the "gold standard" by the national association of independent colleges and universities for bringing the most effective, research-proven educational practices into the classroom. This is a prime example of her ability to bring public-private forces together for social, economic, cultural and intellectual advancement.
In collaboration with the Pennsylvania Economy League, and the Pew Charitable Trusts, Rodin established the Knowledge Industry Partnership. The goal was to "stem the brain drain," to join with Philadelphia's colleges, universities and research institutions in offering opportunities and jobs to keep the region's brightest graduates in the region.
As chair of Innovation Philadelphia, a private/public organization that seeks to promote Philadelphia as a high-tech location, she has helped enhance the global image of the city and promote collaboration among industry, government, academia and non-profit organizations involving key economic initiatives.
She holds faculty appointments as a professor of a psychology in the School of Arts and Sciences and as a professor of Medicine. She returned to Penn after serving 22 years on the faculty of Yale University, where she served as provost from 1992 through 1994.
Rodin served on President Clinton's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology and co-chaired the transition team of Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street. Renowned for her work on the relationship between psychological and biological process in human health and behavior, Rodin has published more than 200 articles and chapters in academic publications and authored or co-authored ten books.
She has been awarded honorary doctorates from Arcadia University, The Curtis Institute of Music, Lafayette College, University of New Haven and Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University. She has received numerous awards, including the Enterprise Awards Legend Award (2003), the LD Access Foundation Lifetime Commitment Award (2003), National Women's Law Center Award (2002) and The William Penn Award (2004).