The Top 10 Quotes From A-Gut's Inaugural Speech: Celebrating 10 Years Of Amy
October 15, 2014 at 3:09 pm
She may not be the first female Ivy League president – that would be her predecessor, Penn's Judith Rodin, natch – but she's definitely the most glamorous. Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the one and only Amy Gutmann's inaugural address as Penn president.
Yes, the inimitable blonde bombshell has helmed our fine university for a decade now, so let's take a trip down memory lane and see how much has(n't) changed. As you'll see, we may be several billion dollaz richer, but Amy G has always been Amy G.
1. "You have informed me, you have advised me, and you have even fed me more than anyone could deserve -- or in the matter of food, more than I could ever need." Madame President's first laugh line! We're kvelling. While she's not exactly known for her voracious appetite in public, she was spotted eating once.
2. "I am proud of my husband, Michael Doyle, and our wonderful daughter, Abigail Gutmann Doyle." Acknowledging your Columbia professor hubby and admitting you live part-time in New York? Full of surprises! Guess he wasn't so aloof then.
3. "Yet we have never had a Penn alum as president of the United States -- unless you count William Henry Harrison, who studied medicine at Penn for four months in 1791." Still true :(
4. "I don't intend to follow in his footsteps. Harrison did manage to keep his promise not to seek a second term: he caught pneumonia and died one month later. I suspect he would have done better to complete his Penn education." The shade! Knockin' WHH while he's down. While she goes in on our shortest-term POTUS, she sure didn't follow his lead: contract thru 2019, baby!
5. "One day, I predict, Penn will claim a far wiser president. And I know that we will all be proud of her!" LOVE the feminism, but this is semi-plagiarized...from Barbara Bush.
6. "The late Gaylord Harnwell led Penn to become a major national research university." Yeah, he did! Did people laugh at this, though? Sorry, Meet The Fockers was about to come out.
7. "The time is ripe for Penn to achieve a truly successful partnership between the arts and sciences and the professions." Hmm...tell that to the Huntsman computers.
8. "It won't be easy. There will be challenges." Please. What scandals challenges?
9. "I will strive to keep our alumni ever more closely connected with the life of our University." More like our Univer$ity. ;)
10. "Together we shall rise, as together we serve." WHY IS THIS CLOSING QUOTATION NOT EMBLAZONED ALL PENN PARAPHERNALIA AT THE BOOKSTORE?!
Regardless, none of these quotes are as important as the one the DP got in a Q&A today: "I, for a while, found Diet Coke and dark chocolate the staple of my existence because there was so much going on." May Amy G be henceforth be known as The DC/DC Queen! Happy Anniversary, Amy.