Columbia official gets Penn admissions post

A Columbia University vice president has been named dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania.

Eric J. Furda, vice president for alumni relations at Columbia and a 1987 Penn graduate, replaces Lee Stetson, who had been Penn's admissions director for nearly 30 years. Furda will assume the post July 1.

Stetson, who abruptly resigned in September, was credited with helping Penn become one of the nation's most exclusive schools.

As executive director of undergraduate admissions at Columbia from 1995 to 2004, Furda is credited with guiding a rise in undergraduate admissions there. During his tenure, applications to Columbia College increased more than 70 percent.

Furda has a bachelor's degree in international relations from Penn and a master's in education from Teachers College at Columbia. He began his career in university admissions at Penn, where he was regional director from 1987 until 1991, when he joined the admissions office at Columbia.

- Inquirer staff