The new president of Philadelphia’s University of the Arts is Sean T. Buffington, Harvard University’s associate provost for arts and culture, and director of cultural programs. At 38, Mr. Buffington, who has been Harvard’s top arts administrator since 2002, will be one of the nation’s youngest university presidents. He will also be among only a small number of openly gay college chiefs.

Despite the dearth of gay presidents, Mr. Buffington said in an interview with The Chronicle that his sexual orientation was a “non-issue” during the hiring process. “The board and the search committee were interested in my experience and my ideas,” he said, adding that his personal life was “not relevant to the job I’ve been asked to do.”

Mr. Buffington said he hoped his age would help him bring energy and excitement to the role of president. “In some ways, my youth is probably a good thing,” he said.

A former deputy chief of staff to Harvard’s president and provost, Mr. Buffington began working at Harvard in 1994 as assistant director of the university’s alumni association.

The University of the Arts, with 2,300 students, focuses on the visual, performing, and communication arts. Mr. Buffington said he was attracted to the university’s interdisciplinary curriculum. Arts students face ever-widening career options, which is both a challenge and an opportunity for arts institutions, Mr. Buffington said. —Paul Fain