University Provost Ronald Daniels is trying hard not to rock the boat at Penn.
Daniels made waves at the University of Toronto Law School -- where he served as dean before coming to Penn -- with several controversial decisions, which earned him detractors as well as supporters.
But at Penn, Daniels is eager to stand behind President Amy Gutmann and the Penn Compact, the three-pronged plan for the University's future that she outlined in her inauguration address. His own agenda, he said, will come much later.
Having taken over as Penn's chief academic officer on July 5, Daniels begins his first year as Gutmann enters her second. Daniels was hand-picked by the president after undergoing a grueling search process led by some of Penn's top faculty and administrators.
With the foundations of the Penn Compact laid in Gutmann's freshman year, Daniels is here primarily to put the plan into action.
At 45, Daniels is young in the world of university administrators. With his short stature and ready smile, his colleagues at the University of Toronto say he is sometimes mistaken for a student.
And while Daniels is looking forward to making his mark on Penn, for now he sees his role as supporting Gutmann's initiatives, not promoting his own.
"The Penn Compact is a sketch. Somebody has to begin to make that painting much more complete," Associate Provost Janice Bellace said. Daniels "wants to know a place better before he makes certain recommendations, and I think that's pretty wise."
One of the major tenets of the Penn Compact is the promotion of interdisciplinary learning at Penn, something Daniels is eager to pursue.
As provost, Daniels will be doing some high-profile faculty recruiting for the Penn Integrates Knowledge program -- inter-school endowed professorships funded by almost $30 million worth of donations for interdisciplinary study.
"This is a very concrete way we can support the interdisciplinary activity," he said.
Another of Daniels' preliminary duties as provost will be to tackle discrimination on campus.
But instead of formulating new programs or policies, Daniels and his committee will review the last decade of University reports on diversity to ensure that old recommendations have been acted upon and current policies are effective.
Daniels said that he wants to achieve "a deepening of existing initiatives that can be done squarely within the contours of existing policy."
Daniels will also direct a task force on internationalization, a committee conceived by Gutmann and intended to promote the University's global presence.
"This is very closely related to the Penn Compact in terms of its priority," Daniels said.
The task force will determine two to three specific initiatives that will go into effect "pretty briskly," Daniels said. The programs -- which could range from international scholars to global internships for undergraduates -- will be designed to support the Penn Compact's emphasis on global engagement.
Each of the major projects on Daniels' agenda for the fall supports Gutmann's Penn Compact, a fact of which he is proud.
