Our daily newsletter rounding up all of the top headlines from the DP. Get it Monday-Friday in your inbox. Free.
Sign up »
34th Street Magazine's "Toast" is a semi-weekly newsletter with the latest on Penn's campus culture and arts scene. Delivered Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Free.
Sign up »
Penn, Unbuttoned is Penn's only intentionally satirical newsletter, giving you your weekly dose of comedy from Under the Button every Wednesday. Free.
Sign up »
Quaker Nation is a weekly sports newsletter covering all things Penn sports. Delivered Monday mornings to your inbox. Free.
Sign up »
Recruiter's Row is a biweekly recruitment newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on all things employment related. Get it in your inbox every other Wednesday. Free.
Sign up »
I've already signed up
Below are your search results. You can also try a Basic Search.
Eight professors recently received teaching awards from the School of Arts and Sciences, and they -- not to mention the students they teach -- couldn't be happier about it.
In a move to solidify the leadership for the new Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing, the University has appointed Valerie Ross as the future director of Penn's Critical Writing Program.
The University will soon become one of the top places to study modern poetry, now that poet, editor, writer and composer Charles Bernstein is joining the faculty.
Professors at Penn received salaries competitive with peer institutions during the last fiscal year, according to the Economic Status of the Faculty 2001-2002 Report.
Only distinguished with asterisks and the acronym "GH," General Honors courses are mixed amongst the listings of yearly class offerings. The tiny notation, however, is part of something larger, which spans across the University and encompasses more than 30 classes and over 600 students -- the honors program. In an Ivy League university which accepts only about one in five applicants, many wonder why a honors program is necessary -- and what sets the selected students apart from the rest. The General Honors program was founded in 1962, and 11 years later, the Benjamin Franklin Scholars Program was established at Penn. In 1976, the two combined to form the largest of the honors programs at the University. According to Director of Admissions Eric Kaplan, BFS and the General Honors program offer positions to students who either demonstrate advancement in one area of study or show "evidence or potential for doing scholarly research" in the future. Also included within the distinction of "undergraduate honors programs" at Penn are the University Scholars Program -- a research-based academic program -- and the Joseph Wharton Scholars Program, which is exclusively for undergraduate students in the Wharton School. While students must apply for admission to University Scholars and JWS after arriving at Penn, all students applying for University admission are simultaneously evaluated for BFS membership. • According to Kaplan, the pool of "high achievers" can sometimes make selection for BFS difficult. Its design, however, allows students to apply until the end of their sophomore year at Penn -- a feature Kaplan explains prevents the program from being a "one-shot deal." Though academics are of central importance, an honors program that spans an entire university is not commonplace among higher level institutions. "I think that Penn is perhaps the only Ivy that has an honors program," Kaplan explained. Typically, such universities base honors programs within departments and majors only. According to Hank Dobin, associate dean of the college at Princeton University, his institution provides all of its honors awards and programs in the more traditional manner. Such "honors are based on departmental work, including courses, junior papers and a senior thesis and a comprehensive exam or thesis defense," he explained. According to Dobin, creating such a widespread program "has not come up" during his seven years working at Princeton. • Though non-department based honors programs are rare among the Ivies, Associate Director of BFS and General Honors Linda Wiedmann explained that she believes they are "important for a strong liberal arts program." Wiedmann noted that the program allows undergraduate students to "explore an [academic] area in-depth," as well as provide them with opportunities to perform research alongside a faculty member. Additionally, Wiedmann said that GH courses tend to be small and discussion-based -- a setting she said "students tend to do well in." Among undergraduates, such courses have received a reputation less for their student enrollment numbers and more for their increased workload and student involvement. Sociology Professor Robin Leidner has taught "Women and Political Activism" as both an honors and non-honors course at Penn. She explained that between her courses, the assigned work and readings do not vary greatly. Yet, Leidner noted that there is a noticeable difference in the level of student achievement. Although "high performance [in honors courses] is more uniform," she attributes the discrepancy to "self-selection" and "group dynamics." Explaining that "students expect honors classes to be demanding and don't sign up if they're not up for that," Leidner noted that the resulting atmosphere of the course "motivate[s] everyone to do their best." • Opinions on the matter are not uniform, however. College junior and BFS student Matthew Whipple had a different take on honors versus non-honors students and classes, explaining that during his years in the program, he has not noticed any "huge difference" between the performance of the two groups. Though he notes that the "kids tend to be a little more pretentious" in honors courses, the only variation he has observed is that in "a number of [honors courses], the quality of professors tends to be better." College freshman and BFS member Rachel Mills agreed in her observations concerning student performance, explaining that if there is a discrepancy in such achievement, it is most likely because students are "matched with the class better." Mills did note a difference regarding class size. Citing her experience in "Introduction to Experimental Psychology," Mills explained that in the honors course she was able to interact with 28 of her peers in a "hands-on" environment and ask any questions she might have regarding the course materials. This varies from the typical Psychology 001 course, which consists of an enrollment above 300 students per section. In addition to class size differences, Mills praised the advising provided through BFS -- which differs in procedure from that offered in other areas of the University. "The advising is one of the best aspects of it," Mills said, adding that she liked the fact that she will not be transferred to another adviser after declaring her major in later years. Typically, after declaring a major, students begin working with a new adviser to plan out future course loads. According to Wiedmann, this different approach in advising BFS members, "regardless of how often they change their majors," allows students to be more "in touch with University resources and faculty."
While elections for graduate student unionization loom in the not-so-distant future, uncertainties regarding its possible effects on undergraduate education dance through the minds of Penn's faculty. With the vote scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the results could have a direct effect on both the faculty who depend on teaching assistants and the students who learn from them. Employed in a teaching capacity, graduate students often lead small recitation sections to supplement larger lectures. Within the English department, they may even teach introductory writing courses of their own. "We just don't know how this long process will affect the delicate balance of mutual trust and cooperation built up between graduate students and faculty over the years," explained David Wallace, chairman of the English Department. Wallace added that just as questions remain about how the relationship between employed graduate students and faculty might change, so do questions concerning how such a move may alter the environment of teaching assistant-led courses and recitation sections. "We do not quite know how these changes would affect the experience of undergraduates in the classroom," Wallace noted. Though the vote is taking place due to a November ruling made by the National Labor Relations Board, its results will only be released if the NLRB dismisses the administration's appeal against the original ruling. According to Political Science Department Chairman Jack Nagel, while unionization is still only a possibility, some effects of the process can already be seen. Nagel said that since the move for unionization began, there has been an "uncoupl[ing] of graduate student funding from the teaching needs of departments." He added that this separation of funds within departments limits the amount that can be devoted to the payment of graduate students in teaching positions. While one of the central goals of Graduate Employees Together-University of Pennsylvania -- the organization heading the unionization movement -- is an increase in wages, Nagel explained that such an increase will "lessen the number" of such unionized graduate students that any given department will be able to hire. The professor said he was "concerned" that due to these funding limits, departments would search outside of the graduate student pool in order to fill vacant teaching positions in a more economical manner, creating a "two-tiered work force" consisting of graduate students who are unionized and teachers who are "wage laborers." But Nagel also noted that a graduate student union would provide an equalization in graduate student working conditions across all departments. Mathematics Department Chairman Julius Shaneson echoed Nagel's sentiments regarding the future employment of unionized graduate students. "Our graduate program is designed to train students for a career in research and teaching mathematics," Shaneson wrote in an e-mail. "If we have to view the grad students more as employees, then when hiring them and deciding to continue them in our program, we would have to evaluate them with regard to teaching as one evaluates employees rather than as one evaluates and critiques students... in a learning process." Shaneson noted that he is uncertain whether this "would be beneficial to [such graduate students] or to the undergraduates they teach in the long run." Shaneson added that while he believes that the "basic parameters involved in graduate student teaching would probably stay pretty much the same even with unionization," the union could choose to enforce rules which "might limit flexibility." He cited an example of the extension of office hours during testing periods. "Around exam times, TAs will often choose to offer extra office hours to help students, something that under union rules might be discouraged or even disallowed," Shaneson said. Though much is still unknown, English Department Graduate Student Chairwoman Margreta de Grazia echoed resounding feelings of reticence regarding the future. Offering no predictions of her own, she explained that "in the absence of precedents, it is difficult to even speculate." De Grazia noted, however, that "every effort will be made in [any] case to assure that the quality of undergraduate teaching will continue at its same, high level."
Over a decade has passed since the U.S. last engaged in war with Iraq and Saddam Hussein. And though the battle lasted a mere six weeks, most Americans -- including professors at Penn -- remember the opinions they and those around them had concerning the Gulf War. For many long-standing members of the Penn community, yesterday's protest on College Green brought back memories of similar student rallies focusing on war with Iraq. And as political tensions and the possibility of another conflict in the Persian Gulf increases, such faculty members can compare and contrast the atmosphere on campus during the early 1990s with the present. According to Political Science Professor Avery Goldstein, there are both similarities and differences between the two time periods. Goldstein explained that the majority of Penn students have felt no inclination to openly display their political opinions during either time period. He believed, however, that 10 years ago, "the broad sentiment... was more favorable to military action." Goldstein noted that today, there is a more noticeable "sense of a deep split and perhaps even strong opposition by many [on Penn's campus] to the prospect of the war." The political science professor explained that this difference in attitude is largely attributable to the nature of the conflicts. According to Goldstein, "the use of force in 1991 was in response to an Iraqi military attack." He added that "the argument for using force today is much more complex, based on the need to act now to prevent an allegedly more dangerous future." College of Arts and Sciences Dean Richard Beeman produced a similar explanation for the varying political stances that he has observed between now and then. According to Beeman, "the Gulf War was in fact provoked by an invasion by Iraq of Kuwait, and the events of that war then unfolded much more rapidly than is the case" today. In addition to differing student opinion, Beeman explained that he believes the current faculty's view of an impending war with Iraq offers a contrast to the position taken during the country's last Persian Gulf conflict. "In the case of the Gulf War, it seemed to me that most of my faculty colleagues in Arts and Sciences were either opposed to it or at least skeptical," Beeman wrote in an e-mail. He continued, explaining that although he "would not try to divine faculty opinion on this current situation," he suspects that his colleagues "are deeply concerned about the tendency of the United States in the present case to be contemptuous of [its] European allies and to go it alone." Harking back to his time as University president, History Professor Sheldon Hackney remarked that those on campus during the time of the Gulf War tended to be "more supportive" of our nation's actions than they appear to be today. Hackney explained that "many more people are clearly worried and talking about the downside of war" today, such as "the loss of life" and the possibility of "the domestic front not getting the attention that it needs." Even with such differences between now and 1991, the faculty members explained that the contrast pales in comparison with the variance between the charged political atmosphere of the 1960s and '70s and today. According to Goldstein, "students today don't feel the same connection with the consequences of military action that prevailed when they were subject to the draft" as they were three decades ago. Beeman noted that he has observed much of the same dwindling of political activism during his 35 years on Penn's faculty. He described the difference between the atmosphere of today's campus with that 30 to 40 years ago as "striking." Beeman explained that "the Vietnam War was not merely an intellectual abstraction.... It was a reality which affected hundreds of Penn's students' lives." The dean noted that the existence of the draft during that time resulted in a more necessary and passionate connection to military action by Penn students. The war was something that "disrupt[ed] their studies, their families and, in some cases, all of the rest of their lives." As compared with Vietnam, Beeman saw today's impending conflict as more of an "abstraction" rather than a "pressing reality" for Penn's campus. The dean noted that what he is "most struck by in the current situation is how far-removed and detached Penn students are from this [current] conflict."
As international tensions between Iraq and the United States continue to escalate and the probability of war continues to increase, University officials explain that heated relations will most likely have no effect on Penn's study abroad programs. Though anti-American sentiments may present a potential public relations problem for students studying abroad, the administration believes that if a war with Iraq were to occur, it would be isolated, preventing the cancellation of any Penn-sponsored international program. According to Director of Undergraduate Study Abroad Geoffrey Gee, he and others "anticipate that if there were to be a war with Iraq, it would have a regional impact." Gee explained that because the University has no programs based in the Middle East, such cancellations -- either now or in the future -- will most likely not become necessary. He added that "if there is fallout in any part of the world in terms of anti-American sentiment... [the University and the Office of International Programs] will react to that." Currently, over 20 percent of the University's undergraduate student body studies abroad each year -- last academic year, 437 Penn students took courses in other countries. School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston echoed Gee's belief that if such a conflict were to occur, it would not affect Penn-based international academics. Preston also noted that even after the disastrous attacks of Sept. 11 and President Bush's declaration of war on terror, less than 1 percent of those studying abroad returned to the University. "You look back at 9-11... out of the 300 or so of the students studying abroad, only three came back," Preston said. Such reassurance may help increase student confidence in the stability of study abroad programs -- a faith which was shaken one year ago when University officials were forced to suspend Penn's program in Israel during the spring 2002 semester. After the U.S. State Department's advisories became more drastic -- due to rising tensions and security concerns -- University officials contacted the four Penn students studying in the region and requested that they return home. Along with Penn, the University of California system, the University of Colorado and the University of Southern California also decided to call their abroad students to return to the U.S. around that time. The suspension has yet to be lifted for study abroad programs in Israel. According to College of Arts and Sciences Dean Richard Beeman, such choices required of the administration are never easily made. "Decisions about whether to suspend study abroad programs because of world events are very definitely judgment calls," Beeman wrote in an e-mail. He continued explaining that such actions are "almost always based on imperfect knowledge and the need to balance our concern for our students' educational opportunities with our concern for their safety." Even after such a mid-semester cancellation, administrators must grapple with how -- and if -- students can count the academic progress they made while abroad. In such circumstances, Gee explained that issues over the completion of course work and the payment of abroad expenses are always dealt with on a situation-by-situation basis. He remarked that although problems are more complex when students are required to leave the programs mid to late in the semester -- rather than at the beginning of the academic period -- Gee said that the "University can be counted on to act responsibly in regard to its students."
Starting in July, students will no longer have to worry about how grades earned abroad will affect their GPAs. Currently, the Provost's Council on Arts and Culture has passed a portion of an initiative that will allow students to receive credit for international courses without course grades being factored into their grade point averages, starting in the 2003-2004 academic year. "The grades earned in courses abroad will not be calculated into the Penn GPA," Deputy Provost and Council Chairman Peter Conn said. While this portion of the policy has already been passed, Conn explained that administrators have yet to determine how grades earned abroad will be displayed on a student's transcript. However, they will reach a verdict before fall 2003 grades are released. When reflecting on whether such a move might only encourage students to neglect their academics while abroad, Conn said that grades don't necessarily motivate. While Conn admitted that this is "certainly one of the issues that is debated," he said he believes that Penn students are motivated enough to engage in immersion of the culture and academics and don't necessarily need grades as an incentive. "I think the new policy will better serve the academic needs of students and the academic mission of the University," Conn said. The move to alter Penn's policy began over two years ago in an initiative proposed by the Undergraduate Assembly. Administrators began addressing the issue about one year ago. According to UA Chairman Seth Schreiberg, the change in University policy is a "huge victory" for the UA and demonstrates the effect students can have on policy-making when working in partnership with University officials. To UA Vice Chairman Ethan Kay, however, the alteration in policy is merely bittersweet. Kay explained that while the administration's new policy will prevent Penn students from being "unfairly affected in terms of their GPAs," it also ignores the second part of the UA's original initiative, through which the financial policies related to study abroad would also be altered. As one of the original drafters of the study abroad resolution, Kay said that the initiative proposed to parallel the policies of peer institutions by allowing students to pay the tuition charged by the institution where they plan to study abroad -- which is usually much less than what Penn currently charges. "The entire UA is disappointed that the administration has repeatedly refused to deal with the inequitable cost structure of studying abroad," Kay remarked. While he noted that the new grading policy changes will probably result in more students studying abroad, he added that many more might opt to attend international programs if the financial policies were altered as well. Kay remarked that "it's surely a victory for the UA, but it's tempered by [the administration's] continued stubbornness" in not working to change such financial policies. Conn noted that these alterations will also benefit the administration by alleviating long-standing problems concerning the task of translating international grades into Penn equivalents. The deputy provost added that such problems mainly arise due to a lack of a universal grading system. Conn said that the University receives anything from an actual letter grade to an evaluative statement -- such as "trŠs bien" from a French institution -- by which administrators are expected to produce a Penn-equivalent mark. "Attempting to translate such grades is virtually impossible... due to the obscurity of the foreign grades' vocabulary," Conn said. Although such translations will most likely continue to appear on student transcripts, GPAs will no longer be hurt or helped through kinks that potentially arise in the translation process. Schreiberg explained that he believes the change in University policy will quell the worries of not only administrators, but also students with concerns about their language abilities. "I think it benefits students who are reluctant to go abroad who think their language skills aren't good enough," Schreiberg said. College sophomore Brittney Katsoff echoed Schreiberg's sentiment. Katsoff remarked that despite the fact she has completed Spanish 140 -- one semester of a language is needed to go abroad -- she doesn't "know the language well enough" to feel comfortable with a decision to study abroad. Though she has already resolved to stay at Penn for all of her undergraduate years, she said that the change in policy "would make [her] more inclined" to test her language skills and academics in an international setting.
Beginning in lab sessions next week, over 350 students enrolled in introductory biology courses are being presented an alternative to the traditional slice-and-dice method of dissection learning. Through a new alternative of "virtual dissection," students may opt to explore the insides of selected animals with the use of Web site photographs, plastic models and instructional CD-ROMs. "Over the years, we've had some objections by some students... due to ethical reasons," said Linda Robinson, coordinator for Penn's biological laboratories. The program was proposed by Penn Students for Animal Rights, who then worked with Robinson to foster its creation. Penn medical student and PSTAR member Joe Teel said he feels that humans "don't have the right to use animals in either educational or non-educational environments, regardless of the benefit" they may provide as a learning tool. Between intro biology courses 102 and 122, an estimated 70 animals ranging from squids to dogfish sharks are dissected every semester. Robinson explained that traditionally, objectors have been paired with other students who were unopposed to the practice. These objectors were then asked to observe their partners perform the animal dissection. With the new system, however, squeamish and morally opposed students will view photographs of the dissected animals' internal organs on laptops provided during the lab. "The students who don't want to do the dissection can take a computer instead of a fetal pig," Robinson said. And by doing so, they add no cost to the department -- the alternative system's conglomeration of free Web sites, a borrowed CD-ROM and already-owned models prevents this addition to the curriculum from adding strain on the departmental budget. "The cost has just been my time in terms of searching the Internet," Robinson noted. Just because it's free, though, Robinson said it doesn't mean it's better -- when reflecting on the comparability of the alternative system to that of the traditional, Robinson said there is nothing like the original. "I think the big disadvantage is that [objectors] can't see the animal in 3D," she said, adding that the biology faculty feels that "students get much more out of the dissection of animals" and recommend the alternative only to those who have a "strong moral objection." Although professors may emphasize their preference for the original research method, animal rights activists like Teel feel that the new system is "comparable." College junior and PSTAR member Randi Sokol noted that while the group is "coming at it from a moral standpoint," the program is beneficial for both the morally opposed and the merely squeamish. Although the alternative has been presented to students since the distribution of syllabi on the first day of classes, Robinson noted that few students have approached her about the new process. "So far this semester, only four students have contacted me," Robinson remarked. However, she explains that she'll have to wait until the labs begin before she will have a more concrete number regarding those who plan to participate. Even with the potentially small enrollment, though, Teel is continuing his and PSTAR's quest to provide alternatives to students for all courses in which dissection is a requirement. "It's about giving students more choice," linguistics graduate student Ian Ross said. As a member of PSTAR, Ross explained that the group's goal is to present Penn students with more animal-friendly choices throughout the University -- from dining halls to classrooms. According to Teel, while PSTAR may have originally channeled most of its energy into initiatives which would affect mainly introductory biology courses, its scope is broadening. "Right now we're working... to institute a College-wide policy" of providing alternatives, Teel explained, noting that the new initiative will most likely target and affect those enrolled in upper-level biology courses.
The 200 members of the Class of 2004 enrolled in the pilot curriculum are embarking upon a challenge that may alter their typical "to do" lists -- undergraduate research. While such projects frequently entail numerous hours of work, they also provide an opportunity for students to work closely with a faculty member -- an endeavor deemed worthwhile by College of Arts and Sciences Dean Richard Beeman. "That's the principal advantage of an undergraduate research experience -- it's active learning, in which undergraduates guided by faculty mentors... take responsibility themselves for a major part of their education," Beeman explained in an e-mail statement. As part of a five-year undergraduate curriculum experiment, the 200 juniors compose the first group to attempt such an academic challenge. The requirement itself is loosely defined -- anything from intense, year-long research to an honors or major thesis to an end-of-the-semester 20 to 30-page paper could potentially fulfill it. While pilot junior Daniel Creedon maintains that he appreciates that the program's creators are "trying not to box in students," others in the pilot curriculum feel somewhat lost about where to begin. Pilot sophomore Milagros Vandemoortele explained that while the curriculum has typically been very "supportive" and helpful in its advising, the research requirement has been of a different nature. In terms of "direction, there wasn't much," Vandemoortele said, explaining that she had to get in touch with a future faculty research mentor on her own. Though confusion about the requirement has perplexed both those in and outside of the program, officials explain that some of this frustration is likely attributable to a lack of past precedent on which to rely. "Some have experienced confusion about just what they are supposed to be doing," College Director of Academic Affairs Kent Peterman wrote in an e-mail statement. "Part of that is being the first class." Creedon echoed Peterman's sentiments over such feelings stemming from pioneering unchartered territory. The political science major noted, however, that although he felt prepared to face such emotions, he was not expecting the obstacle which has actually become his biggest deterrent -- funding. "If you have a fund-based project right now, you're really in a bind," Creedon said. Last October, the pilot student applied to receive $900 through the Nassau Fund -- a grant available through the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. Creedon explained that he needed the money in order to begin his in-depth research into polling data. But after being denied, he said he was left with no other option than to postpone his work. "I'm putting it off to next year," the College junior sighed, adding that he "could have to fall back into a smaller project" if the needed funds do not become available. According the Beeman, while this issue is on the forefront of Creedon's mind, pilot administrators were unaware of students' funding problems. "I haven't heard a bit of grumbling about students having difficulty due to lack of funding," Beeman explained. If the issue is widespread, however, Beeman promises that the problem will not go unnoticed. "Indeed, we need, as part of the pilot experiment, to discover the financial cost of mandating a research experience for our students, so if this is going to be an issue, we need to address it." Even if current juniors -- and the rest of the pilot groups to follow -- do successfully incorporate the research requirement into their curricula, it is unlikely that the requirement will become a part of curricula outside the pilot anytime soon. "We know that when undergraduates engage in research... the educational benefits are tremendous," Beeman explained, adding, "what we don't know is whether in a school with 450 standing faculty members we can deliver research experiences to 1,600 graduating seniors each year." Though the research requirement is the aspect of the pilot curriculum which has received the most student attention, it is just one of many components officials will use to evaluate the Class of 2004. Pilot Curriculum Evaluation Committee Chairman Paul Allison explained that the research done, along with student comments and transcripts, will all be analyzed next year. Allison said that the committee will survey a pool of 400 to 600 students. Ideally, it will be composed of the pilot group of 2004, a group of students who applied to the program but were not accepted and a random sampling of other Penn students who never expressed interest in participating in the program. The survey will ask chosen students how much they valued their educational experiences at Penn and will also test their ability "to convey scientific knowledge" -- an area of the pilot curriculum officials feel may be weak. In addition to student response, past academic choices of those both in and out of the program will be examined. "We will be doing statistical and computer analysis of transcripts to determine if those students in the pilot program have different course-taking patterns than those not in the pilot," Allison said. According to Allison, the committee eventually plans to present "a detailed report... that will be available to standing faculty" members. After such a report is complete, officials will compare the current standard undergraduate curriculum to that of the alternative model. In the end, according to Peterman, "the goal is to enable the faculty to be in a position sometime after the first cohort has been graduated to make a decision about the future of the College curriculum based on good information gathered over the five years or so of [the] experiment."
Classical Studies Professor Joseph Farrell will take over the position of associate dean for Arts and Letters on July 1, School of Arts and Sciences officials announced on Friday. Farrell will fill the post after current Arts and Letters Associate Dean Rebecca Bushnell moves up to assume the deanship of the College of Arts and Sciences -- a vacancy which will exist after current College Dean Richard Beeman leaves to pursue a year-long professorship at Oxford University. School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston said that through consultation with those who understand the facets of the arts and letters deanship, Farrell was chosen from among all the possible candidates for the position. Farrell "is someone who is very thoughtful and very astute and full of insight into how things could be run better," Preston said. In his new capacity, Farrell will oversee 11 humanities departments, including English, romance languages, music and classical studies. Although currently on sabbatical in Rome, Italy, Farrell has been a member of Penn's faculty since 1984, serving both as a professor and as associate dean for Graduate Studies from 1999 to 2002. Farrell explains that his previous experience within a deanship will aid him in fulfilling his future responsibilities. "I think the main advantage I bring from my work in the graduate division is the ability to build on existing relationships while I master the details involved in the new job," Farrell wrote in an e-mail statement. "I am already part of a team that I think works very well together," Farrell added. His insight into the deanship isn't limited only to that which comes through day-to-day interaction, though. Last year, Bushnell left on a sabbatical of her own for two and a half months. During that period, Farrell covered many responsibilities which will soon be part of his daily routine. Although the name plate on the College Hall office door will change, Farrell explains that the plans and visions that Bushnell has established for the humanities departments will basically remain the same. "Rebecca and I have very similar views on most issues that affect humanities departments, so I am not coming into this job with an urge to change course or shake things up," Farrell wrote. "During the next year, I expect to focus on faculty issues and on familiarizing myself with departmental and programmatic needs in greater detail than I have done in the past," he added. In addition to continuing with the course that Bushnell has taken, Preston believes that the future dean will bring some of his past work with information technology into the realm of the humanities. As a former chairman of the College's Distributed Learning Committee, Farrell will attempt to "advance the use of information technology in the humanities" while serving in his new capacity, Preston said. Bushnell explained that Farrell's breadth of interests and expertise -- such as information technology -- in addition to his in-depth knowledge of the humanities, will serve him well in his new position. "He understands very deeply what the needs are... for faculty building... [and has] a very broad sense of what the strengths and weaknesses are of the humanities," Bushnell said, adding that he is "a wonderful person to do the job."
Soon, members of the College Class of 2004 will notice a familiar name missing from their e-mail inboxes. In March -- after 3 1/2 years of directing students toward future career paths through personal advising and mass e-mailing -- School of Arts and Sciences Career Services Counselor Chandlee Bryan will be leaving Penn. "Chandlee is leaving in March to assume the directorship of the Thayer School of Engineering Career Center at Dartmouth" College, Penn Director of Career Services Patricia Rose wrote in a recent e-mail. While Bryan admits the switch-over is scheduled to occur at a seemingly awkward time --during Penn's spring recess -- she explains that the final portion of the spring semester will serve as a transition period into her new position. "I would've preferred to stay the whole year, but I need to get started there as well," Bryan said. According to Rose, Career Services has yet to begin its search to fill the vacancy. "We cannot officially look for a replacement until the position is posted," she explained. Rose noted that "currently there is a hiring freeze in our part of the University, but we are hopeful that we will get permission to post the job so that we can have a replacement for Chandlee in a reasonable period of time." Even with the impending vacancy, Bryan maintains that Career Services will continue to run at full capacity. "I think it's a fabulous office, and I wouldn't think that the loss of one staff member would affect the quality students have come to expect to receive at Career Services at Penn," Bryan said. As one of three counselors assigned to serve the needs of School of Arts and Sciences undergraduate students and faculty members, Bryan describes her responsibility of advising the largest pool of guidance-seekers on campus -- over 6,000 in total -- as a "tremendous administrative challenge" but also as a "wonderful experience." "I've had 3 1/2 years of Jedi training," Bryan remarked playfully. By taking on the position at Dartmouth, the counselor will not only shrink the size of her advising group down to approximately 400 individuals, but she will also have the opportunity to "implement and design [her] own initiatives." Additionally, she will tap into her previous career experience of advising engineering students. After completing her undergraduate education, Bryan worked for three years at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in the professional development of young aerospace engineers. Bryan remarked that during her time at the institute, she was surprised to discover that the professional needs and concerns of engineers paralleled her own needs as an English major. Since her experience at the institute, Bryan has spent her years in graduate school at the University of Virginia and in advising at Penn -- neither of which involved much direct career planning with up-and-coming engineers. Bryan explained that she is pleased and excited to see that her own career has "come full-circle." Although she admitted she is "pretty heartsick to leave Penn," Bryan added that she is greatly looking forward to her new "fabulous professional opportunity."
The University has received a $6 million gift to create a permanent facility and endowment for the McNeil Center for Early American Studies. Donated by The Barra Foundation and and its chairman Robert McNeil Jr., the money was pledged to pay for the construction of the Center's new building -- which will be located on 34th Street near Walnut Street -- and cover the building's future operational costs. "The one problem that the Center has faced during all of its history is that it has not had a suitable, secure home," College of Arts and Sciences Dean and former Center Director Richard Beeman explained in a recent e-mail. While currently situated on 3619 Locust Walk, Beeman notes that the Center has been involved in a long-running game of musical buildings. "During my time as director of the Center, we had to move three times, with great inconvenience attending each move," Beeman wrote, adding "thus, Robert McNeil's very generous gift which will enable the Center to have its own building is, quite literally, a godsend." According to Vice President of Facilities and Real Estate Services Omar Blaik, the Center may not have to wait long before its new location is ready. "I think [the proposal] will be in front of the [University Board of] Trustees sometime in April or May," Blaik said, explaining that after the completion of design and construction, the new facility should be available "next spring at the earliest," but "more likely by the summer." The McNeil Center focuses on the study of North American cultures in the Atlantic region prior to 1850. Originally founded in 1978 as the Philadelphia Center for Early American Studies, the Center adopted its current title after a 1998 endowment was created by McNeil. As current chairman of The Barra Foundation, he oversees program funding and support for historical, arts, humanities and educational organizations, mostly within the Philadelphia area. Although the Center is a Penn entity, it also exists as a consortium of 16 mid-Atlantic colleges, universities and libraries, including the American Philosophical Society, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the Library Company of Philadelphia. In light of the Center's broad-reaching nature, current McNeil Director and History Professor Daniel Richter explains that the grant will serve scholars within and outside of the Penn community. "In terms of the University as a whole, we'll have a first class lecture room for speakers and programming," Richter noted, emphasizing that the grant and endowment "will really [allow the Center] to serve the broader community of scholars" in terms of research and study. According to Richter, the new facility will allow for a "more than doubling of the floor space" in which the Center plans to house a small research collection, as well as an increased number of program fellowship positions. In addition to serving those already in the field, Beeman noted that such a new facility and endowment "has established Penn's reputation as the place where exciting scholarship and teaching in early American history is happening." Through such renown, Beeman believes that the Center and University will continue to attract the best graduate students in the country to further their studies in the field of early American history. "Many choose Penn over other excellent places such as Harvard or Yale [universities] because of the existence of the McNeil Center."
After six years in the office of Facilities and Real Estate Services, former Managing Director of Planning and Development Tom Lussenhop has become the chief executive officer of the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation in Columbus, Ohio.
From John Fry to Clifford Stanley, from Richard Beeman to Rebecca Bushnell -- academic and administrative positions are continually abandoned and filled within the University.
Under the sunlit, airy and high ceilings of her College Hall office sits Rebecca Bushnell, the next dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
The Panhellenic Council has elected eight new women to fill its executive board -- including future president and Chi Omega sister Elizabeth Kimmelman.
Penn administrators and faculty say they are optimistic about the progress made and the measures described in the University's first annual report on gender equity issues.
Each year, the return from Winter Break not only signals the start of a new semester, but also the beginning of a two-week period in which freshmen males breeze from fraternity to fraternity in search of free food and brotherhood -- rush.