SAS officials call strategic plan possible

It attempts to do the impossible – expand and create new programs in the wake of budget limitations. But according to the authors of the School of Arts and Sciences' Strategic Plan, released last week by Dean Rosemary Stevens, the plan is realistic and will set a model for other schools to follow. Called "Priorities for the Twenty-First Century," the plan is designed to serve as the backbone of the school until the year 2000. College Dean Matthew Santirocco said the plan sets goals for the school, which he called "doable." "The school is setting up very specific goals and prioritizing them," he said. Santirocco, who chaired the Task Force on Undergraduate Education, added that the programs outlined in the plan can be divided up into those that are funding-dependent and those which require creative use of available resources. He said that the school's "number one priority" is financial aid. "The school alone cannot raise the amount of money necessary to guarantee that we will always have what we have now – the best and the brightest," Santirocco said. "The school cannot go at it alone, it needs help. The University must come to realize that it is not only a school responsibility, but a University responsibility." SAS Associate Dean Frank Warner said the plan is honest, pointing to tables showing the financial difficulties the school faces. "We tried very hard to make it as realistic as possible," he said. "Table One of the report is a very candid and realistic assessment of budget prospects for the next seven years." Table One states that for Fiscal Year 1995, the school will work with a $4.28 million deficit, taking into account operating expenses and financial aid obligations. This deficit shrinks, but persists into Fiscal Year 2000, based on projections. "In contrast to some plans that come up with balanced bottom lines, this plan shows that we have some real challenges ahead of us," Warner said. "We are quite open and frank about the challenges we face." Stevens, who chaired the committee that authored the report, said the plan is prudent and "uses resources which the school expects to have." "The basic recommendations about education are both exciting and definitely achievable," Stevens said. "Indeed we have already made some moves and we will continue to enhance our undergraduate and graduate education programs within the genius of our faculty." Stevens said the school has already embarked on programs which are not resource intensive, including a broad-based review of the General Requirement, the introduction of a new joint-degree program between the Wharton School and the College and the establishment of a teaching resource center. She said, however, that facilities-related questions are much more difficult to answer. "We will complete the work being done on Logan Hall and move back departments which we are now located on Market Street," Stevens said. "Facilities are far less important than faculty and educational programs. "We do need to keep a very close eye on our facilities and continue aggressively to raise money so we can move ahead as quickly as possible," she added. Santirocco said a lot of the proposals in the Strategic Plan do not require exorbitant amounts of money. "It takes a lot of money to renovate a lab, but how much does it cost to address the General Requirement?" he said. "When it comes to undergraduate education, there are a number of issues that don't cost that much money and that would have an enormous impact on the quality of a student's education and experience at Penn." He said these programs require a redeployment of resources. One of these is a research program, which aims to provide research opportunities to all undergraduates who want them. Rethinking programs, such as study abroad, faculty advising and declaring a major cost nothing at all, but can make a big difference in the lives of students, Santirocco added. Stevens said the success of many of the programs depends on the next phase of Penn's Campaign – which has raised more than $1 billion to date. "For the College, how much of that is used for activities and financial aid has not been clearly defined," she said. "I think that's one of the major jobs for a new president – to define priorities across the University, and specifically, to place the issue of financial aid as an important University goal in terms of long-term fund-raising." Warner doesn't think the goals are "high in the sky." "I really believe it is quite realistic," he said. "There are goals in terms of the type of faculty we want, the type of support we want to give the faculty and the quality of the graduate and lifelong education we want to give. We didn't put things in there that are high in the sky." "With cooperation of the faculty and good planning with regard to financial resources, we will achieve what we set out to," Warner said.

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