SAS Overseers have much to hear

The School of Arts and Sciences Board of Overseers has come to town. The group, comprised of SAS alumni from around the country, are discussing the future of undergraduate education at the University during their two-day visit, which began yesterday. SAS Dean Rosemary Stevens said the visit is filled with work-intensive meetings centered on the school's strategic plan for the next seven years and the SAS fundraising campaign. "I think we are going to see some lively discussions about directions and options for the school," Stevens said. "It will be interesting to hear their opinions about the priorities we've set and whether they feel the resources we have delineated seem realistic." Stevens is interested in hearing from members of the Board of Overseers who face problems in their work environments similar to the problems she faces. "We have people who work in Wall Street, Hollywood, real estate and law," she said. "And many of them are dealing with analogous questions in different spheres. "How you read the environment in higher education is in part how one reads the economic environment, demographic environment and even the political environment." Yesterday, the board heard from Stevens, who updated them about the Strategic Plan which was released last month and her plan for disbanding three of the school's 28 departments. They also ate dinner with faculty, students and staff in the Rosenwald Gallery of Van Pelt Library. Today's meetings will take place at the University's Center for Judaic Studies at Fourth and Walnut streets. A joint effort between the Annenberg Institute and the School of Arts and Sciences, the center is the only one of its kind in the United States. College Dean Matthew Santirocco will lead the main discussion about what the College will be like in the year 2000. Fundraising, public relations and the budget will also be discussed today. Stevens said the Board of Overseers has a major role in SAS. "They are our sounding board and advisory board," she said. "It is extraordinarily important to the school in terms of overall policy."