Chodorow anticipates challenges

Stanley Chodorow will begin his term as provost tomorrow, replacing Interim Provost Marvin Lazerson, who leaves office today. Chodorow said that as an incoming leader he is eagerly looking forward to "helping Penn realize its potential." He also said he is enthusiastic about working with President-elect Judith Rodin, who will take office tomorrow as well. "We see the world very similarly," Chodorow said, adding that he and Rodin will "make a great team" because they share a commitment to undergraduate education and cutting-edge research. According to Lazerson, Chodorow's move into College Hall "comes at both a marvelous and complicated time." "The University community feels good about itself, the schools are doing well [and] the incoming students are exceptionally talented," Lazerson said. "[But] Penn is going to face serious fiscal constraints [and] Penn is going to have to make some hard academic choices this fiscal year." Chodorow agreed. He said the University -- like most large institutions -- has a "status quo attitude" which he intends to address as provost. He added that he would also like to look at "the size of the bureaucracy" at the University. Still, Chodorow said he thinks the University is a "terrific place." "It doesn't need a major overhaul -- it needs to change over time," he said. "Penn is a terrific university in the position to improve itself." But Chodorow will not be making all of the changes by himself. He said he will consult students, faculty and staff about "what needs changing, and what's terrific -- they have a lot of answers." Chodorow -- who is leaving a position as associate vice chancellor at the University of California at San Diego -- said he especially looks forward to making appointments at the University. "I want to [appoint] first-rate scholars at the forefront of their fields who have a commitment to teaching," he said, adding that he had the "great pleasure of mak[ing] terrific recruitments" in his former post at UCSD. While Chodorow looks forward to the challenges of the future, Lazerson said he has spent time reflecting on his interim provostship. Lazerson described his year in the provost's office as being both enjoyable and difficult. He said the development of the Revlon Center was the most challenging project of his term -- a project which he disliked at first. "I was obligated to take the proposed program of a very large building and try to figure out how you can still have the most of that program -- to satisfy the campus's needs -- in a considerably less costly building," he said. "[The project] turned out enjoyable because there was this enormous enthusiasm once it was understood that we were making an effort to really create a first-rate campus center." Lazerson also named improvements in undergraduate education as one of his accomplishments. "We started a very exciting dialogue on the campus about what undergraduate education should be," he said. "And I think that will continue."