GSFA dean resigns amidst controversy

Conway to stay on faculty Patricia Conway, dean of the Graduate School of Fine Arts, announced her resignation from the design school yesterday, after a year of divisiveness within the school's faculty. Professor of Art History Malcolm Campbell has been named interim dean. In a statement released yesterday, the University acknowledged that some faculty members have been unhappy with Conway's performance over the last year. "Conway's resignation follows a year-long protest by certain of the School's faculty over measures taken to eliminate the School's chronic deficit, to streamline its administration and to refocus its academic mission," the statement said. Conway took office July 1, 1991, becoming the first Ivy League dean of a design school, and converted the school's $675,000 deficit into a surplus. In the process, the statement said, "the number of separately administered programs in the School has been consolidated from 19 to 11." In addition, the administrative staff declined by 25 percent. Conway said in the statement that she is proud of the "unprecedented administrative progress" made during her term. The University realized that such success was made "only at the price of some unpopular decisions," she said. Conway added that she is most proud of the academic progress made during her term, including the recruitment of two world renowned figures in the field of fine arts. The statement discussed the disenchantment some GSFA faculty have expressed over the last year. "Despite these accomplishments, some faculty in the Graduate School of Fine Arts have become increasingly disaffected since the dean began a formal consultation with them last fall" to address financial issues, the statement said. University Spokesperson Barbara Beck said Conway's term was a difficult one for GSFA. "She accomplished a number of things," Beck said. "She did them and now it's time for her to move on." Conway will return to teaching in the school's Department of Architecture, which she said was "the goal that attracted me to Penn in the first place." Before coming to the University, she was head of Kohn Pederson Fox Conway and a founding partner of Kohn Pederson Fox, a major New York City architecture, planning and interior design firm. Provost Stanley Chodorow was enthusiastic about Campbell's appointment to interim dean. "Malcolm Campbell's knowledge of the school and the University, and his experience as an administrator and teacher make him an ideal person to head the Graduate School of Fine Arts at this time," he said in the statement. "The students and faculty will be well served by him," the provost added. Campbell has been a University faculty member since 1961. He has served as chair of the Art History Department and associate dean for Humanities in the School of Arts and Sciences. He said last night that he plans to work closely with professors in the school during his term. "I want to stress cooperation with them," Campbell said. "I am not coming in with a grand plan. We are going to roll up our sleeves and make that plan together." He also put to rest concerns that he wants to further downsize the school. "Within the school there has been a real concern and fear that there would be a kind of a major shutdown," Campbell said. "That's not why I've been appointed. I am not here to shut the school down; I am here to renew it and re-energize it." Within the next six months, Campbell said he will be meeting with Deputy Provost Walter Wales to set an agenda for the school. He will keep his graduate and undergraduate courseload at the same time, though.