French ambassador honors U. institute

Provost Stanley Chodorow and French Ambassador Jacques Andreant signed an agreement yesterday naming the University's French Institute of Culture and Technology one of six Centers of Excellence for the study of France in the United States. Other schools so designated were the Universities of Chicago and California at Berkeley, and Harvard, Princeton and Johns Hopkins Universities, said Institute Director Barry Cooperman. The University will receive a $55,000 grant from the French government for the coming year to increase academic contact between the two countries, he added. Chodorow said the University will match that money and engage in fund-raising efforts on behalf of the Institute as well. "We're trying to finalize plans to sponsor students at Penn [who want to spend] three months at French companies this summer [as interns]," Cooperman said, referring to the type of programming that may be funded by the new appropriation. Eventually, the Institute might also serve as a repository for Internet communications, including live broadcasts from French radio. Chodorow said that as a Center of Excellence, people affiliated with the Institute will have "entree" in France, making it easier for faculty and students to develop relationships and cultivate research opportunities with colleagues overseas. The Institute, started with the assistance of the French government, has existed for more than two years, Cooperman said. "[The] reason for going into it was [that] it was a very tangible manifestation of our desire to internationalize the experience for faculty and students," he added. According to Chodorow, the Institute performs many functions on campus such as facilitating student and faculty exchanges, hosting conferences, promoting teaching and research on France and the French language, and creating connections to France throughout the Delaware Valley. The Institute is unique because it emphasizes science and technology in addition to the traditional history, literature and culture. "Nearly half of the faculty at Penn express an interest in France or have some contact with French institutions," Chodorow said. "France, probably among all foreign countries, has the greatest interest among our students and faculty," Cooperman said. "If you're thinking in terms of a University which is looking outward, to expand its international contacts, clearly France is the country of choice." In January, the Institute will be the first site outside of France to participate in a worldwide conference honoring the centennial of the Pasteur Institute, he added. Joint U.S.-French meetings covering topics like gene therapy and health care are also on the Institute's agenda for the coming year. "It's very interesting to see how societies combat these different problems," he said.

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