Trustees discuss new initiative

and Paula Feldman Provost Stanley Chodorow announced more details of his plans for the 21st Century Undergraduate Education Initiative at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees Friday. Chodorow named English Professor Robert Lucid and former Vice Provost for University Life Kim Morrison as co-executive directors for the committee on that initiative. During his report, Chodorow said work is continuing on capital planning projects. He also gave a report on faculty appointments. University President Judith Rodin's husband, Paul Verkuil, was named as a visiting professor of law. The Trustees also appointed Alan Kelly as dean of the Veterinary School and Vice President and Director of Planning John Gould as acting vice president of human resources. In addition, the committee approved several resolutions discussed at a Budget and Finance Committee meeting held earlier Friday. At that meeting, University Treasurer Scott Lederman updated a report from last January on a fraternity and sorority renovation program, which helps defray the costs of maintaining Greek housing. Lederman reported that the program recently contributed $600,000 to the Sigma Delta Tau sorority for renovations to its new house. Some controversy occurred during the meeting when interim Executive Vice President Jack Freeman asked for approval on a resolution to spend $2,131,600 on equipment for and renovations to the University Laboratory Animal Resources Facilities in the School of Medicine. The money is expected to come from research grants and Medical School funds. The Trustees discussed issues involving animal testing and research. They were assured, however, that the researchers report directly to the vice provost for research and abide by federal guidelines. University Comptroller Alfred Beers discussed the financial reports for the fiscal year 1995. He announced that three schools -- the Nursing School, the Graduate School of Education and the Graduate School of Social Work -- have projected surpluses in their budgets. In his report on Contingent Liabilities, Lederman said the University's goal is to keep the number of bank accounts it opens down, as nine out of the 55 accounts currently open were added in the last year. In order to facilitate student loan programs, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Association recently became one of the University's accounts, Lederman said. But, he added that five accounts were closed, including the Presidential Search account "for obvious reasons." An account that funded a program with the Physics Department at the University of Tokyo was also closed.

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