Vice Provost for Research to step down

and Amy Lipman Vice Provost for Research Barry Cooperman announced on Tuesday that he will be stepping down from his position September 1. "It's been a long time," he said. "I have been Vice Provost for 13 years." Provost Stanley Chodorow said holding the position for a period of more than 10 years is an extraordinary accomplishment. "The length of his tenure alone indicates that Vice Provost Cooperman has done a superb job," he said. "No one who was not first-rate and who was not making a major contribution to the University could have stayed on that long." Cooperman, who has been a member of the faculty since 1968, is now going back to teaching Chemistry full-time. He said he was frustrated during his tenure, because he did not have the opportunity to conduct extensive research for himself, although he was happy to be able to teach at least one class each year. He will still be directing the French Institute for Culture and Technology and chairing the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Wistar Institute. Chodorow said this is good timing for Cooperman to make this move. "He has excellent support from the [National Institutes of Health,] and this an ideal time for him to go back to teaching and research full-time," he said. Cooperman said he would have left his position earlier if it were not for two factors. He said he wanted to see the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology -- a project who's history goes back to 1987 -- go through as a project. Last month, the Air Force released its Record of Decision, giving the University the last piece of governmental information it needs to demolish Smith Hall and begin the construction of the high-tech building. He added that the IAST product is something that he is very proud of. "I hope there will be an actual tangible product when I step down on September 1st," Cooperman said. He added that he wanted to serve as a bridge between the old administration and the new administration. And Chodorow said he was happy for this assistance. "From my personal experience during the past year, I can say that I am very glad indeed that he gave me a year," he said. "He helped to orient me to Penn, he accomplished several important projects, beside IAST, and he gave me good advice and support when I needed it. I've enjoyed working with him." Chodorow added that he will now try to find a member of the senior faculty to serve as Acting Vice Provost, but added that he does not expect to find a permanent replacement until the fall. "I expect to start the preliminary phases of a search for a permanent replacement during the summer, but the search will only gather steam when the faculty return from their summer activities," he said. Cooperman said the University has changed its position to become more highly ranked as a research institution under his leadership. But although he said he has made numerous improvements in the research program during his tenure as Vice Provost, he added that there are still some deficiencies. The issue he is most concerned about is providing mechanisms for financing institutions in the University. He said he believes in the University's credo that good research and good teaching go hand in hand. Cooperman said the Rodin administration is still searching for how it will deal with research, adding that its challenge will be to determine its priorities. But he said he is positive they will succeed. "In the long-term, I am quite optimistic for Penn and research in general," he said.

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