PCUE plans future U. education

The initial phase of a plan for the future of undergraduate education at the University was released in late May. Phase one of the 21st-century Penn Undergraduate Experience was developed by the Provost's Council on Undergraduate Education (PCUE), a planning group of students, faculty and staff chaired by Provost Stanley Chodorow. Chodorow said the premise of phase one is to "provide a basis for a process of experimentation with curriculum, service-learning, the expansion of research opportunities for undergraduates and the development of collegiate communities." However, some students are less enthusiastic about the plan. College senior and Undergraduate Assembly chairperson Lance Rogers said that although he saw potential in the phase one version, portions of the document were ambiguously worded. "From my first look at it, it seems pretty broad, pretty extensive, and pretty vague," Rogers said. For instance, Rogers said the plan outlines the idea of changing the undergraduate experience by stressing research collaborations, redefining the boundaries of the schools and promoting community service. While Rogers liked this concept in theory, he questions its feasibility. "I would like to look at the specifics of this plan," Rogers said. "Right now it sounds like a lot of mumbo-jumbo although I'm sure it has a lot of potential and will benefit students in the future." The Council of Undergraduate Deans will now have primary responsibility for carrying out PCUE's recommendations and monitoring the plan's implementation. Chodorow said the deans will meet once every two weeks to work on the project and will be setting up task forces to carry out the projects. Daily Pennsylvanian staff writers Jeremy Kahn and Charles Ornstein contributed to this article.