EDITORIAL: Change for the future

Rosemary Stevens'sRosemary Stevens'sregistration as dean of theRosemary Stevens'sregistration as dean of theSchool of Arts and SciencesRosemary Stevens'sregistration as dean of theSchool of Arts and Sciencesis the end of n academc era.Rosemary Stevens'sregistration as dean of theSchool of Arts and Sciencesis the end of n academc era.___________________________ It means more, however, for the continued viability of the One University model, which places SAS at the heart of a web of Penn's other 12 schools, all within walking distance of one another. Stevens's impending return to teaching offers administrators an opportunity to find a new dean with the vision, energy, resourcefulness and skill to take SAS into the 21st century. This person should come from within the University, equipped with a working knowledge of its successful programs and its problems, so that he or she can begin working right away. Stevens's successor will not lack for immediate and pressing challenges. These include weak academic advising for undergraduates, fragmentation between the undergraduate and graduate divisions of SAS, a lack of standards for graduate teaching assistants and lingering budgetary woes. During Stevens's term, for example, three departments were targeted for elimination, though Religious Studies was eventually spared the ax. Her efforts during the Campaign for Penn, which raised $250 million for SAS, must be continued if the "liberal arts" are to remain strong on this campus. Increased interaction between graduate and undergraduate students, possibly through the institution of a research requirement, could help these groups better understand -- and learn from -- each other. TAs could discover how to reach their students more effectively if they knew them as colleagues first. Technology is another issue of utmost importance -- and it, too, costs money. But as SAS waits for its home, Logan Hall, to emerge from the scaffolds that have seemingly surrounded it forever, forging virtual links between SAS students and their school is all the more important. Although Stevens's deanship was not without controversy, she served ably under difficult circumstances and we wish her well as she leaves office. Her successor -- who must be equally committed to excellence in teaching and research from the SAS faculty -- has a tough act to follow. n Aside to our Readers: Has our coverage of campus news and sports been anything but full, complete and accurate? Are we depicting campus events truthfully through photos and illustrations? Are the opinions on this page uniformly agreeable to you? If that's the case, we'll keep on doing what we've been doing. If not? let us know with a Letter to the Editor. E-mail: letters@dp.upenn.edu. Fax: 898-2050. We want to hear from you!