Faculty offer Stevens mix of praise, criticism

Since School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens resigned last Friday, faculty members have looked back on her tenure with a combination of criticism and praise. When an interim dean is appointed in the near future, Stevens will conclude a deanship marked by budget difficulties and unpopular decisions. Two years ago, Stevens came under attack after she proposed cutting the American Civilization, Regional Science and Religious Studies departments. Although Religious Studies was eventually spared, the cuts caused dissension among faculty, administrators and students alike. Religious Studies Chairperson Stephen Dunning said he still criticizes Stevens for her decision-making. Dunning said Stevens did not really care about his department, though she did promote the importance of having religious studies in some form at the University. "There is no other department that gives a hoot about Religious Studies than Religious Studies," Dunning said. Regional Science Professor Stephen Gale, who served as department chairperson until the cuts, said he also has grievances against Stevens for her handling of his department. "I think she's made a number of mistakes that could have been avoided," Gale said. "We lost a department that has a very important international reputation," he added, noting that he does not believe the cuts helped ease the school's budget deficit. Stevens said last week the "budget of SAS is still a difficult question," but added that it had nothing to do with her resignation. But Gale said he thought Stevens was "beaten down" by the school's financial situation. "The process for getting money is very depressing around here," Gale said. "If you don't have a way of getting money, it doesn't matter how big [the deficit] is." Still, others praised Stevens and the work she accomplished as dean, especially focusing on the initiatives she developed, including funding student research fellowships and bringing in faculty for Asian American and Latin American studies. Chemistry Professor Barry Cooperman said Stevens was a "superb dean." "I respect her decision to go back to the faculty," he said, noting that Stevens is the only SAS dean who did not use her position as a stepping stone to another administrative job. "We'll miss her," City and Regional Planning Professor Anthony Tomazinis said. "She was a very good and inspiring leader." Stevens' resignation makes her the sixth dean to have left the school in 22 years. The SAS deanship has faced a rapid turnover rate since the school was established in 1974. Prior to 1974, the University's liberal arts programs were distributed between the College of Arts and Sciences, the College for Women, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Wharton School. Vartan Gregorian, current president of Brown University, was the first dean of SAS, serving until 1979. He was later Penn's provost. In 1984, Michael Aiken was appointed dean, serving until 1987, when -- like Gregorian -- he was appointed provost. Hugo Sonnenschein held the deanship until Stevens began her tenure in 1991. Gale said he thought the pressure that accompanies the job led to the short terms of previous SAS deans. He added that if SAS wishes to succeed, the University needs to find a dean as enterprising as Gregorian. "We need desperately an entrepreneur with respect to academic programs -- someone who can find money," he said. Dunning said Stevens's relatively short term is not surprising. "I was not surprised that she left because it is a very tough job, full of a lot of grief and aggravation," Dunning said. "What amazes me is when people continue in the job for a longer period of time." When an interim dean is appointed and a permanent dean selected, many hope that the seventh dean of SAS will make College Hall a long-term home. "It's always a problem when Penn gets a new dean -- you have to start all over again," said Saul Katzman, SAS's executive director of administration and financial services.