Kuriloff steers Faculty Senate

26-year Penn veteran26-year Penn veteranbrings experience to job Books and framed family snapshots line the walls of Peter Kuriloff's well lived-in office -- but he won't be spending much time there in the coming months. As chairperson for the Faculty Senate, Kuriloff will be busy trying to mesh the dual interests of students and faculty into a common voice. "We care about giving voices to our constituents," said the Education professor. But Kuriloff's vision for faculty-student interaction isn't limited to his heartfelt rhetoric. After last week's University Council meeting, students expressed frustration that their concerns about campus safety were not adequately addressed. As chairperson of the Council's Steering Committee, Kuriloff has suggested that students and faculty look for ways to fully discuss crises, like last week's shooting, outside of Council meetings. Now in his 26th year teaching at the University, Kuriloff has served three independent terms on the Faculty Senate as chairperson of several committees. "Our job is to consult and represent faculty to administrators," Kuriloff said. His involvement in University administration began when he headed former Provost Michael Aiken's Retention Committee in 1985, examining methods of keeping minorities at Penn. Since then, Kuriloff has chaired several Senate committees, including the Grievance Committee, the Committee on Academic Freedom and the Open Expression Committee. But Kuriloff's University involvement is not limited to the Faculty Senate. He also conducts his own research, teaches a mini-course at the Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies and advised the Wharton Executive Managers Business Association on group dynamics. Kuriloff's academic research primarily looks at small group and organizational behavior. "You've been in groups that drive you crazy," he explained. "I help with that." Kuriloff added that most of his efforts are directed toward the community -- including non-profit schools, synagogues and community centers. Kuriloff has also conducted research on the sexual patterns of Penn students, addressing questions like whether sexual activity is part of intimacy. As spokesperson for the faculty, some of Kuriloff's research interests have come into play. His commitment to diversity policies in higher education, for example, is pertinent to University President Judith Rodin's minority permanence plan. But with the recent rash of robberies and last week's shooting, Kuriloff hopes to focus this Wednesday's Senate Executive Committee meeting on safety issues. Both Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow plan to attend to discuss ways the faculty can help make the campus more secure. "Nothing else can happen if people don't feel safe," Kuriloff said. "The more people you drain out of [University City] the less safe it is. "We need to make it safe, bring people back and build up businesses," he added. Senate Chairperson-elect Vivian Seltzer, one of the Faculty Senate's three leaders, expressed her enthusiasm about working with Kuriloff this year. "It's been a very fine experience working with [Kuriloff]," said Seltzer, a Social Work professor. "He's very dedicated, hard-working and sincere." She added that under Kuriloff's leadership, the Senate is running "relatively smoothly." Kuriloff's University affiliations also have a personal side, as he is married to Director of Writing Across the University Peshe Kuriloff. According to Kuriloff, the couple met as students at Harvard University. "I saw this young woman from across the room and I said, 'That's the woman I will marry,' " Kuriloff reminisces. "And now she runs the finest Writing Across the University [program] in the country." The Kuriloffs have three children, two of whom are college age and chose to attend Brown University over Penn. "The fact that they're not at Penn shows no aversion to Penn -- they just didn't want to be close to home," Kuriloff explained.