Academic project still needs chief

The provost had tapped Julia Aguilar to direct the 21st Century Project, but she turned him down the next day. One day after Provost Stanley Chodorow tapped Julia Aguilar, coordinator of Spanish language instruction, to direct the 21st Century Project on undergraduate education, Aguilar said she would not accept the position. Chodorow announced Aguilar's appointment Friday, but Aguilar said Saturday she decided "for personal reasons" not to become special assistant to the provost for the project. "I talked with [Chodorow] and decided that for personal reasons I should withdraw my candidacy," Aguilar said, adding that she had still been discussing the position with Chodorow when the appointment was announced. "I had some reservations and decided I could not accept the position," she said. Aguilar would have assumed the new position September 15. Chodorow did not return phone calls this weekend. Following Aguilar's withdrawal, administrators will continue to search for an appointee to fill the position vacated by Susan Albertine this summer. Albertine left the University in early July to become vice provost for undergraduate studies at Temple University. The 21st Century Project -- which has become a part of the administration's Agenda for Excellence -- is an academic initiative that incorporates research opportunities for undergraduates and emphasizes interdisciplinary study. The project aims to connect different academic fields and extend learning beyond major departments, through programs such as the recently launched Foreign Languages Across the Curriculum initiative. The 21st Century Project is also designed to restructure and improve student resources and support services. The assistant to the provost for the 21st Century Project coordinates and staffs committees and groups involved with the project, in addition to assisting the Council of Undergraduate Deans. Residential Faculty Chairperson Al Filreis, who works closely with University administrators on academic issues, said the delay in the appointment will likely not affect the academic initiatives in the project. "I don't think the delay is any indication that the project overall is receiving less support or emphasis," the English professor said. Filreis added that Chodorow has been "very keen" to hire a coordinator of the initiatives going forward under the rubric of the 21st Century Project. Several candidates other than Aguilar have been interviewed extensively, Filreis said. Aguilar -- who has taught at the University since 1989 -- will continue her position in the Romance Languages Department, where she has worked to integrate technologies in language instruction and on the FLAC project. She received a doctorate in Spanish in 1996 and a Master's degree in Spanish in 1993, both from Penn. Additionally, she earned a Master's degree in Romance Languages in 1982 from the University of Arizona, where she also did her undergraduate work.