COLUMN: A changing of the guard

From Marisa Katz's, Ineluctable Modality of the Visible," Fall '98 From Marisa Katz's, Ineluctable Modality of the Visible," Fall '98With the planning of Sansom Common, the opening of Mad 4 Mex and the remodeling of the 40th street mall, 1997 appeared to be the year of retail at Penn. This month, Sociology Professor Samuel Preston took the helm of the School of Arts and Sciences, relieving Walter Wales of his interim duty. History Professor Richard Beeman stepped in as head of the College of Arts and Sciences, allowing outgoing dean Robert Rescorla to return to teaching and research. And Deputy Provost Michael Wachter assumed the position of interim provost, replacing outgoing Provost Stanley Chodorow, who resigned last month. A search committee hopes to find a permanent provost by August. Both dean positions took much longer to fill than expected -- Wales and Rescorla both agreed to stay on beyond the end of their official terms. The length of the searches, one hopes, is an indication of the selectivity of University President Judith Rodin and the search committees, rather than a lack of quality applicants. Hopefully the provost search committee will see success before its self-imposed deadline. With such recent precedents, Wachter is certainly brave to take on the "temporary" position. But regardless of the reasons for the delay, the academic sector of the University suffered because of it. While bulldozers roared from the new Barnes & Noble site, SAS continued to remain in the depths of debt, ending the 1997 fiscal year with a one million dollar budget deficit. While the executive vice president's office signed a 24-hour diner, faculty complained that the lack of permanence among key administrators had a demoralizing effect, creating and exacerbating instability within the University. And while various members of the University community helped in the effort toward the realization of outdoor vending courts, much was put on hold in the areas of academic decision making and planning efforts. Several times Wales put off requests for new faculty, saying it was inappropriate to set priorities for his eventual replacement. The Political Science Department was told to wait when it solicited SAS for funds to hire faculty specializing in political theory and minority politics. The Folklore department received a similar answer when it sought to replace its department chairperson. And English and History saw a hiring freeze. Academics received a further beating when there was no central figure to step in to defend its right to prioritization over athletics when athletic department officials bent the rules and tried to procure a shakily founded independent study course for all-Ivy defensive tackle Mitch Marrow, in an attempt to secure his eligibility. For now, the new administrative appointments are certainly a start. At the very least they will allow the ball to get rolling again in the academic sphere. Since all three administrators were selected internally, they have a head start in that they are already familiar with the culture of the University and its current problems. But all will not be well until there is a full deck of academic officials, headed by a permanent provost. Certainly many of Chodorow's plans are likely to survive his departure, especially since the wheels are already turning for the new college house plan and the 21st Century Project -- an effort focusing on research opportunities, advising and residential programs developed in 1994 to revamp the undergraduate experience at the University. But the introduction of new academic programs may take a back seat until a permanent provost is named. And the problems associated with the lack of a central, stable spokesperson will continue. The provost search committee must, therefore, make every effort to expedite this process -- without, of course, settling for a less-than-excellent prospect.