Watcher is U.'s academic chief

Wachter, who is also a candidate to be the permanent provost, will hold the job until a replacement is found for the position vacated by Stanley Chodorow last October. Last January, University President Judith Rodin appointed an 11-person committee to locate a new provost. The committee, which Rodin does not expect to have completed its work by next fall, is said to have interviewed Wachter, along with other internal and external candidates. As interim provost, Wachter handles a variety of academic issues, in addition to several larger projects including the Perelman Quadrangle, which will renovate Irvine Auditorium and Logan, Williams, College and Houston halls to create a student center. Wachter has also overseen the implementation of the new residential plans for next fall. The college house system, to go into effect in September, will turn Penn's residences into 12 houses with increased programming and staffing. As provost, Wachter is also in charge of the 21st Century Project, Penn's broad academic initiative whose goals include increased undergraduate research and interdisciplinary study. Prior to his appointment as interim provost, Wachter served as deputy provost handling issues such as the School of Arts and Sciences' budget deficit and serving on the University's financial steering committee. Wachter also co-chaired a committee that redesigned Penn's employee benefits plan last year and lead efforts to review the University's Annenberg Center and Fels Center of Government. Wachter, who came to Penn in 1969, is also the William B. Johnson Professor of Law and Economics and the Director of the Institute for Law and Economics, based in the Law School. He received his Bachelor's from Cornell and his Master's and Ph.D. from Harvard. Currently, Wachter is a professor in SAS, the Wharton School and the Law School. He is also nationally renowned for his work in the field of labor law. Wachter also serves as a consultant to the U.S. Postal Service and has served as senior advisor to the Brookings Panel of Economic Activity. In the past, he has also consulted for the Office of Naval Research, the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors and the Congressional Budget Office.