EDITORIAL: The end of the 21st Century Plan

The conclusion of the undergraduate academic initiative is typical of the end of a provost's reign. Like many provosts in Penn's recent history, Stanley Chodorow came to the University with a whirlwind of ideas. He wanted to revamp the undergraduate experience at the University by focusing on research opportunities, advising and residential programs. And so we had the birth of his brainchild: the 21st Century Project. Many of its specific goals were vague, and various initiatives were added and dropped along the way, but certainly we have seen several concrete academic gains made under the auspices of the project since its formulation four years ago. Among these are the Kelly Writers House and Civic House, along with the increased academic support in residences provided by the Wheel project. Other initiatives, such as the college house system, have yet to prove themselves. But overall, it's fair to say that the Penn undergraduate experience has improved over the last four years. And many of these improvements are the outcome of the various schools working together. The question we must now ask is, Where do we go from here? The college houses, residential support services and the programs related to the campus activity hubs will, of course, continue. But without a permanent provost and with several deanships about to turn over, it's not likely that we'll see much in the way of long-term academic planning or aggressive new initiatives in the next few months. Once a new provost is finally appointed, we hope that he or she will come in with the same kind of vision as Chodorow had about developing programs that will take the University into the next millennium. The ongoing effects of the 21st Century Project are evident in the enthusiasm about academic planning within and between the schools of the University. It's an energy that should not be lost.