Poli Sci close to two hires

The department is close to completing deals with two American Politics scholars. At least two new professors are close to joining the University's troubled Political Science Department, College of Arts and Sciences Dean Richard Beeman said yesterday. If hired, the two professors would be the first signed recruits in more than a year for the nearly 20-member department, which lost two junior faculty members last year and saw a prized recruit reject Penn's offer last summer. According to Beeman, the two recruits have already been nominated by the department itself and are currently meeting with the School of Arts and Sciences Faculty Personnel Committee. If approved by the Personnel Committee -- possibly within the next month -- the scholars would then be reviewed by the Provost Staff Conference, a group of administrators headed by Provost Robert Barchi. "Before we can give them a final offer, they have to be approved by the appropriate faculty and provostial committees," Beeman said. Though Beeman and School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston declined to give the prospective professors' names and affiliations, they did confirm that both candidates specialize in American Politics and could begin teaching as early as next semester. Preston lauded both professors as "two very talented recruits" and praised their recruitment as "major successes" for the department. And Political Science Department Chairperson Ian Lustick said "the whole department is thrilled with these developments." "We're proud of our recruitment efforts," Lustick added, noting that the agreements have not been finalized. Beeman specifically singled out one of the professors as a particularly outstanding addition. "One of the faculty that we're recruiting is a very distinguished senior political scientist who is, simultaneously, one of the most respected members of the profession," Beeman said. "The department will be adding a teacher of uncommon brilliance," he added. And, according to Beeman, the professor is not only important in the field of political science, but is also an "important person" in general. It is not yet clear what courses the professors will teach, though several courses -- including Political Science 130, the main introductory American Politics lecture -- currently lack professors, according to the Fall 1999 course timetable. The potential hirings represent major progress in the department's two-year recruitment search. A University-wide task force has spent the year interviewing candidates from several universities, but has not been able to successfully land any of them. In addition to these two possible hirings, Preston noted a "reasonable possibility that [the department] will have two more" by the end of the school year. Another actively sought-after recruit, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Jim Snyder, told The Daily Pennsylvanian last month that his coming to Penn would be contingent upon the University hiring other prominent faculty members at the same time. The department has recently witnessed the exodus of several well-respected members. Two assistant professors in the department left last spring. Daniel Deudney was forced to leave after not receiving tenure after his seventh year at Penn. Shortly thereafter, Marissa Golden announced her intention to leave, citing concerns for her own job security. Deudney accepted an offer to teach at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, while Golden returned to teach at her alma mater, Bryn Mawr College. Several other senior faculty members also announced their intended retirements last year.

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