New faces join college house system staff

Penn's year-old college house system will see some new faces in its leadership ranks this year. Officials announced last week that recently appointed Deputy Provost Peter Conn will serve as interim faculty master of Community House, a position he held from 1987 to 1994. The administration has also filled house dean positions for Spruce College House and Gregory House. Conn, an English professor, will temporarily assume the position -- left vacant when former faculty master Thomas Connolly resigned in July -- while a soon-to-be-organized search committee identifies candidates for the permanent position, Director of College Houses and Academic Services David Brownlee said. Brownlee said that by appointing an interim faculty master this year, the search committee will have enough time to find a qualified replacement. The committee will likely begin screening candidates in December and aims to fill the position permanently for next fall, Brownlee said. Conn said he and his wife, Assistant Vice Provost for University Life Terry Conn, were happy to return to the residential life system, if only on a temporary basis. "We do believe quite strongly that the college house initiative is a central mechanism for improving the education of Penn students," he said. Conn, who was appointed deputy provost by Provost Robert Barchi in July, said that while he expects fulfilling both his role as deputy provost and his faculty master position will be difficult, he will "look forward to the challenge." Conn said he plans to "push as hard as [he] can to achieve the best results from the coordination of undergraduate and graduate education," during his term, noting that they "touch each other at many many points." The college house system will also see two new house deans this year. Christine Brisson, a veteran of the residence life system at Rutgers University, will serve as house dean of Spruce College House, while 1992 Penn graduate Christopher Donovan will serve as house dean of Gregory College House. Donovan, who has worked at the University's department of Housing and Conferences Services since 1991, said accepting the position was "a logical step" in his career because it combines academics and residential life. Donovan plans to focus on integrating Gregory's Modern Languages Program and Van Pelt Manor -- recently united into one college house -- while preserving each building's unique identity. "Unifying the house and achieving a collective identity is what we're striving for this year," Donovan said. Brisson, who spent six years in the residence life system at Rutgers University, said she aims to "build on the success that Spruce College House has already been having and to look for opportunities to help [it] be an intellectual home away from home for students." Three new faculty fellows will also join the system. Classical Studies Professor Peter Struck will join Hamilton College House; Penny Fielding of the University of Edinburgh will join Kings Court/English College House and Peter Stabel of the University of Ghent in Belgium will join Gregory College House.

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