1999 Year in Review

It was a year of tumult at the University of Pennsylvania, in every sense of the word. We took a hard look at Penn's social life in 1999, as the campus examined its alcohol consumption following the tragic death of a Penn alumnus outside the Phi Gamma Delta house. Students and administrators sought ways to keep students safe and give them alcohol-free activities, while maintaining the right not to have the University looking over our shoulders. The University of Pennsylvania Health System continued to struggle financially, posting large losses and announcing a 20 percent workforce reduction. And academically, the year saw a slew of new ideas proposals and a new chief academic officer who came into office promising to focus on undergraduate education by increasing opportunities for research and interdisciplinary education. The campus was awash in celebrities, with everyone from Ellen DeGeneres to Tom Brokaw to Binyamin Netanyahu making appearances. We welcomed the Class of 2003 as national polls and early application numbers continued to show that Penn is becoming more popular among high school students. And the men's basketball Ivy League title returned to where it belongs. An agonizing loss at the hands of the Princeton Tigers at the Palestra faded -- though it could never be forgotten by any of the 8,700 distraught fans in attendance -- as the Quakers roared back to secure their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1994.