U. Trustees on focus on technology

The Trustees meet three times each year, in the spring, summer and fall, to discuss and vote on campus issues. When James Riepe was elected chairman of the University Trustees last summer, he said Penn's strategic use of technology would be the focus of his tenure. That issue will be at the center of the Trustees' agenda at their annual spring meeting, which will be held today and tomorrow at the Inn at Penn. The Trustees will also be meeting with top University administrators to talk about a series of new campus development projects, the status of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and the impact of the federal government's investigation into the Institute for Human Gene Therapy research. The Trustees hold three full meetings each year -- in the fall, spring and summer seasons -- to discuss and vote on important issues pertaining to the University community. And in an increasingly electronic academic world, it is not surprising that technology is at the forefront of issues. "Penn has gotten a lot of accolades of being a really wired campus," University President Judith Rodin said. "We are going to be spending a day showing the Trustees what we have done." The Student Life and Academic Policy committees will be learning about Penn's current use of technology -- as well as possible uses for it in the future -- during public sessions today. University Trustee David Pottruck, the chief executive officer of Charles Schwab, will talk about the strategic use of technology in the business world. And Vice Provost for Information Systems and Computing James O'Donnell, who heads a Penn committee exploring distance learning, will return the focus to academia when he discusses the University's current involvement with distance learning initiatives. O'Donnell will also inform the Trustees about other cost-effective programs his committee is considering that will combine classroom bricks with computer mouse clicks. Penn is currently linked to a series of high-tech, higher education programs. The College of General Studies sponsors PennAdvance, a for-credit distance learning program that enables students from 15 cities to take Penn introductory-level courses using live satellite broadcasts, video-conferencing technology and the Internet. And the Wharton School, the Medical School and the Nursing School currently offer professionally focused distance learning ventures as well. Other highlights of the meetings include an update by Provost Robert Barchi on the University's potential plans for an academic facility devoted to the life sciences and a closed-door meeting to determine the public relations strategy for the IHGT case. The three-week-old ban on all gene therapy studies at Penn was prompted by possible research protocol violations in a study that resulted in the death of an 18-year old subject last September. The case has thrust unwanted publicity onto Penn, making it the poster child in the national media for the missteps in the controversial field of gene therapy. The Trustees must also formally approve the appointment of Patrick Harker as the new Wharton dean. Harker has served as deputy dean since last spring and was appointed interim dean over the summer. His appointment ends a 14-month national search to replace Thomas Gerrity.

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