Social Work dean leaves to take provost job at Temple U.

After more than seven years of successful leadership, School of Social Work Dean Ira Schwartz will step down on Sept. 3 to become the provost of Temple University.

Schwartz, 56, has served as dean since 1993. He announced in July that he had accepted the position at Temple, creating a significant vacancy that Penn must now fill.

Currently, University officials have not named a replacement for Schwartz, on either a permanent or an interim basis.

"I still hope that we will have someone in the interim by the end of August, beginning of September," Provost Robert Barchi said. Barchi attributed the delay in naming an interim dean to the timing of vacations among top administrators.

At the time of Schwartz's announcement, administrators said they hoped to have an interim dean named by the end of August.

"We're all reassembling on campus right now and our goal is to move very quickly now," Barchi said.

However, Barchi would not specify any potential candidates at this time, though he noted that because of the small size of the school, it was a narrow pool from which to draw.

Barchi praised Schwartz's accomplishments at the school, adding that while it is a loss to Penn, it's a testament to the quality of Penn's faculty when a University administrator is offered a top post elsewhere.

Schwartz said that though he had enjoyed his time at Penn, the challenge that Temple presents convinced him to take the position.

"I'm a builder, and I like to build strong academic programs," Schwartz said in July. "The challenge of building a strong academic program is what attracted me to Temple."

He will replace acting Temple Provost Corrinne Caldwell. The North Philadelphia school had been without a permanent provost for over three years.

"Dean Schwartz is a distinguished scholar and has proven himself a brilliant academic administrator," Temple President David Admany said in a July statement. "He is just the leader Temple needs as we strengthen our programs of teaching and research and expand our commitment to the community."

Temple named Schwartz to the position after a year-long, nationwide search. As provost, his responsibilities will include strengthening Temple's 17 schools.

During his tenure at Penn, the School of Social Work's endowment grew from $1 million to more than $11 million. Schwartz created a strong research program and was able to bring distinguished faculty to the school, according to his colleagues.

"We are very sorry to see him go," said Roberta Iversen, associate dean for academic affairs at the school. "He's been a visionary leader, but we are very pleased that he has such an opportunity at Temple."

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