Personnel post gets interim fill

Emeritus Physics Professor and former Deputy Provost Walter Wales has been appointed interim associate provost, University officials announced yesterday. The position handles many issues involving academic personnel, including promotions, recruitment and tenure cases.

The associate provost position was left vacant when Nursing Professor Barbara Lowery died of cancer earlier this month. Lowery who came to Penn in 1970, had served as associate provost since 1995.

Wales first came to Penn as an instructor in Physics in 1959 and was chairman of the Physics Department from 1973 to 1982. He also served as interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences from 1996 to 1998, deputy provost from 1992 to 1995, University ombudsman from 1999 to 2001 and chairman of the Faculty Senate from 1979 to 1980.

In 1990, he received the SAS Ira Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching.

"Walter is highly regarded by the faculty as a man whose wisdom, judgment, and broad knowledge of the University are unsurpassed," Provost Robert Barchi wrote in a statement. "As deputy provost, he carried out many of the same responsibilities that are now assigned to the associate provost. His wide-ranging administrative experience, his sense of humor, and his compassionate nature will greatly benefit his new office."

Lowery served as chairwoman of the Psychiatric Health Nursing Department from 1978 to 1984, director of the Center for Nursing Research from 1986 to 1994, director of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Nurse Scholars Program from 1986 to 1991 and associate dean for research in the Nursing School from 1990 to 1993. She also served as the University's interim secretary, ombudsman and Faculty Senate chairwoman on separate occasions.

Wales said he will hold the position through the remainder of the academic year, but does not plan to accept it on a permanent basis.

"What I hope to do is to continue to do some of the things that [Lowery] was doing," Wales said. "Basically, I view myself as a temporary fill-in."

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