Anonymous donor gives $10 million

An anonymous donor has pledged $10 million to further University President Amy Gutmann's plans to increase the integration of knowledge across schools and disciplines at the University. The donation will be used to recruit faculty who will hold joint appointments between two schools. "We're looking for stars and rising stars ... whose research and teaching exemplify the integration of knowledge," Gutmann said. Interim Provost Peter Conn along with the deans of all 12 schools will work as the nomination committee for the positions, and Gutmann and Conn will together select the finalists. Gutmann also said that the University will place an advertisement in The Chronicle of Higher Education to find possible candidates. The donation, pledged by the benefactor at a meeting with Gutmann two weeks ago, will be just the beginning of a major initiative showing Penn's strength compared to other universities in the integration of knowledge, the president said. "To our knowledge there is no other university who has ever done such an initiative," Gutmann said. "It builds on what I've said -- and what other people at Penn have said is our distinctive strength."