Fifty-five of Penn's most influential decision-makers will descend upon the Inn at Penn today for three days of meetings to discuss the University's future.
The University Board of Trustees -- made up of well-known Penn alumni and prominent professionals -- is Penn's top governing body and has ultimate control over most major University decisions.
Ten of the board's 11 committees will meet in sessions today, tomorrow and Friday to discuss topics ranging from the eastward expansion of Penn's campus to undergraduate advising.
The full board will meet on Friday morning, one of three annual meetings.
Last fall's trustee meetings focused on the broad agenda of University President Amy Gutmann -- who was then in the first few months of her presidency.
This year, the trustees will discuss the detailed policies that will help put Gutmann's vision into action in her second year at Penn.
One of the most important responsibilities will fall to the board's Neighborhood Initiatives Committee, Director of Trustee Affairs Molly Roth said. The committee will discuss one of Gutmann's key projects -- plans for the property east of campus, which the University will acquire from the U.S. Postal Service in 2007.
The trustees "will definitely be getting updated reports [about campus planning], periodically giving me feedback," Gutmann said. "We have a group of trustees who have interest and expertise in the area of campus development."
As a series of robberies and assaults on campus have put the Division of Public Safety under pressure, Gutmann added that she will emphasize campus safety initiatives in her meetings with the trustees.
"I won't rest assured until I really see that over a long period of time we have been successful in bringing the crime level down," Gutmann said. "We have to do more, and we are doing more."
College of Arts and Sciences Dean Dennis DeTurck will speak to the trustees about Gutmann's academic priorities, ranging from new research opportunities for undergraduates to cutting-edge interdisciplinary study.
Undergraduate academic advising -- the topic of discussion for the Academic Policy Committee's meeting -- is also something the trustees will focus on.
The External Affairs Committee will discuss issues surrounding international-student visas, which Gutmann said are full of "unnecessary barriers" to helping international students get visas.
The Facilities and Campus Planning Committee will hear a presentation from architect Fumihiko Maki, who drew up plans for the new Annenberg Public Policy Center, which will be built in the space currently occupied by the former Hillel building on 36th Street.
While the University's planned capital campaign -- a major fundraising initiative that will officially begin in the next two years -- is not officially on the agenda for this week's meetings, Board Chairman Jim Riepe said that the campaign will be in the back of his mind as he meets with his fellow trustees this week.
Last week, Riepe announced his retirement from Baltimore-based investment firm T. Rowe Price. Much of his newfound free time, he said, may be dedicated to fundraising for Penn.
"We're getting ready to go into a campaign," Riepe said. My retirement "will certainly give me some time to work on that over the next couple of years."
