After laying the groundwork in his first year at Penn, Provost Ron Daniels expects his plans to come to fruition in the second.
Daniels has served as provost for almost 10 months and is confident that the initiatives he has proposed this year will be implemented next year.
Daniels has worked on faculty-retention policies and to improve Penn's global standing.
According to Afaf Meleis, the dean of Penn's School of Nursing, the provost has shown a commitment to making Penn more welcoming to faculty.
Meleis cited Daniels' promotion of benefits for faculty spouses and efforts to accommodate faculty with young children among the ways in which Penn is trying to retain and attract faculty.
Daniels also made Penn's international reputation a priority through Penn's Task Force on Global Engagement, which released a series of recommendations this year -- including new scholarships for foreign students, recruiting international scholars and promoting study abroad -- that Daniels hopes to begin implementing this fall.
Although few of Daniels' global initiatives have actually been instituted, administrators believe the success of smaller projects on campus are an indicator of future success.
Political Science Department Chairman Rogers Smith said he was impressed with the provost's response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster, which included two major conferences. The success of these programs gives Smith confidence that "his international initiatives will have success as well."
Daniels allowed, however, that, when it comes to international-engagement policy, "it is easy to announce a program" but harder to take the time to make sure that it is executed effectively.
The provost also said he has a number of academic priorities for the upcoming year. These include the promotion of undergraduate research, strengthening academically based community-service courses and a new program -- Ideas in Action -- to bring policy-makers to Penn to work with students on solutions to current problems.
Although major policy initiatives have been the provost's primary focus, this year has also been a chance for the provost to cultivate relationships with Penn administrators and faculty.
Smith said Daniels found a happy medium between pushing initiatives and getting to know the University.
"There's a danger of coming in and doing nothing, and trying to do too much too soon before you learn the lay of the land, and he's achieved an excellent balance," Smith said.
School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rebecca Bushnell said she was especially impressed with the provost's ability to bring together representatives from all 12 of Penn's schools.
Although Daniels is optimistic about the potential of his initiatives, he acknowledged that it is too early to be completely self-congratulatory about his first year at Penn.
"I survived," Daniels said. "But maybe that's premature -- I still have a few more weeks to go."
