Writers House bash marks hub's 10th year
The Kelly Writers House is gearing up for its 10th anniversary, a celebration that will bring back its major donor, its architect and a New York Times writer who got his start at the hub for writers on campus.
The festivities -- which kicks off today and will run through alumni weekend -- will include an open house, a dinner and various speakers at the 38th and Locust streets house, as well as a symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony tomorrow.
Speeches by Paul Kelly, the house's original donor, architect Harris Steinberg and current Faculty Director Al Filreis are on the agenda.
Nate Chinen, a jazz musician and writer for The New York Times who spent time at the house while he was an undergraduate, will wrap up tomorrow's with a performance.
The event will also feature a barbecue and dinner.
The house -- which was converted 10 years ago from a personal residence for the University chaplain -- serves as a resource for writers on campus.
2005 College graduate and Assistant to the Director Jamie-Lee Josselyn said this celebration is a testament to the students and the professors who use the house.
"I'm not sure anyone knew or thought that the Writer's house would actually last," Josselyn said. "The energy here has really only built since the Writers House began."
-- Tommy Acchione
Number of female faculty remains stable
A new report reveals that women make up just over a quarter of faculty at Penn -- and that number is not changing.
According to the fourth annual University-wide gender equity report, the percentage of female faculty has remained relatively stable over the past two years, at about 27 percent.
The report was released in the Almanac on April 25 and detailed the status of several initiatives designed to promote gender equality among faculty at Penn.
A census of all faculty members also showed that both more men and more women have left Penn in the past year than joined the faculty.
The number of job offers for female candidates in each of Penn's schools was generally proportional to the number of female applicants, about 30 percent of the total number of people applying for positions at the University.
The report also outlined measures that a working group of students and faculty -- headed by Deputy Provost Janice Bellace -- implemented in February to help faculty with young children balance their careers and families.
These include a 50 percent reduction in teaching duties with no pay cut for new parents in the first year their child is born.
"There is so much evidence that women begin to fall off the fast track" when they have children, Bellace said.
-- Mara Gordon
Director of college houses to step down
The faculty director of Penn's college houses will step down this summer after serving in the position for the past four years, the Office of the Provost announced this week.
Legal Studies professor Phil Nichols -- who will remain the faculty master of Stouffer College House -- will resign to spend more time working with organizations in Central America on global business standards.
During his tenure as faculty director, Nichols launched Pennster, the online orientation site for incoming freshmen.
He also oversaw the introduction of co-ed housing over the past year.
Ware College House Faculty Master Mark Liberman will replace Nichols at the helm of the college-house system effective July 1.
Liberman has been Ware faculty master since 2000.
-- M.G.
