Campus development and sustainability are high on the agenda as the University's top governing body convenes today for its annual winter meeting.
The University Board of Trustees, which consists of about 55 prominent alumni and professionals who have the final say in major hiring and budget decisions at the University, meets three times each year to discuss major issues and projects at Penn.
The board also includes about 25 non-voting trustees emeritus.
Meetings are set to kick off this morning with several specific committee sessions; they will conclude with a session that includes all attendees tomorrow afternoon.
University Secretary Leslie Kruhly said administrators will present the University's most recent phase of development plans to the Facilities and Campus Planning Committee.
"We're going to roll out our thinking on the athletic- [and] recreational-space plans," University President Gutmann said.
These include the spaces surrounding Hutchinson Gymnasium and Franklin Field.
Other scheduled presentations for the meeting:
n Vice President of Facilities and Real Estate Anne Papageorge will give a presentation on sustainability and specifically on the University's environmentally friendly policies.
n The development committee will include a presentation by Dennis Pieprz, the president of Sasaki Associates, the architecture firm charged with designing Penn's eastward expansion.
n The Student Life Committee is slated to discuss graduate student government, and the Academic Policy Committee will give a presentation on faculty recruitment and retention for women and underrepresented minorities by University Provost Ronald Daniels.
n The External Affairs Committee will unveil three television commercials intended for use when Penn receives free airtime during sporting events.
Kruhly added that each ad was produced at a low cost by a local agency and features a different Penn alumnus.
"They're really cute spots," she said.
n Trustees plan to elect Robert Toll to the Board, according to Kruhly. Toll is a Penn Law School graduate and the CEO of Toll Brothers, a luxury-home developer.
n The board is also expected to approve renovations to the Dental School and increased space for the Division of Public Services, Kruhly said.
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