On the eve of homecoming and the official kickoff of Penn's capital campaign, the University Board of Trustees met yesterday at the Inn at Penn for their second round of meetings this year.
The Board of Trustees is the University's top governing body and is responsible for major budget and hiring decisions.
Though the meeting generally focused on positive initiatives, University spokeswoman Lori Doyle briefly mentioned former Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson's departure and the death of College sophomore Anne Ryan as two cases for which the University has been generating "negative news."
Notes from the six committee meetings held today:
n The capital campaign, which is heading into the public phase tomorrow, is making a difference in terms of donations: University officials said contributions to Penn increased 141 percent in July and August compared to gifts received during the same months last year.
n Twenty-nine percent of Penn's revenue in fiscal year 2007 came from tuition and 10 percent came from investments.
Peer institutions averaged 19 percent of revenue from tuition and 21 percent from investments.
n The University's total operating revenue for the first two months of the 2008 fiscal year rose by 7.9 percent, a rise University officials attributed to increases in tuition, fees and enrollment.
n Trustees debated the best approach to proposed national legislation that would mandate universities to spend a certain percentage of their endowment, a move opposed by all who spoke.
n The new Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine is "not only under construction but very well advanced in the development phase," architect Rafael Vinoly said.
n The $15-million-dollar renovation of Fagin Hall is in its second phase and slated for completion in the summer of 2008.
n 618 students have already requested early information about renting apartments in Radian, the new 14-story building currently under construction on the 3900 block of Walnut Street.
n The Committee on Academic Policy recommended that the University adopt a policy to allow the suspension or exclusion of faculty members if they have been accused of a criminal offense.
n The Committee also recommended reducing the time for and complexity of taking sanctions against faculty members.
n Ilene Rosenstein, director of Counseling and Psychological Services, said national utilization of on-campus counseling has doubled.
The meetings will end tomorrow with the stated meeting, when the Trustees will officially weigh in on the proposals.
- Staff Writers Emily Babay, Priyanka Dev, Jody Pollock and Rebecca Kaplan contributed reporting to this story.
