Provost Ronald Daniels and Associate Provost Vincent Price announced on Monday that Charles Howard will take over the position of University Chaplain effective July 1.
Howard has served as interim chaplain since February 2008 and Associate Chaplain since 2005.
He will replace former Chaplain William Gipson, who left his post in February to serve as the Associate Vice Provost for Equity and Access.
"It's such a wonderful opportunity to give back to a place that I love," Howard said.
And he is no stranger to the Penn community - in addition to his last three years of service in the Chaplain's office, he completed a B.A. in urban studies and a minor in African studies at the University, graduating in 2000.
During his time as a student he served as chair of the United Minorities Council for two years and as the chief of Sphinx, a senior honors society, for one year. He also sang in the Inspirations, a gospel a cappella group, and was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
After Penn, he earned a Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School before returning to Philadelphia to earn a Ph.D. at Lutheran Theological Seminary. He worked as a hospital and hospice chaplain at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania during that time.
Wharton junior Saara Hafeez, a student member of the committee that advised the Provost in the search, said Howard's connection to the campus was a quality that stood out in the selection process.
"He knows the University climate . what needs to be done and what can be done realistically," she said.
Howard said he hopes to increase the office's programming "tenfold," including a speaker series on religious dialogue, in the near future.
Both Daniels and Gipson noted Howard's accomplishments in community outreach and work to improve life for the homeless.
Howard also teaches in Penn's Programs in Awareness in Cultural Education, a partnership between the Graduate School of Education and Greenfield Intercultural Center.
Howard's most notable quality, however, is connection with the students on campus.
"[Howard] is very accessible," Gipson said. "He is the kind of person who is going to reach out to as many groups and as many people as possible."
2008 College and Wharton graduate Samir Malik, who took his class, said he was not only an "incredible" teacher, but also "one my really good friends on campus."
