For College sophomore Calvin Gruss, Physics and Astronomy professor Larry Gladney "couldn't have tried harder to provide a good education experience and environment."
"He really made an effort to have everyone understand the topics of the class, and he was always willing to meet with students outside the class to go over anything they didn't understand," Gruss added.
Gladney is one of three new Edmund J. Kahn chairs that have been appointed this week in the School of Arts and Sciences. The other two are Chemistry Department chair Marsha Lester and Sociology professor Camille Zubrinsky Charles.
The Kahn chairs were established in 1986 by Louise Kahn in memory of her husband, 1925 Wharton alumnus Edmund Kahn. The Kahns have contributed to a number of programs and causes at Penn including Van Pelt Library.
The chairs "allow us to recognize our very best faculty," said School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rebecca Bushnell. "These are people who have records both as great scholars and as great teachers."
Lester's new position as Edmund J. Kahn Distinguished Professor is an endowed professorship that is effective for as long as Lester has a career at Penn, explained Bushnell.
In her 26 years at Penn, Lester "has a record as an excellent teacher and mentor," said Bushnell, adding that she is "particularly important to us because she is a senior woman in science."
Additionally, Gladney and Charles have been named Kahn Term Professors - Professor for Faculty Excellence and Professor in the Social Sciences, respectively.
According to Bushnell, these positions are active for five years and renewable for another five. Both include a title as well as a research fund, she added.
Gladney, who joined Penn's faculty in 1988, is the current director of the Penn Science Teacher Institute and has a secondary appointment in the Graduate School of Education.
"It's a great honor," he said, adding that the recognition "represents distinction in research in teaching and service to the University community."
His research in experimental particle physics, astro-particle physics and cosmology focus on the connections between matter, energy, space and time.
Charles taught at Ohio State University before joining the Penn faculty in 1998 and has a secondary appointment in the Graduate School of Education. She has served as faculty associate director of the Center for Africana Studies, and will assume directorship in 2009.
She is also the author of Won't You Be My Neighbor: Race, Class and Residence in Los Angeles, and is nearing completion of another book on black racial identity in the U.S.
"I'm very honored and flattered," said Camille Charles of her new title. "It's not why I do my work, but it's nice to be recognized for the work that I do."
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.
