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(10/25/96 9:00am)
Public, private universitiesPublic, private universitiesdebate the pros and cons ofPublic, private universitiesdebate the pros and cons ofopen v. closed searches forPublic, private universitiesdebate the pros and cons ofopen v. closed searches fornew campus administrators and Mark Fiore The University of Michigan's public presidential search process -- which is considering Provost Stanley Chodorow for the school's top post -- is not unusual for state universities. But most private schools conduct their presidential searches behind closed doors. When the Board of Trustees selected then-Yale Provost Judith Rodin as Penn's president in 1993, the presidential search committee met entirely in private. However, Michigan cannot by law conduct a presidential search process secretly, according to the state's Open Meetings Act. Local Detroit newspapers filed a lawsuit against Michigan when the university's Board of Regents held closed search meetings earlier this month. A Circuit Court judge ruled that any planned closed meetings were illegal. Dartmouth College Provost Lee Bollinger, University of California at Berkeley Provost and Vice Chancellor Carol Christ, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Provost and Vice Chancellor Larry Faulkner and Chodorow are the four finalists for the Michigan presidency. Each of the candidates are being interviewed publicly by the Regents and must attend a town meeting where the Michigan community can pose questions. Chodorow, Bollinger and Christ were on campus for their interviews during the past week. Faulkner will visit Michigan Monday. The Regents can add another candidate to the search at any time. While student leaders said they are pleased to be part of the process, they voiced concern that the open format may intimidate applicants' from continuing with the process. "What if we don't get quality candidates because of this," Michigan Student Assembly representative Dan Serota said of the open process. Originally, Michigan's presidential search advisory committee nominated five finalists for the presidency. But once the state Circuit Court ordered meetings to be opened to the public, one of the finalists withdrew. Despite the open process, only the eight-member Board of Regents will make the final decision. Michigan spokesperson Lisa Baker said she thinks the process is restrictive since Regents are not able to meet with the candidates privately. "The Regents are not in a position to consult with each other," Baker said. "That is problematic for the board." Although an open presidential process allows for greater community input, University President Judith Rodin said a public search has inherent weaknesses. "It allows for more information about the candidates than some may feel is appropriate," Rodin said. She added that candidates often are concerned about how an open search process could affect their home institutions. During Penn's 1993 presidential search, a committee narrowed the pool of applicants to three and presented their list of nominees to the Trustees Executive Committee. The Executive Committee then interviewed the candidates in private and presented a recommendation to the full Board of Trustees. Other private universities have followed similar secretive presidential searches. Both Columbia University and Yale University conducted extensive private presidential searches in 1993. "We spoke to an enormous number of faculty, student groups, all of the deans, the senior staff and local political figures," said Henry King, chairperson of Columbia University's Board of Trustees at the time of the search. But King also said the process of allowing all campus groups to have input on the selection can be extremely time consuming. There was one student on the presidential search committee for Columbia. Students, faculty and staff were represented on Penn's Presidential Search Committee as well, according to Rodin. Several public universities have open presidential searches similar to Michigan's. And other public universities have struggled with the open process. Officials at the University of Colorado state system realized the difficulty of conducting a public search when they looked for a new president in the early 1990s. According to Colorado spokesperson Bronson Hilliard, the lack of privacy in the open process drove them to cancel their search. "The national search had quite a number of flaws," he said. "It became very difficult to keep confidential who the finalists were. The candidates felt very uncomfortable and the whole process was scrapped." Following the failed search, the university's Board of Regents passed a regulation that requires the four institutions in the Colorado system to conduct internal searches for all top administrators before looking outside of the system. In the meantime, the school appointed Colorado Vice President Judith Albino as president. When Albino stepped down last year, the school conducted its first internal search for a president and appointed then-Interim President John Buechner to the top post. Hilliard said the internal search was open, adding that public meetings were held to allow members of the community to address Buechner before his official appointment. The difficulties with an open process led officials at the University of Pittsburgh to make their search process more private, according to spokesperson Ken Service. Service said when the school conducted its search for a new chancellor, all but one meeting was held in private. "The committee invited anyone to come and talk about what they thought was important in choosing a candidate," said Service, adding that there was no direct interaction between candidates and the public. "We felt that conducting the process in public would discourage people from applying," Service said. But officials from several universities said their public searches have run much smoother. When the president of the University of Southern Mississippi retired two years ago after serving for more than 20 years, the school began a nationwide search for a replacement -- something they had little previous experience at doing. "We hadn't conducted a search for many years," said head librarian Nancy Kaul. "It took a good bit of discussion to come to a plan." Kaul, former chairperson of the school's Faculty Senate and the presidential search committee's chairperson, said the search they devised was "very similar to Michigan's process." According to Kaul, once Southern Mississippi's search committee and the Board of Trustees had chosen four finalists, their names were released to the public, their vitae were put on the school's World Wide Web page, and they were invited to campus for open meetings. At the meetings -- which Kaul said were attended by members of the university and outside communities -- anyone could provide the Trustees with written opinions on the candidates. The Board took those opinions into consideration when it made its final decision, she added. "We wanted as much feedback as possible," Kaul said. "We collected hundreds of those and used them as a general guide." At Pittsburgh State University in Pittsburgh, Kan., public input played an important role in its national search for a new president last year. After an open selection process, the school chose John Darling from more than 80 applicants. According to Pittsburgh State spokesperson Ellen Carter, the university's search committee -- of which she was a member -- selected three finalists who were then invited to the campus for public meetings. Similar to Southern Mississippi's process, members of the public could submit forms expressing their opinions, which the acting president presented in summary to the Board of Regents before it made its final decision. Carter said both open and closed search processes have their positive and negative aspects. She noted that public searches often discourage individuals from applying because they do not want their current institutions to know that they are looking for a new position. "I understand the tug both ways," she said. "I understand the need for privacy. Yet you should be ready for your name to be public when you're one of three finalists." Officials from Northwestern State University in Louisiana have also conducted open searches without much difficulty, although they are now evaluating how they will handle an upcoming search process. Northwestern State President Randall Webb said when he was selected as Northwestern State's president last spring, he informally met with the public several times. "There was a reception open to the public," Webb said. "And also the Board of Regents got suggestions from the community in terms of qualifications and the future direction of the university." Northwestern State officials have just begun a search for a new provost, and they are still discussing how public the process will be, he said. However, Webb added that the process will not be a closed one like Penn's. "We don't do things that way," he said.
(10/23/96 9:00am)
In a series of public interviews and receptions yesterday, the University of Michigan community agreed that Penn Provost Stanley Chodorow had made a favorable impression in his bid for the school's presidency. Chodorow, also a medieval history professor, is one of four finalists under consideration for Michigan's top post. In between stories about medieval history, Chodorow fielded questions on topics ranging from the role of research universities to undergraduate education during his interview with the Board of Regents yesterday morning. "He did a very good job of making everyone feel relaxed," Regent Andrea Fischer Newman said. "His breadth of knowledge is very impressive." Regent Rebecca McGowan asked Chodorow how he planned to change Michigan -- especially by 2013, when McGowan's daughter could be attending the university. Chodorow responded by discussing interdisciplinary learning and undergraduate involvement in research. He also spoke on the university's responsibility to its community. "[The public university] has a much more direct relationship to society than a private [university]," Chodorow said. About 60 students and faculty attended a town meeting yesterday where they had the opportunity to ask questions of their own. Chodorow impressed the audience in his discussion of affirmative action, faculty governance and a controversial living and learning program at Michigan. "This guy is able to express articulately many of the things that resonate in this community," Michigan Faculty Senate Chairperson Thomas Dunn said. Chodorow compared the projects he works on at Penn with what could be done at Michigan. For example, Michigan officials are now addressing problems between the school's medical school and hospital. "Penn has put the two -- health systems and the medical school --together," Chodorow said, noting that Michigan should do the same. One student asked Chodorow about his work with students and student leaders. "I find interaction with students to be fantastic," Chodorow said. "It took me about one term to figure that out." Michigan student government leaders said they had been concerned about Chodorow's willingness to listen to student concerns after learning about a comment he made at Penn in 1994. At the time, he said student leaders did not have much time to participate in university policy planning. "He gave a very good response that he's grown since then and that he realizes that he was wrong," Michigan senior and Student Assembly Chairperson Paul Scublinsky said. Scublinsky added that Chodorow's background was impressive, both at Penn and while he was at the public University of California at San Diego. "We obviously need someone who can deal with state government and the community," Scublinsky said, citing the differences between public and private institutions. Chodorow said the forum went smoothly, adding that the public format "worked very well." "The questions that were asked were similar to the kinds of questions we are dealing with at Penn," he said. Chodorow declined to comment on his performance in either the Regents interview or the town meeting yesterday. He attended an invitation-only social function last night. Dartmouth College Provost Lee Bollinger, University of California at Berkeley Provost and Vice Chancellor Carol Christ and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Provost and Vice Chancellor Larry Faulkner are the other three finalists for the presidency. Christ had her day-long interviews Monday. Michigan Daily reporter Jodi Cohen contributed to this artic0le.
(10/21/96 9:00am)
The University of Michigan Board of Regents unanimously accepted the recommendation of Penn Provost Stanley Chodorow as one of four finalists for Michigan's presidency on Friday, according to Michigan spokesperson Julie Peterson. Chodorow will visit Michigan tomorrow. The Board of Regents, acting as the Presidential Search Committee, will interview Chodorow in a public interview from 9 to 11 a.m. Chodorow will then attend a town meeting from 2 to 4 p.m., where he will answer questions from Michigan's community. A public reception will follow the town meeting, and then an invitation-only social event will be held later that evening. All four finalists will visit Michigan, each participating in a set of identical day-long events. The official final list of presidential candidates includes Dartmouth College Provost Lee Bollinger, University of California at Berkeley Provost and Vice Chancellor Carol Christ and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Provost and Vice Chancellor Larry Faulkner. But the Regents are allowed to add candidates to the list at any time during the selection process. "[The Presidential Search Advisory Committee] has developed four extraordinary candidates, all of whom I am convinced will be presidents of major research universities within the next few years," Regent Lawrence Deitch said at Friday's meeting. According to Peterson, the Regents will meet following the finalists' campus visits to decide what the next step in the selection process will be. The Regents hope to select a president by Thanksgiving to replace former Michigan President James Duderstadt who left the university in June, Peterson said.
(10/11/96 9:00am)
The University Board of Trustees is expected to approve the acquisition of 16 properties north of campus during its monthly meeting today. The owner of the properties -- located on the 3900 block of Chestnut Street, the 3900 and 4000 blocks of Sansom Street and the 100 block of S. 39th Street -- plans to give them to Penn, University President Judith Rodin earlier this week. "They are clearly strategic properties for us and we're very glad to have the opportunity to receive this gift," Rodin said. The sites include 115 residential units and three commercial units, according to Executive Vice President John Fry. The owner, Arnold Pagano, will give the properties to the University in exchange for a life annuity, Fry said. An annuity requires payment of a certain amount of money every year for the rest of the recipient's life. Since the properties are a gift, the University will not spend any money on purchasing them. Revenues from the buildings, such as rent, will fund the life annuity for Pagano. The University plans to keep the buildings as residences to be leased and managed by a realty group. Fry said the University will improve lighting, security and trash collection in the area. "We control them. Therefore we'll invest in them," Fry added. "They will be better properties and more attractive." There are no plans to demolish the buildings, since they will provide several options for affordable community, student or faculty housing, Fry said. The transfer of the properties will be complete this week, following the trustees meetings. During today's meeting, the trustees will also discuss a resolution to establish several new positions in the School of Arts and Sciences' foreign language departments. This proposal is the final result of an ongoing debate between the Faculty Senate and SAS on whether non-standing faculty can be hired continuously in the foreign language departments, Rodin said. The Faculty Senate passed the proposal last year. Trustees will also receive an updated financial report from Fry and a Health System report from Medical Center CEO William Kelley. Admissions Dean Lee Stetson will also report to the board. Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow briefed the trustees on the five-year Agenda for Excellence in closed meetings Wednesday and Thursday. The meetings gave trustees an opportunity to share their ideas on the future of the University with administrators. The Academic Policy Committee and the Budget and Finance Committee will conduct meetings open to the public today at 11 a.m. at the Faculty Club. The general meeting, which is also open to the public, will be held at 2:15 p.m. at the Faculty Club.
(10/09/96 9:00am)
After taking criticism for not adequately addressing student safety concerns at its meeting last month, University Council organizers plan to devote almost half of today's meeting to security issues. University President Judith Rodin will give a 15-minute presentation on the security initiatives the University has implemented. Following the presentation, 30 minutes have been allotted for discussion of security issues. Those in attendance, whether members of Council or not, will be allowed to ask questions. Political Science Professor and Council Moderator Will Harris was criticized last month for preventing non-Council members to make statements about safety during the September 24 Council meeting, held the day College senior Patrick Leroy was shot. At the time, Harris said he was following usual procedures by allowing only Council members to speak. Wharton senior and Undergraduate Assembly member Gil Beverly said he believed University community members were not respected during the September meeting. "They weren't getting their questions answered," Beverly said. "There was too many generalities." Rodin said Council members wanted to make a conscientious effort to include the University community in its discussions on safety and security and to be responsive to student concerns. "[The University Council] steering [committee] quite wisely agrees that this issue is the kind of issue that it ought to bend its rules for," Rodin said. She added that she felt another session on safety was necessary because many at the University still have concerns about the issue. Beverly said he hopes administrators will be prepared to offer a specific time frame for the implementation of future security initiatives. "I hope that the people involved have real answers," Beverly said. During today's meeting, Provost Stanley Chodorow will also update Council on the 21st Century Project on Undergraduate Education. A draft of Council committee charges detailing the responsibilities of each committee will be presented and discussed at the meeting. And the Committee on Research will present its 1995-96 year-end report to the Council. The report includes a draft of the Postdoctoral Fellow Policy that sets the minimum standards for postdoctoral fellows at the University. The policy is currently awaiting final approval from the Faculty Senate Executive Committee. Council will also discuss its agenda for the 1996-97 year. Tentative agenda items for this year's meetings include Council's third-annual open forum meeting and state of the University addresses by Rodin and Chodorow. Council, which is open to the public, will meet today from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in McClelland Hall in the Quadrangle.
(10/09/96 9:00am)
Food services consultant John Cornyn had never seen so many food trucks at a university before coming to Penn. "The food trucks are everywhere," Cornyn said. Cornyn and his partner, Joyce Fasano, have been hired by the University to conduct a comprehensive study of all food services across campus, including restaurants and food trucks that service the area -- and Dining Services. The Cornyn Fasano Group is an independent food services consulting group. After just one week on campus, Cornyn and Fasano have already met with several administrators and student leaders to discuss food services informally. "Our goal right now is to define a program that is successful and meets the needs of the campus community," Director of Support and Business Services Marie Witt said. When Executive Vice President John Fry announced this summer that Dining Services would undergo a full evaluation, employees voiced concern over the possibility that they could lose their jobs if the department was outsourced. But Cornyn said the study is not focusing on outsourcing Dining Services, although that is one option under consideration. "We're not here to deliver a predetermined outcome," Cornyn said. "The facts and the research will guide everyone to the ultimate solution." Witt said University administrators are looking at several options to improve food services on campus, including partnering and developing strategic alliances with food companies. "If we limit this to simply a decision to outsource or not, we really have kind of negated all the other possibilities, I think," Witt said. "We really want to find out what's the best direction for Penn to go in." Representatives from Cornyn Fasano have met with Dining Services managers and hope to meet with other employees as the study continues. The food services study will be split into two phases. Cornyn Fasano first plans to survey at least 400 people over the telephone. The company will survey more than 600 others by intercepting them on campus during various times of the day. The consulting group will formulate the survey questions after meeting with eight different focus groups this week, Fasano said. The focus groups will include undergraduates, graduate and professional students, faculty and University staff. All of the data should be collected before Thanksgiving and the study's first phase is expected to be completed by December, according to Cornyn. Cornyn Fasano, based in Portland, Ore., will visit the campus nine times during the first part of the study. "Our challenge has been to learn what Penn's all about," Cornyn said. The second phase involves analyzing the data and identifying possible options for managing food services. Cornyn Fasano should have a final proposal prepared by April, Witt said. A steering committee that includes administrators, faculty and students has been appointed to work with the consultants on the study. Cornyn Fasano has performed previous studies at Yale, Washington and Stanford universities, in addition to several other institutions.
(10/02/96 9:00am)
Shooting promptedShooting promptedsecurity increases,Shooting promptedsecurity increases,review of Escort University administrators have begun implementing short-term safety and security initiatives in hopes of reducing crime on and around campus. But those efforts began only after last Wednesday's shooting of College senior Patrick Leroy. In the past month, more than 30 robberies have occurred near campus. Yet response from both students and administrators to the rash of robberies was limited to last week's incident. University President Judith Rodin announced eight safety and security initiatives at a town meeting held the day after the shooting. According to Executive Vice President John Fry, the University allocates $15 million to security and safety each year. The new short- and long-term safety initiatives will cost the University approximately $7 million in additional funds over the next few years. "We're not going to leave any variable alone at this point," Fry said. The University is also commissioning a long-term study on Penn Escort services -- which many students complained about at last week's town meeting. Although the University community may not see results from the study for many months, immediate temporary changes will be made to the Penn Escort services within a week, Fry said. However, the other long-term security plans, including the moving of University Police headquarters to a site on 40th Street, will not impact students for a while. Results from several short-term initiatives, including the addition of new blue light phones and Spectaguard patrols, are expected within the next month. The 10 additional Spectaguard guards will begin patrolling the west end of campus sometime this week, Managing Director of Public Safety Thomas Seamon said. In response to the robberies that occurred before the shooting, Public Safety stepped up patrols. And officials thought part of the crime problem was on its way to solution two weeks ago when they arrested three men believed to be responsible for many of the robberies. But armed robberies continued to take place, before and after Wednesday's shooting. "[The] arrests really cut into the problem, but one, two or even three men did not commit all of these crimes," University Police Captain John Richardson said before the shooting. As of last week's town meeting, 17 of the 28 reported incidents since the beginning of the semester have been cleared by University Police, according to Rodin. "By any law enforcement standard that is an incredible record," she said. However, aside from the arrests and increased patrols, the administration did not publicly acknowledge or respond to the large number of armed robberies in the University City area. And students did not react to the reported crime increase until last Wednesday afternoon, when they learned of the shooting. "This has become much more real because people knew Patrick," Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski said. Although the student body reacted with immediate concern, some felt they did not receive an adequate response from administrators. Students complained that Wednesday's University Council meeting did not afford them the opportunity to ask questions and voice their opinions. "A lot of students left today feeling disrespected," Wharton senior and Undergraduate Assembly member Gil Beverly said at the Council meeting. And when Rodin did not appear at a rally held on College Green Wednesday night, the hundreds of students in attendance chanted, "Where's Judy?" Rodin said she was spending the evening with other administrators, developing possible short-term initiatives to decrease crime. The administration's first official response came through an e-mailthat the Office of the Vice Provost of University Life sent to all students within 24 hours of the shooting. The letter informed students of the VPUL's services and urged students to take extra precautions when traveling at night. During Thursday's town meeting, Rodin answered student questions for nearly two hours, in the hope of allaying student fears. And last Friday, Rodin sent a letter to parents outlining the new security initiatives and addressing safety concerns. "I have an enormous sense of responsibility for this University and for your children," Rodin wrote. But the real effects of the new campus emphasis on safety and security remain to be seen.
(09/27/96 9:00am)
Police to hire 10 new cops, installPolice to hire 10 new cops, install102 new blue light phones acrossPolice to hire 10 new cops, install102 new blue light phones acrosscampus; city cops to step up patrols and Ben Hammer University President Judith Rodin last night announced eight new initiatives to improve campus safety as part of a special town meeting organized in the wake of Wednesday morning's shooting and a rash of armed robberies near campus. Rodin spent two hours responding to questions posed by approximately 100 members of the University community, who expressed anger and concern about the incidents. She said newly assigned officers and cars from several different police forces will begin patrolling the area on and around campus immediately. "We will use every available resource of this University to identify [and] prosecute those intent on victimizing us," Rodin said. "We have got to send a message: 'Stay away from us here'." But even as Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner for Operations Rich Zapille and other Philadelphia and University Police representatives answered questions at the meeting, University Police received a report of another robbery near campus. At approximately 9:30 p.m., a man robbed Urban Outfitters of $100. The store, on Locust Street between 40th and 41st streets, is located less than a block away from where College senior Patrick Leroy was shot early Wednesday morning. In the incident at Urban Outfitters, the perpetrator handed an employee a written note demanding money, according to University Police Captain John Richardson. He said the man had a beard and mustache and was wearing a dark shirt, a three-quarters length coat and glasses. During last night's town meeting, Rodin announced that University Police will hire 10 new officers and deploy a special team of five veteran officers to focus on combatting violent crime between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. on "city streets adjacent to campus." She added that Philadelphia Police have committed to patrolling campus with three foot officers at night, a police car 24 hours a day and two more cars between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. "I guarantee you that the Philadelphia Police department wants to make this place as safe as it possibly can," Zapille said. "It bothers me that you can't walk on this campus and be safe." Additionally, Rodin said, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority will assign six additional police officers and a police car to patrol SEPTA stations around campus. And the University will assign 10 security guards to the area from 40th to 43rd streets between Chestnut and Baltimore streets. According to Rodin, the University will also use new security technology to improve security. She pledged that the University will begin installing blue light phones in 66 new locations by November 1. Roughly half of them will be placed between 40th and 43rd streets, in addition to 36 other previously planned locations. And the University will accelerate the planned installation of new security technologies in dormitories and buildings on campus. Rodin also pledged financial support for Penn Watch and said her administration would redouble its efforts to combat problems of homelessness, panhandling, poor trash collection, graffiti and slow economic development in the University area. "We will vigorously and aggressively go after businesses in our area that? are breaking the law and attracting those to campus who are intent on victimizing us," Rodin said. After Rodin's 15-minute speech, students voiced concerns and offered suggestions for campus security. Several complained about Penn Escort, decrying in particular the long wait time before a van picks up a student. "No student wants to use it when they know they that have to wait 20 to 25 minutes for a van to show up," College senior Kara Kaplan said. Penn Escort also does not drop off students at some residences or campus sorority and fraternity houses, students said. Rodin assured the audience that all of Penn Escort's routes would be evaluated. College senior Jill Weiner suggested having a Penn Escort schedule, similar to a city bus schedule, where vans pick up passengers at designated points at specified times. Public Safety Managing Director Thomas Seamon noted in defense of Penn Escort that its vans made 4,000 runs last year. Students also questioned the effectiveness of the blue light phone system and the off-campus emergency phone number, 573-3333. Kaplan said after she was mugged off campus last year, she dialed the emergency number and was forwarded to an automated system. Another student said she experienced the same problem when using the off-campus number. Other students who spoke last night told Rodin the blue light phones -- both on and off campus -- do not always work, and also do not cover a large enough area. Seamon said Public Safety officials agree. "We don't think it's an extensive enough coverage, and because of new technology we now have the ability to place them further out of campus," he explained. University community members also expressed frustration that security was not increased after numerous armed robberies occurred earlier this month. "You could have done something a week and a half ago to really reduce the chance of Pat [Leroy, the College senior shot Wednesday] being shot," one student told Rodin. Another student said the recent crimes had her terrified of living in West Philadelphia for the first time in her four years at the University. "My Ivy League education isn't worth anything if I don't come out alive," the senior said.
(09/26/96 9:00am)
University administrators expressed outrage and frustration yesterday after learning about the shooting of College senior Patrick Leroy. University President Judith Rodin voiced her concern about the incident, but pointed out that crime has risen in all of Philadelphia, not just in University City. "Crime is on the increase, and it's something we need to confront," Rodin said. She added that she will request additional city police support from Mayor Ed Rendell. She has already spoken with City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell on the issue. The University has undertaken several initiatives to increase safety and security around campus, she explained. "We do a great deal to protect our people and our property, but we have to do more," Rodin said at yesterday's University Council meeting, adding that the current security coverage "didn't work for Patrick last night, but it's working." Echoing the thoughts of many students, Provost Stanley Chodorow said he was "shocked and upset" when he heard the news. "When these things happen you feel anger and a sense of frustration," Chodorow said. Administrators also moved to bring safety to students' attention in light of the shooting. The Office of the Vice Provost for University Life has asked all resident advisors to discuss security with on-campus residents this week, Associate VPUL Larry Moneta said. "We have to let the police do what they do best and, in the meantime, we just redouble our efforts to get students to still take all the precautions they can," Moneta said. Public Safety officials also detailed a wide range of responses to the recent rash of armed robberies near campus. The University is in negotiations with a security corporation to provide electronic security devices for University buildings, Managing Director of Public Safety Thomas Seamon said. The company would also consolidate guard services around the campus. In addition, University Police have hired four additional investigators recently, bringing the total number to eight. The investigators have led efforts to track down robbery suspects. Seamon said Public Safety will utilize the police force more effectively by sending out more officers in groups, while also dispatching more plainclothes officers. And officials have plans to upgrade blue light phones around campus and to establish a new Public Safety headquarters near 40th Street between Walnut and Chestnut streets, Seamon said. Other administrators have spoken to city officials about creating a special services district to focus on cleanliness and safety, similar to the program established in Center City, according to Executive Vice President John Fry. "In addition to everything else that we're doing -- which is substantial -- we're looking for a much broader concept to bring to University City," he said. In informal discussions, local businesses have expressed interest in working with the University to bring in additional security guards and create a cleaner neighborhood, Fry added. Faculty Senate Chairperson Peter Kuriloff said effective crime prevention depends on student initiative, not just administrative efforts. "There must be community response to mobilize activity," said Kuriloff, an education professor. But Assistant VPUL Barbara Cassell said there is no fail-safe method to avoid being robbed. "The problem is you can't give a whole set of strategies that [say] if you do this you won't be victimized," Cassell said.
(09/25/96 9:00am)
University Council will focus on issues of student privacy and administrative restructuring today at its first meeting of the academic year. Council members -- including administrators, faculty, staff and students -- meet monthly to discuss campus-wide issues in a public forum. They serve as an advisory body to the University's president and provost. Executive Vice President John Fry is scheduled to address problems involving the new Financial Management Information System, or FinMIS, during today's meeting. Fry will also lead discussion on the University's restructuring efforts, according to Council Secretary Constance Goodman. Council members will take another look at the Draft Policy on Privacy of Electronic Information and the new Draft Policy on Student Privacy in University Residences, both of which were first presented to Council last spring. The student privacy in residences policy was revised over the summer and now includes a separate section discussing the entrance of University employees into dormitory rooms for routine health and safety inspections. "From time to time, the Department of Residential Living will enter all rooms in a residence or section thereof for the purposes of eliminating conditions that are actually or potentially unhealthful or otherwise hazardous," the new draft states. University President Judith Rodin is expected to discuss the Agenda for Excellence and her recent academic and minority permanence proposals, according to Goodman. And Provost Stanley Chodorow will speak on the progress of the 21st Century Project, Goodman said. "Obviously, these are issues that are ongoing and are very much a focus of the University," Goodman added. Council's Committee on The Book Store will be presenting its 1995-96 year-end report today. The report discusses The Book Store's new management under Barnes & Noble and offers recommendations to improve Book Store services. The Committee on Safety and Security will also present its year-end report to Council. The proposal for expanding Penn Escort services to include Carlton House on 18th Street and JFK Boulevard, the Philadelphia Art Museum and Broad Street are discussed in the committee's report. Both committee reports were published in the Almanac yesterday. Council will also discuss the agenda for this year's future meetings. Rodin and Chodorow are expected to present extended reports on the "state of the University" at November's Council meeting. Council's third annual "open forum" meeting is tentatively scheduled for December, but may be moved to November. Council will meet today from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in McClelland Hall in the Quadrangle.
(09/24/96 9:00am)
University President Judith Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow will release an outline of six major University-wide academic priorities for public comment today. Projects created under the initiatives will cost the University "several hundred million dollars," Rodin said. But she would not release any specifics on the proposals' financing. The report, published in today's Almanac, stresses the development of cross-school, multi-disciplinary programs. "Many [of the priorities] identify and diagnose areas where we need to build the University," Rodin said. Genetic, biology and biomedical research, along with programs addressing health policy and health care management issues, are among the top priorities. The construction of the Institute of Advanced Science and Technology on 34th Street will help in improving scientific research on campus, according to the proposal. The report states that the University needs to improve its programs in politics, history, law and other government-related studies. The proposal calls for the creation of a center that will specifically focus on the humanities. The center will probably hold conferences and bring in guest faculty to teach at the University for a semester or a year, Chodorow said. Improvements in academics and research will lead to a greater University role in the community, according to the report, which emphasizes the importance of urban design and public service issues. The last priority discussed in the proposal stresses the University's need to improve the campus's use of technology. Though some money will be raised specifically for the programs established by the proposals, University and individual school-based funds will also be redirected to provide additional financing. The University's success in each priority will be measured in different ways, Chodorow said. The health sciences and technology priorities are likely to be considered successful if research grants increase, while other areas may be measured by academic program reviews, Chodorow added. "We will also be able to measure activity -- conferences held, grants, courses taught, graduate student quality and numbers, faculty recruitments and retentions and so on -- for all of the areas," he explained. University administrators will release more specific timelines and goals for each priority sometime this fall, along with a condensed version of the strategic plans of the individual 16 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, Rodin said. Architecture Professor David Leatherbarrow, a member of the Academic Planning and Budget Committee, said the new priorities do not suggest that cross-disciplinary programs will replace the core curriculum. "There has to be work done on the basic disciplines and the fundamentals of the arts and sciences," Leatherbarrow said. But Law Professor Michael Fitts said the existing multi-disciplinary programs have influenced administrators in their strategic planning. "I think it's that success that's led the University to build on them," Fitts said. The six academic priorities form yet another piece of the administration's Agenda for Excellence, a five-year strategic plan released last fall. Rodin noted that future academic changes are not limited by the initiatives released today. Students, faculty and members of the University community have until October 4 to comment on the proposal. Wharton senior and Academic Planning and Budget Committee member Ben Nelson emphasized the need for student comment on the document. "It's important to look at the six topics and to ask if something is drastically missing," Nelson said. Rodin and Chodorow plan to present the Agenda for Excellence to the University's Board of Trustees in mid-October.
(09/19/96 9:00am)
A mediation system established by the newly adopted student judicial charter will now hear most disciplinary cases, according to its coordinator, Lyn Davis. The University Mediation Program has already handled two cases since the charter took effect July 1, she added. "[The judicial charter] explicitly makes mediation the preferred course whenever it's practical and appropriate," Office of Student Conduct Director Michele Goldfarb said. Provost Stanley Chodorow said the University hopes to build a "good program with trained and experienced mediators." In mediation, the two parties involved in a disciplinary matter meet with a disinterested University representative to resolve their problem informally. If mediation does not lead to a solution, parties may file an official complaint asking the Office of Student Conduct to handle the case in a formal setting. No information divulged during a mediation session can be used to prosecute a student in a disciplinary hearing, under the charter. "The only thing that the Office of Student Conduct will know about cases sent to mediation is whether it was successful," Davis said. Although there was no official mediation structure last year, the student conduct office processed 10 cases through mediation, Goldfarb said. She added that she hopes to refer most cases and complaints to the mediation program, with the exception of alleged violations of the Code of Academic Integrity. Under the new judicial charter, academic integrity cases cannot be resolved through mediation. The Office of Student Conduct handles about 150 to 200 cases a year, of which approximately 25 percent deal with academic integrity issues, Goldfarb said. "Students should expect in matters that involve disputes or conflicts among themselves, that if they bring up a matter to this office not to be surprised when mediation is broached," Goldfarb said. Davis said the program has identified 20 students, faculty and staff as trained mediators. But program officials are looking to train more mediators. In the next six weeks, Goldfarb plans to hold a training session for 24 people, who have not yet been selected. There will be a team of two mediators for each dispute the program handles, Goldfarb said. "Our theory is that because we have a very diverse campus, we want these teams to reflect that," Davis said. If a situation involves students, the University Mediation Program will attempt to use student mediators whenever possible, Davis added. More than 150 universities and colleges across the country use mediation as part of their student disciplinary systems. The mediation program does not have its own office space yet, but Goldfarb said the program is in the process of obtaining space and phone lines.
(09/18/96 9:00am)
The University saved approximately $11 million in fiscal year 1996, thanks to new energy-saving technologies and a change in purchasing policies for goods and services, according to University President Judith Rodin. That sum is the first step in Penn's strategic effort to reduce administrative costs by $50 million over the next five years, as outlined in the Agenda for Excellence drafted by Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow last year. Rodin said she thinks the University should easily be able to fulfill the $50 million goal, which she deemed conservative. The funds are being reinvested into the capital budget, supporting various University projects and programs, she added. "We have to make the money because we've already accounted to spend it out over the next five years," Rodin said. She called previous purchasing methods inefficient, because they allowed employees to buy whatever they needed from any manufacturer. "By bringing our buying power together and leveraging it, millions and millions of dollars can be saved," Rodin said. The University spends $640 million on goods and services each year, according to Executive Vice President John Fry. Through negotiations with local suppliers of goods and services, the University hopes to save $15 million over the next five years, Vice President for Finance Stephen Golding told University Trustees at the Budget and Finance Committee meeting last Friday. "We are moving away from a transaction processing goal to one where we are negotiating with vendors and we are managing vendors in terms of how they interact with the University," Golding told the Trustees. There are also plans to make purchasing forms available over the World Wide Web for University employees, Golding added. A December 1995 Coopers and Lybrand report identified areas of opportunity that had savings potential and included purchasing and technology in its analysis. According to last year's report, travel services have a $24 million annual budget and a savings potential of $1.2 million. Publication services also have a large savings potential -- $3 million of its $13 million budget. Temporary employment, office equipment and copier paper have a combined savings potential of $1.5 million of their $11.3 million budget, the report said. During the meeting, the Trustees also passed a resolution to move forward with the Lighting Energy Reduction Program. The initiative calls for the installation of energy-saving light fixtures and ballast in all interior campus lights. Although the program will have an estimated cost of $7.5 million dollars, it is expected to yield an annual energy savings of $3.5 million. "Technology has just presented such great opportunities to save money on energy," Rodin said. The University spends approximately $35 million on energy annually, according to Vice President of Facilities Management Art Gravina. By the year 2001, the University should save about $42 million in reduced facilities costs, Gravina said.
(09/18/96 9:00am)
The University saved approximately $11 million in fiscal year 1996, thanks to new energy-saving technologies and a change in purchasing policies for goods and services, according to University President Judith Rodin. That sum is the first step in Penn's strategic effort to reduce administrative costs by $50 million over the next five years, as outlined in the Agenda for Excellence drafted by Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow last year. Rodin said she thinks the University should easily be able to fulfill the $50 million goal, which she deemed conservative. The funds are being reinvested into the capital budget, supporting various University projects and programs, she added. "We have to make the money because we've already accounted to spend it out over the next five years," Rodin said. She called previous purchasing methods inefficient, because they allowed employees to buy whatever they needed from any manufacturer. "By bringing our buying power together and leveraging it, millions and millions of dollars can be saved," Rodin said. The University spends $640 million on goods and services each year, according to Executive Vice President John Fry. Through negotiations with local suppliers of goods and services, the University hopes to save $15 million over the next five years, Vice President for Finance Stephen Golding told University Trustees at the Budget and Finance Committee meeting last Friday. "We are moving away from a transaction processing goal to one where we are negotiating with vendors and we are managing vendors in terms of how they interact with the University," Golding told the Trustees. There are also plans to make purchasing forms available over the World Wide Web for University employees, Golding added. A December 1995 Coopers and Lybrand report identified areas of opportunity that had savings potential and included purchasing and technology in its analysis. According to last year's report, travel services have a $24 million annual budget and a savings potential of $1.2 million. Publication services also have a large savings potential -- $3 million of its $13 million budget. Temporary employment, office equipment and copier paper have a combined savings potential of $1.5 million of their $11.3 million budget, the report said. During the meeting, the Trustees also passed a resolution to move forward with the Lighting Energy Reduction Program. The initiative calls for the installation of energy-saving light fixtures and ballast in all interior campus lights. Although the program will have an estimated cost of $7.5 million dollars, it is expected to yield an annual energy savings of $3.5 million. "Technology has just presented such great opportunities to save money on energy," Rodin said. The University spends approximately $35 million on energy annually, according to Vice President of Facilities Management Art Gravina. By the year 2001, the University should save about $42 million in reduced facilities costs, Gravina said.
(09/17/96 9:00am)
Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell announced yesterday that Genovo, a gene therapy company co-founded by a University professor, will establish its headquarters in West Philadelphia. The company will locate its headquarters at 3025 Walnut Street in the Hojoka building, which Genovo purchased from the University. "Genovo is the first new venture that recognizes the potential of being here in West Philadelphia," Rendell said at a press conference yesterday. Genovo -- co-founded by CEO Marian Grossman and Molecular and Cellular Engineering Professor James Wilson in 1992 -- bought the building for $1.45 million. The purchase also included a $450,000 credit to the University for deferred maintenance, according to Executive Vice President John Fry. The University originally bought the building for $1.9 million in 1988, Fry added. Genovo has priority on commercializing any gene therapy discoveries at the University's Institute for Human Gene Therapy, which Wilson directs, according to Grossman. Rodin, who spoke at the press conference, said she hopes Genovo will be the first of many technology-related firms to locate themselves in West Philadelphia. Although the company currently consists of five employees, it plans to expand, creating 180 jobs in the next three years. "We think that there will be a wonderful fallout in generation of jobs and economic activity from this small company," University Board of Trustees Chairperson Roy Vagelos said at the press conference. The company also hopes to provide opportunities for undergraduates and graduates to work on gene therapy research, Wilson said. According to Grossman, Genovo plans to spend $8 million renovating the Hojoka building, adding laboratories and a pilot manufacturing facility. The first phase of the renovations, involving remodeled office space, is expected to be completed by June 1997. "When [the renovations] are complete, [the building] is going to house a company that really will be the world's leader in gene therapy treatment," Grossman said. Eventually, Genovo hopes to build a full production factory in the Philadelphia area, Grossman said. The University had no plans for the Hojoka building, which had been vacant for several years, Fry said. The sale to Genovo, which was considering moving to suburban Philadelphia, was finalized last month after six months of negotiations, he added. "We were able to craft a deal that kept them here," Fry said. If Genovo decides to sell the building, the University can veto the sale, Fry added. Last year, Genovo finalized its first corporate partnership with Biogen, a pharmaceutical company that will pay out $35 million over five years. Genovo focuses on marketing new technologies for virus-based gene delivery systems for the treatment of diseases like cystic fibrosis.
(09/17/96 9:00am)
$5 million earmarked for recruitment and retention of minority faculty and students University President Judith Rodin released several financial initiatives yesterday aimed at increasing the number of minority faculty and students at the University and to make Penn a more attractive place for minorities. "Minority permanence is an institutional goal in the overall Agenda for Excellence," Rodin said, referring to the five-year plan released last fall that first made minority permanence a strategic goal. Under Rodin's new proposals, the University will earmark $5 million for the recruitment and retention of under-represented minority faculty and students. Every dollar given to an individual school within the University must be matched by that school, bringing the University's overall financial contribution toward the plan up to $10 million. Rodin is not designating any specific programs to utilize those funds at this time, she said. Faculty and student groups will need to apply to Provost Stanley Chodorow to receive money. In addition, the University will undertake a $20 million fund raising effort in the next five years to establish an endowment that will provide long-term funding for recruitment, retention and minority programs. The plan also calls for a search for $250,000 from foundations to fund faculty and student research on the benefits of a diverse educational setting. Rodin said she will appoint a standing faculty member to serve as a special advisor on minority issues. The new advisor will be chosen by next month, Rodin said. "If we are really serious about saying we're training the leaders of the future, we want a community on campus that represents the diverse society that we think these current students are going to be leading, otherwise what are we doing," she said. The new plans do not set any quotas for future minority hirings within the University. "The University doesn't have any quotas. Quotas are imposed upon you," said Affirmative Action Director Anita Jenious. "The University imposes goals upon itself." Jenious said the University needs to clarify its goals regarding minority permanence. "It needs to be made clear from the top that Penn is a place where diversity of ideas is valued," she said. Although these initiatives are meant for all minorities, they specifically target blacks and Hispanics, who are considered under-represented minorities at the University, Rodin said. "We need to redouble our special outreach in [those ethnic groups] to make sure that we don't slip," Rodin said. Minorities account for 33 percent of this year's freshman class, according to statistics compiled in May. Rodin this year's class has fewer representatives of under-represented groups than last year's did. Rodin said the new financial commitment should lead to programs that encourage more minorities to pursue jobs in higher education, thereby eventually increasing the number of minority faculty. "No institution is going to gain if all we do in America is steal the same 10 superstars from one another every five years," Rodin explained. "We need to be creative." One possible way of increasing minority faculty on campus involves the development of a program that would help post-doctoral students in making a direct transition into faculty positions.
(09/16/96 9:00am)
Has served as interim SAS dean twice, deputy provost once Physics Professor Walter Wales begins his tenure as interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences today. Wales has served as interim dean twice before -- in 1987 and in the summer of 1991. Wales replaces former SAS Dean Rosemary Stevens, who resigned from the position two weeks ago. Stevens stepped down to work on a 25th anniversary edition of her book, American Medicine and the Public Interest. University President Judith Rodin announced Wales' appointment at a meeting of the University trustees Friday. Wales was the University's deputy provost from 1992 to 1995. He was on sabbatical for the 1996 spring semester. But Wales is not likely to be considered for the permanent position of SAS dean, according to Provost Stanley Chodorow. "I didn't think it was wise to put somebody in who would be a candidate because it complicates the search," Chodorow explained. A committee will be formed by the end of this month to search for a new dean. Rodin said she hopes to have a permanent dean in place by the start of the 1997-1998 school year. During his tenure, Wales said he hopes to keep the school in forward motion. "Anyone who is acting dean for a period as long as a year has to make sure the school continues to move ahead," Wales said. In 1987, Wales was appointed interim dean as SAS moved from the Michael Aiken administration to the Hugo Sonnenschein administration. He also served as interim dean after Sonnenschein resigned and before Stevens took the position in 1991. Chodorow said Wales is an excellent choice because of his previous experience, both as deputy provost and with SAS. "He knows the school intimately," Chodorow said. Wales was supposed to teach two classes this semester, Physics 1 and Physics 30, but will only teach Physics 30 after his term gets underway. Another Physics professor will teach Physics 1.
(09/16/96 9:00am)
The University Board of Trustees' Executive Committee approved $12 million for the purchase of the University City Sheraton Hotel at a meeting Friday. The committee also approved borrowing $15 million from CoreStates Bank to finance the purchase. According to University Treasurer Scott Lederman, Penn plans to spend $1.5 million to renovate the property, primarily the parking lot structure. The Trustees' Budget and Finance Committee also met Friday to discuss the University's financial status. The total debt of the University stands at $935 million for fiscal year 1996. The bulk of that debt, $653 million, is shouldered by the Health System. The University endowment's market value increased by 22 percent. The endowment now totals $2.047 billion. "This is over the market value last year at this time," Vice President for Finance Steve Golding said. But the amount of gifts earmarked for the endowment decreased by 8 percent, equaling only $42 million. The University's capital budget is $308 million, including $115 million in actual spending over the past year. The School of Arts and Sciences continues to operate in the red, ending the year with a $1.9 million deficit. But the school did resolve $2 million of its original $4 million deficit. The Annenberg Center also had an operating deficit of $275,000, due to a sales income shortfall. And the Athletic Department ended the fiscal year with a deficit of $225,000 because of a decrease in gifts, sales and services revenue. According to the financial report, all other schools and centers broke even for the year. But the graduate and professional schools did have a $4.2 million shortfall in its expected tuition revenue in FY 1996. Golding attributed it to the 4.2 percent decline in overall graduate enrollment. As a result of the decreased enrollment, the University saved $1.6 million in graduate financial aid, Golding said.
(09/13/96 9:00am)
University President Judith Rodin will ask the Board of Trustees' Executive Committee to rename the Asbury Methodist Church after the late cartoonist and University alumnus Charles Addams at a meeting today. The University is in the process of renovating the church, located on Chestnut Street between 33rd and 34th streets, using funds given to the University by Lady Colyton, Addams' former wife. Upon completion, the building will provide studio, classroom and gallery space for undergraduate and graduate art students. Addams, the creator of the famous television family, received his bachelor's degree from the University in 1934. According to legend, he modeled the Addams Family mansion after College Hall. The Trustees' Executive Committee is also expected to act on a resolution allowing the University to borrow funds to purchase the Sheraton University City Hotel at 36th and Chestnut streets. In addition, the Trustees are scheduled to address the sale of 440 North 32nd Street at Friday's meeting. The committee is also expected to approve plans to renovate the Elementary Particle and Astrophysics Laboratories in David Rittenhouse Laboratories. Additionally, a resolution authorizing the lease of a helicopter to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is expected to pass. The Trustees are also expected to pass a resolution that guarantees workers' compensation for employees who work for subsidiaries of the University. During today's meeting, Rodin will brief the Trustees on campus news from this summer. Executive Vice President John Fry and Medical Center Chief Executive Officer William Kelley will present financial and health system reports to the trustees. And Provost Stanley Chodorow will brief the trustees before asking for approval of several faculty appointments and promotions. The committee will also consider several non-academic appointments, including the election of Judith Berkowitz to the Board of Directors of Franklin Physician Services, Inc. Franklin Physician Services is part of the University's health system and offers practice management services to area physicians. Melvyn Cantor and Jeanne Olivier will join the Law School's Board of Overseers. Bernard Poussot will be added to the School of Dental Medicine's Board of Overseers, and Robert Essner will be appointed to the Board of Overseers for the Nursing School. The Committee is expected to appoint Edward Anderson to the Athletics Advisory Board. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at 2:30 p.m. in the Club Room of the Faculty Club. The Budget and Finance Committee of the Trustees is also convening at 11 a.m. today in the Club Room of the Faculty Club to discuss the purchase of the Sheraton and the sale of 440 North 32nd Street.
(09/12/96 9:00am)
But Urology Professor Alan Wein is University's highest-paid employee, making $979,000 in 1994-95 During her first year in office, University President Judith Rodin earned $350,000 in salary, according to federal income tax information. Rodin also received $25,980 in benefits and more than $23,000 for expenses during fiscal year 1994-1995. The salary is considered competitive for medium-sized research universities, Rodin said. "It is certainly fair to say the chief executive officers of corporations of our size, and with comparable responsibility, are compensated at a much more substantial rate," she explained. However, other Ivy League institutions pay their presidents less than Penn does. Harvard University President Neil Rudenstine only received $251,300 in salary for the 1994-1995 fiscal year. In a more comparable range, Columbia University paid its president, George Rupp, $317,187 in salary in the 1994-1995 fiscal year. And Yale University President Richard Levin earned $316,953 in salary during the same period. Salaries for presidents from the remaining Ivy League schools were unavailable at press time. Penn paid Interim President Claire Fagin a $315,000 salary and $31,719 in benefits during her one-year tenure. In the 1993-1994 fiscal year, Fagin was the highest-paid president in the Ivy League. Former University President Sheldon Hackney earned $676,574 including a bonus and benefits in the 1992-1993 fiscal year. Last spring, Rep. John Lawless (R-Montgomery) criticized Rodin for her high salary at a State Appropriations Committee hearing. Lawless expressed discontent with the amount of money going to administrative costs as opposed to teaching and research. Rodin said Lawless was the only legislator who questioned her salary during those committee meetings. "Many in Harrisburg have told me they believe it is a fair salary for the head of a $2.2 billion organization located in Pennsylvania," Rodin said. At Penn, the highest-paid employee is almost never the president. Medical School administrators and faculty are teaching physicians associated with the Medical Center, and many earn much more than Rodin. Medical Center Chief Executive Officer and Medical School Dean William Kelley is the highest-paid University administrator, earning $844,670 for fiscal year 1994-1995. And Urology Professor Alan Wein earned $979,000 in the 1994-1995 fiscal year, the highest salary of any University employee. The Board of Trustees determines the president's salary, which does not include living expenses associated with Eisenlohr Hall, the newly renovated 25-room president's home at 3812 Walnut Street. Rodin said her salary is especially appropriate given how much time she puts into the job. Her work day, she added, begins before 8 a.m. and usually lasts 12 to 16 hours. "This position, which I dearly love, is an all-consuming responsibility," she added. Daily Pennsylvanian staff writer Mark Fiore contributed to this report.
