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(01/27/00 10:00am)
Tuesday's massive snowstorm brought with it traffic tie-ups, school cancellations and snowball fights from one end of Philadelphia to the other. But for the officers of the University Police Department, the snow might as well have brought with it just a badge and a gun. The weather, which ravaged the city and much of the East Coast, did little to disrupt the operations of the University Police or any major campus facilities, University Police officials said yesterday. According to University Police Chief Maureen Rush, the weather may have even lent a hand to police during the relatively crime-free day, which saw only one reported theft. "The best cop in the world is snow," Rush said. "We had virtually zero crime and very few incident reports all day long." While classes and most non-essential University offices were closed on Tuesday due to the inclement weather, the police stayed open for business, though some operation procedures had to be changed due to the stormy weather. "Our motorcycles, bicycles and patrol vehicles are grounded," Rush said, referring to conditions on both Tuesday and yesterday. "The only vehicles that we've had out there are our four-wheel-drives." Rush said the bikes, motorcycles and patrol cars would likely be back on the streets today. In addition, she added that more foot patrol officers were on-duty both of the days, making additional rounds of campus buildings to check on the die-hard University employees and students who chose to spend their day off hard at work. And while most University employees spent their Tuesday far away from Penn's campus, Rush said police attendance was indeed the exception to the rule. "We had 100 percent attendance. People got in and all our shifts were fully staffed," she said. "We did have to put some specific staff members up in the Sheraton -- specifically, our PennComm dispatch personnel -- to make sure that all of our essential people would be in place [on Wednesday]." Rush added that the most significant snow-related dilemma wasn't caused by Mother Nature. "The biggest problem we actually had was congestion over the phone lines," she said, referring to the swarm of calls Public Safety received regarding the possibility of a second day of class cancellations.
(01/25/00 10:00am)
Students working into the wee hours to prepare for that big project or impossible midterm will now have to do so with their PennCards displayed right alongside their textbooks and study guides. New rules, announced in a memo to all students, faculty and staff by Vice President for Public Safety Thomas Seamon, broaden a policy enacted a year ago that called for students and staff to display their PennCards while working at night in eight specific University buildings. Effective this week, people affiliated with the University will have to display their cards while inside all campus buildings between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. According to the memo, this first week under the new policy will be considered an "informational period," with full enforcement beginning on February 1. And while the new policy will affect students and staff members in a much wider range of campus surroundings, several notable allowances will still be made. "There will be some obvious exceptions, such as students and faculty residents in residential buildings and those actively participating in activities in athletic buildings," Seamon wrote in the memo. Broadening the policy, officials say, was the initial intent of the security staff when the rules were first introduced. According to Penn Director of Security Services Stratis Skoufalos, this second step has been in discussion since the initial policy went into effect last year. "We felt that it made good security sense -- good safety sense -- to have folks display their cards at all times," he said. The initial late-night PennCard policy was put into place in last January, two months after a late-night knife attack on a female undergraduate student in the basement of Steinberg-Dietrich Hall. At first, the requirements affected only the Blauhaus, Meyerson Hall, Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, the School of Veterinary Medicine, the McNeil Building, the Moore Building, the Towne Building and Logan Hall. Skoufalos added that the extension of the PennCard policy is not indicative of problems with the previous rules. "[The previous policy was] absolutely effective -- by our reports and by reports of citizens using these buildings," he said. "People just felt safer once the new policy came into effect." The initial reactions of student leaders have been positive. "From my experience, I think that the policy has done more than expected," Undergraduate Assembly Secretary and College senior Megan Davidson said. "It's made our buildings safer, and it's increased relationships between the [Division of Public Safety] and the students and faculty.
(01/24/00 10:00am)
A female Ware College House resident was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania early Saturday morning due to an alcohol-related illness after police found her unconscious in a Quadrangle bathroom, sources said. Police and paramedics responded to the scene following a call by a member of the Ware College House staff at around 3 a.m. The student was treated and released several hours later. Sources said the student had consumed an "excessive" amount of alcohol. The incident marks the first reported alcohol-related illness of the semester. Last fall, nine students were rushed to HUP in individual incidents of excessive alcohol consumption. Last semester, Penn administrators released a revised parental notification policy calling for parents of students who have had previous and significant drug or alcohol violations to be notified by the University. Under the policy, the University will also have the option of notifying parents of students whose alcohol-related misconduct leads to personal injury, property damage or expulsion from their college house.
(01/21/00 10:00am)
This is the second trial for a high-tech scanner in the dormitory. Students living in Hamilton College House are going to have the opportunity to go "back to the future" once again in just a few weeks. That's when a new geometric hand portal system will become operational for access to the 800-plus-resident facility formerly known as High Rise North. The new unit -- called RAPOR, for "Rapid Access Portal" -- replaces a previous biometric hand scanner which was operational for an eight-month trial period that ended last September. Housing officials said that while they hope the majority of Hamilton residents will make use of the new device, Spectaguards will still be available to scan PennCards. According to Housing Services Marketing Coordinator Lynn Rotoli, the scanner is being installed to test the possibility of using the new technology to provide additional safety to residence entrances. "[Housing Services] is researching the system for Public Safety so we can see if it's a feasible means of entrance to our residences," Rotoli said. "We're really looking into the best means of safety at all our residences." Unlike the previous system -- which featured an enclosed chamber large enough to accommodate only one resident -- the new portal will rely on a totally different design to admit building residents. "The first portal was a two-door vestibule-type enclosure that used the card reader to unlock the first door and the hand geometry reader to unlock the second door," said Stratis Skoufalos, Penn's director of security services. "The RAPOR is quite different in that (a) the two readers will be located in proximity to one another and (b) the doors are open, and remain so, for valid access requests," he wrote in an e-mail yesterday. In addition, funding for the first run of the RAPOR will come from the machine's builder, who is providing the device to the University on a trial basis, Skoufalos said. With a projected ribbon-cutting date of February 10, Hamilton residents will soon be asked to register to use the new device, which establishes identification by measuring the size of an individual's hand, rather than reading their handprint. No time period has yet been established for the length of the RAPOR trial period, Rotoli said, adding that officials would like to collect as much feedback as possible before deciding the ultimate fate of hand portals on the Penn campus. "We're going to try to enroll as many people as we can," Rotoli said. "We'd like to produce some real data and suggestions by the end of the term." Hamilton's first hand portal system was plagued by technical glitches and complaints by residents who often griped that the system did not work. Safety and housing officials are confident that such problems will be avoided with the introduction of the RAPOR. "The feedback we received regarding the first prototype included the perception by some that it was too enclosed [or] too confining," Skoufalos said. "We believe that the RAPOR provides the opposite -- an open, more user-friendly system that provides a high level of security."
(01/20/00 10:00am)
Public Safety is running a 12-week program to teach about law enforcement. Nineteen members of the University City community spent the better part of last night in a back room at the Penn police station. And not one of them went in wearing handcuffs. They were there, in fact, not on charges of theft, burglary or assault, but for the first session of the Penn Public Safety Institute, a 12-week program organized by the Division of Public Safety to give members of the local community an extra glimpse into the work of the Penn Police Department and its associated divisions. "The institute will hopefully give people a better idea of what it is that the Division of Public Safety provides for this University and for the West Philadelphia community," said University Police Chief Maureen Rush, who served as a host and presenter during the evening's program. Every Wednesday night for the next 11 weeks, the participants -- five Penn students, six University staff members and eight West Philadelphia residents -- will spend an evening at the police station meeting officers and learning about topics such as security services, crime scenes, victim support and other law enforcement-related subjects. And while much of that learning will take place in a classroom-style environment, the participants will have several opportunities to get hands-on experience as they engage in some authentic police training exercises. Among the planned activities are a session in a computerized firearms simulator and a series of special one-hour "ride-alongs," during which the participants will accompany a University police officer throughout his or her patrol of the campus community. According to Rush, the main intent of the program -- which is slated to run every fall and spring semester -- is to reinforce the bonds between the police department and the community that it serves. "The general idea was to have representatives from students, faculty and staff, as well as the West Philadelphia community," she said. "It's terrific to have this kind of community involvement because we really want our neighbors in West Philadelphia to see us as an ally." For the first session, Rush and a team of police and community officials gave the group a general overview of the Division of Public Safety and the measures taken by Penn and other community organizations to make University City a more liveable community. Future sessions will delve into more specified subjects, as the group gears up for their official "graduation" on April 12. Initial response to the program was very strong. Most members of the group were enthusiastic about what they will be learning over the next 11 weeks. "I thought it went very well, and it should be a very interesting session," Wharton senior Kevin Hodges said. "There's been a lot of information given out and I learned a lot of new things. It's going to be a good group." "To me, the police [department] is really an alien world and I just wanted to understand things better," Powelton Village resident Mark Humphries said. "I like how they touch on all sorts of different topics, like fire safety, harassment, sexual assaults, the firearms simulation. It's a wide variety of stuff and I think it's a great general law course." The most positive response, though, may have come from the course's presenters. "I was extremely pleased. It was clear to me that [the participants] were enjoying the program, and numerous people have been telling me how excited they are already," Rush said. "The informal interaction and passing of information has already occurred."
(01/17/00 10:00am)
As they return to Philadelphia this week, Penn students and faculty have a lot more to celebrate than just a new year. Campus-wide crime over winter break decreased substantially this year compared to the same period in 1999, falling 21 percent to a total of just 58 crimes reported between December 20 and January 13, according to University Police. This figure represents a six-year low for the neighborhood within the jurisdiction of University Police, which spans the area between Market Street and Baltimore Avenue and between the Schuylkill River and 43rd Street. Last year, 73 crimes were reported over a comparable period and in 1998, University Police responded to 62 calls. The highest report rate over the last six years came in 1995, when the campus was struck with 95 reported incidents, according to police. The drop in crime occurred even with the extended winter break, which added approximately four days to the comparison period for potential crime to occur. According to University Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Tom King, the dramatic fall in crime may be attributed to an enhanced presence of the police on campus. "[University Police] Chief [Maureen] Rush was really adamant about proactive checks and increased visibility by patrolmen and Spectaguards on campus," King said. Forty-six of the 58 incidents were thefts, while six were burglaries and four were robberies. Only two other crimes -- one arrest for gun possession and one simple assault -- were logged during the time period. In the lone report of assault, a male University student reported being struck in the head and slightly wounded by another male student at his home on 42nd Street during an argument on December 24 regarding the volume of a stereo. No arrest was made at the scene, and no charges were filed. Of the reported robberies, only one involved a gun. A juvenile male with no affiliation to the University reported being assaulted and robbed on January 2 by a black male in his 20s with a heavy build at the intersection of 42nd and Spruce streets. The alleged assailant displayed the handle of a gun to the victim, who then handed over approximately $20 in cash. The assailant fled in a black four-by-four vehicle with Pennsylvania license plates. University Police apprehended a suspect in relation to a robbery which occurred on the 400 block of South 43rd Street on New Year's Day. According to reports filed by the victim -- a male former University student -- the assailant grabbed him and attempted to wrestle him to the ground. After spraying the assailant in the face with pepper spray, the suspect fled along with another individual. In response to the victim's description of the assailant, University Police conducted random checks of potential suspects and arrested Cieve Cove, an 18-year-old man unaffiliated with the University. Police later determined that Cove had been in possession of and had disposed of 60 packets containing a white substance which officials later classified as a narcotic. Police are also investigating an attempted robbery of a female University student, who was attacked by a 5' 9", 160-pound black man at the intersection of 40th and Woodland streets on December 21. The victim was approached with a knife, and after a brief struggle, the assailant fled. The student was unharmed. And University Police responded to a break-in at the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity house at 3539 Locust Walk which occurred sometime between December 23 and December 27. Seven rooms were entered, though police are still unsure of the mode of entry and the extent of the missing items, since most of the residents were already away for winter break.
(12/07/99 10:00am)
Lawrence Sherman, director of Penn's Fels Center of Government, was elected Sunday as president of the International Society of Criminology, one of the top professional organizations in the field. Sherman, also a professor of Sociology, arrived to lead the Fels Center earlier this year after a distinguished teaching and research career at the University of Maryland. He will now embark upon a five-year term as leader of the international association of research criminologists. He said yesterday the election represents both a tremendous honor and an added responsibility. "I'm greatly honored at being chosen," said Sherman, who recently organized an on-campus forum on crime prevention with U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. "But I feel a strong sense of responsibility for dealing with the many challenges that the world of criminology faces." The International Society of Criminology is a 61-year old association determined -- in the words of Sherman -- to "increase the discovery and communication of the causes of crime, as well as the ways we can fight it in the future." Sherman was also influential in persuading the association to hold its 2005 World Congress of Criminology in Philadelphia. The conference will be the organization's first in the United States in its history. "[Having the Congress in the U.S.] will be an opportunity for practitioners in the U.S. to learn from scientists and other practitioners from throughout the world," Sherman said. "In the great tradition of our founder, Ben Franklin, it's going to be like bringing research together with practice." Of the 13 criminologists elected to positions on the criminology society's board, Sherman is the only American. The remainder hail mainly from Europe, Asia and South America. University officials were quick to praise Sherman opon hearing news of his election. "We were thrilled to hear that he has taken this prestigious position," said Elaine Wilner, a spokesperson for the School of Arts and Sciences. "He's obviously one of the top people in the field right now." University spokesperson Ken Wildes was equally enthusiastic. "Many of our faculty are world-class and leaders in their fields," he said. "I think this is a credit to the University and a credit to the School of Arts and Sciences." Sherman came to the University this summer after a six-month search for a Fels director. Currently he serves as an advisor to Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney.
(12/07/99 10:00am)
Michael Ryan was given a $500,000 grant to use for the library's Schoenberg Center. Two Penn faculty members have won prestigious grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Washington-based funding agency announced last week. Michael Ryan, the director of special collections at Van Pelt Library, and Mark Adams, the graduate chair of the History and Sociology of Science Department, will receive a collective $530,000 to further initiatives highlighted by a panel of experts for their "significance, originality and general excellence," according to NEH spokesperson Jim Turner. The bulk of the money -- a $500,000 "Challenge Grant" -- is being awarded to Ryan for use in renovations, staff development and technology acquisitions for the library's Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text and Image. According to Ryan, the center is one of the world's largest academic entities "specializing in replicating old texts and manuscripts online." The main stipulation of the "Challenge Grant," however, is that the University raise an additional $2 million for the project to supplement the NEH funds. Ryan said he is confident that Penn will have no problem acquiring the needed money. "Now it goes to the development office and they'll work to develop suitable donors," he said. "We have four years to do this and I'm absolutely confident that we will." Adams will receive a $30,000 research fellowship to fund a study entitled "Nature and Nurture in the U.S.S.R.: The Science and Politics of Human Heredity on 20th-Century Russia." Each funding proposal was reviewed by a committee of leading scholars and evaluated according to "originality, and which ones are most likely to make a contribution to the field of humanities," Turner said. The grants awarded to Penn represent only two of the 259 NEH grants totaling $17.2 million that were announced last week. They are being awarded to museums, libraries and universities nationwide primarily to "help keep our cultural institutions strong and creative," according to a statement released by NEH chairperson William Ferris. The National Endowment of Humanities is a federal agency which uses tax dollars to fund humanities-related programs throughout the nation. NEH grants typically help researchers such as Ryan and Adams raise funds from independent groups by substantiating the researchers and their methods. "The grants are almost like a seal of Good Housekeeping," Turner said. "They're an important way by which federal money leverages private money." These two awards are not the first Penn has received from the NEH. The last were awarded in April, when the University was the recipient of four grants, totaling just under $1 million. Ryan said he was thrilled about the award, which represents both an important partnership with the NEH as well as a tremendous honor for his department. "We're really the first institution to work with the NEH to interface between technology and the humanities," he said. "We tried last year and didn't get it. This time we did very, very well."
(11/19/99 10:00am)
The attorney general called on local business leaders to hep combat urban ills. Calling on local business leaders to "make an investment in the most precious resource we have, our communities," U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno addressed a large crowd at the Inn at Penn yesterday morning during a symposium entitled "Corporate-Community Coalitions for Public Safety: The role of business in building and sustaining safe communities." Organized by Penn's Fels Center of Government and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, the symposium drew local business and civic leaders -- along with some top University officials -- together for a discussion on fighting crime in urban neighborhoods. More than 200 business executives -- including PNC Bank President Richard Smoot and Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce President Charles Pizzi -- participated in the event. The conference was also attended by about 50 students, both Fels graduate students and Penn undergraduates. "The strength of America lies in its people, and we have got to reinvest in them," said Reno, who has served a stormy seven-year tenure at the Justice Department. "We cannot become complacent for there is still too much violence in this land." Reno, who has appeared on campus twice before, was the symposium's keynote speaker. Other area leaders -- including Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney, U.S. Attorney Michael Stiles and University President Judith Rodin -- joined the attorney general in praising local programs that have successfully cut crime. Mayor-elect John Street also appeared briefly, though he did not speak. Penn was commended numerous times by the panelists for its efforts to develop relationships with West Philadelphia neighborhoods. "Public safety is the public's business," Rodin said as she talked about the University's work in West Philadelphia. "We're working closely with our community partners and we are committed to making even greater strides on these fronts." During her brief speech, Rodin talked about the University's efforts to create a pre-K-8 public school, the development of the University City District and various other Penn initiatives in its surrounding community. And Reno praised the University and Philadelphia for their work in neighborhoods across the city "If we build on our success, if we build on the examples I've seen here in Philadelphia, we can truly make a difference," Reno added. "I am determined to build on these successes and do whatever necessary to bring the spirit of Philadelphia to every community in the nation." Fels Center Director Lawrence Sherman moderated the approximately two-hour discussion. "I was delighted with all of the good ideas and enthusiasm that surfaced today," said Sherman, a noted criminologist who also serves as a senior adviser to Timoney. He added that "maybe the most important part of today was to see Mayor-elect Street here. For him to endorse this effort is obviously key. " Street, who has repeatedly stressed that one of his key concerns as mayor will be neighborhood development, did not participate in the formal discussion yesterday. But after the event he voiced his support for Philadelphia's many community initiatives. "We're always proud when people around the country recognize our great work here in this city," said Street, who will take office in January. "But we also know that we can never be fully satisfied. We have to keep working so we don't fall behind." Students responded positively to the symposium, saying they learned about community development at Penn and across Philadelphia. "It was really good to see Janet Reno here, but I think the best part of the session was getting an overview of what Penn is doing in the neighborhood," Wharton sophomore Scott Wilson said. "I think it was very interesting," added Neal Rosenberg, also a Wharton sophomore. "The whole discussion provided a sound basis with which we can begin to rebuild our cities."
(11/18/99 10:00am)
The cabinet member and the candidate will speak at separate events. U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno and real estate tycoon and presidential hopeful Donald Trump will speak at the University today in two separate addresses, both geared toward politics. Reno will deliver the 10 a.m. keynote speech at a Fels Center of Government symposium on how government, business and community institutions can partner to fight urban crime. The conference, to be held at the Inn at Penn, will be attended by Fels Center graduate students and about 50 Penn undergraduate winners of a special online ticket lottery. Trump, who recently announced plans to run for the Reform Party's presidential nomination, will appear at Irvine Auditorium today at 4 p.m. for a televised interview on Hardball, the CNBC political talk show hosted by Chris Matthews. The show will air later this evening on CNBC and MSNBC. Engineering junior Theo LeCompte, co-chairperson of the Tangible Change Committee and an organizer of the Trump event, said both speakers should give students a rare chance to see noted public figures in person. "If you watch politics on TV, it feels very distant," LeCompte said. "If you have a chance to see them in person and ask questions, students feel connected." In addition to speaking, Reno will join a panel of noted officials including outgoing Mayor Ed Rendell, Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney and University President Judith Rodin. According to Fels Center Director Lawrence Sherman, a Sociology professor and noted criminologist, Reno's participation in the conference brings national recognition to the efforts of Penn and other Philadelphia institutions in fighting crime. "Reno brings tremendous visibility. [Her presence] helps to put this on the agenda," Sherman said. "Even though violence is on everybody's minds, working together to fight it is not." LeCompte said that as of last night, only 50 tickets for the Trump event remained in the Annenberg Center box office, so organizers expect to fill the 1200-seat venue. An hour before the show, they will hand out approximately 100 more standby tickets to interested students waiting in line. Trump, a 1968 Wharton graduate, will take questions from Matthews and the Penn audience about his plans for the presidency, including his proposal for a one-time 14.25 percent "net-worth" tax on individuals and trusts worth at least $10 million. He announced last week that the additional tax revenue would be used to pay off the national debt, provide a middle class tax cut and keep Social Security afloat. Former Republican operative and longtime CNN commentator Patrick Buchanan recently withdrew from the Republican Party and is likely to also seek the Reform nomination. Trump has the support of Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, the party's highest-ranking elected official. Buchanan is thought to be supported by party founder Ross Perot. Nationally recognized political speakers have been a fixture on campus in recent years. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was brought to campus this semester by Connaissance. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and former President Jimmy Carter were speakers at the last two Commencement ceremonies. And in 1996, President Bill Clinton spoke to a jam-packed, 15,000-person crowd at Hill Field in his second campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination.
(11/08/99 10:00am)
Construction on Levine Hall -- a new building for computer science and technology programs in the School of Engineering and Applied Science -- is slated to begin sometime in mid-May, newly named Engineering Dean Eduardo Glandt announced Friday. The 40,000-square-foot facility, which will cost more than $15 million and stand on a site adjacent to the Graduate Research Wing of the Moore School Building, will be funded primarily through a $5 million donation 1946 Wharton graduate Melvin Levine and his wife Claire made last February. The building is designed to provide much-needed space for expanding computer science programs and is projected to provide a physical and intellectual link between several now-separate Engineering facilities. In its preliminary stages of planning, Levine Hall is slated to break ground in mid-May, so as not to conflict with the University's annual Commencement ceremonies. "We have a footprint," said Glandt, who was named the Engineering School's permanent dean Friday after serving 16 months as its interim head. "We want to accomplish the physical integration of the school -- something which I think brings with it tremendous intellectual value." Once completed, Levine Hall will connect the Towne Building with the GRW, creating a small courtyard between them and the existing Moore Building. "Basically, we have two buildings we want to connect," Glandt said. "It's really something of a miracle. We're going to connect two [architecturally] mismatched structures." Featuring expanded and updated computer facilities, additional space for student activities and a large auditorium -- complete with state-of-the-art electronic and distance-learning equipment -- Levine Hall's construction will also open up additional space for Engineering departments in other buildings, as the Computer Science Department settles into its new home. "Whenever you have a new building, you get a 'musical chairs' phenomenon with all the space movements," Glandt added. "We think several departments will benefit from the additional space." The remainder of the facility's funding is being largely provided by a $10 million grant from the United States Air Force. An anonymous donor has also contributed $225,000, which will be used to construct a "cybercafZ" -- a small cafe with Internet-ready computer terminals -- on the new building's ground flood, Glandt said. Currently, much of the building's space is occupied by a small parking lot. And while Engineering officials remain optimistic about the benefits Levine Hall will bring to the school, Glandt joked that the new facility will bring with it at least one drawback. "For 18 years I was on a waiting list for a parking spot in that lot," he said. "Now I'm dean, and it looks like I'm going to have to find another place to park."
(11/05/99 10:00am)
A Chemical Engineering prof, Glandt had served temporarily since 1998. Sometimes what you're looking for is right beneath your nose. University President Judith Rodin named Eduardo Glandt -- who had been serving in an interim capacity since July 1998 -- as the Engineering School's permanent dean on Friday, capping an exhaustive search process that examined more than 200 possible candidates and spanned more than an entire academic year. "After a very long and appropriate search, we've come to realize that the most appropriate person to lead this school in the future is Eduardo Glandt," Rodin said, addressing a crowd of about 200 students and faculty members outside of the Towne Building Friday afternoon. Glandt was named interim dean following the departure of Gregory Farrington, who left Penn in May 1998 to assume the presidency of Lehigh University. Glandt, a Chemical Engineering professor who received both his master's and doctoral degrees from Penn in the mid-1970s, said that his more than two decades worth of experience at the University will serve him well in his position. "I feel like it's almost cheating -- coming into the deanship and knowing the school so well," Glandt said on Friday. Last November, Rodin and then-Interim Provost Michael Wachter appointed an 11-member search committee, chaired by Operations and Information Management Professor Morris Cohen, to find a new dean. The committee considered both internal and external candidates and submitted a list of finalists to Rodin and Provost Robert Barchi earlier this fall. The two administrators were ultimately responsible for selecting Glandt. "He was always a leading candidate throughout the process," Cohen said. "The longer he was interim dean, the clearer it became." One of the main priorities of his tenure, Glandt said in an interview Friday, is to bring together academic disciplines within the Engineering field. "I think the school is underutilized from the point of view of synergism," Glandt said. "Developing alliances between different parts of the school -- partnering all of our strengths -- is the responsibility of the administration." He also noted that he wanted to further develop programs in entrepreneurial engineering and increase "wet space" facilities -- special laboratory space with unique ventilation capabilities. During his tenure as interim dean, Glandt announced the construction of a computer science facility and focused on expanding the school's interdisciplinary programs. The conclusion of the search means that the University now has two high-profile deanships left to fill. Both the Wharton School and the Law School have been without permanent leadership since this summer, when Thomas Gerrity and Colin Diver left their respective positions. The search is comparable in length to the 13 months that it took to name Barchi as provost and the 15 months that it took to appoint School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston. "There was no point when the provost and the president expressed impatience with us," Cohen said. "We didn't have to be reminded of the fact that it was taking time." Cohen said the committee had been looking for a person of international stature, a "person of recognized capabilities" who could communicate equally well with students and potential donors. "We wanted someone who is going to be creative and exciting. I think Eduardo satisfied all of those criteria," Cohen said. The advantage of an internal candidate like Glandt, according to Cohen, is that he can "hit the ground running" and does not have to spend time learning the ins and outs of the school. Glandt, who received his bachelor's degree from the University of Buenos Aires in 1968, has been a member of the Penn faculty since 1975. He served as chairperson of Chemical Engineering Department from 1991 to 1994 and is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and several other professional societies. "I think that someone who doesn't have the word 'interim' in front of his name has much more credibility -- with donors, with government sponsors and certainly in recruiting [faculty]" Glandt said. "I'm here for the duration," he added. "Penn has been my home for a quarter-century and I just can't see myself going anywhere else."
(10/28/99 9:00am)
The Engineering School yesterday granted its most esteemed prize for lifetime achievement in the field to University of Michigan professor John Holland, a renowned computer engineer best known in scientific circles as "The Father of the Genetic Algorithm." Holland -- who holds positions in the Electrical Engineering and Psychology departments at Michigan -- first gained fame during the 1950s and 1960s when he pioneered the field of genetic algorithms, a system of using genetic science to find solutions to difficult problems in business, science and other fields. Named for Harold Pender, the first dean of the University's Moore School of Electrical Engineering -- now part of the School of Engineering and Applied Science -- the Pender Award is distributed every two years to a figure in the scientific community who has made significant contributions to society. According to Interim Engineering Dean Eduardo Glandt, recipients of the Pender Award are on the cutting edge of the world of science and technology. "The ideas and work of the people who win the Pender Award change the way we do science," Glandt said. "If you look at the list of past winners, it's very much a who's who of scientific figures of the last 50 years. There are four Nobel Prize winners on the list." Glandt, who introduced Holland at an event yesterday evening, said it was a "red and blue-letter day for this University and our profession," and praised Holland's work in creating a new field of science. "I believe that the ultimate definition of intelligence is someone who sees a variety of different things and is able to piece together what they have in common," Glandt said. "In this way, he is a real trailblazer." The evening's festivities began with a presentation by Holland, entitled "21st Century Engineering: The Role of Emergence." Attended by a large crowd of undergraduates, graduate students and faculty members, Holland used the opportunity to describe his own work and offer insights and advice for the next generation of scientists. "I want to stress how important innovation is in the growth of technology," Holland said. "It's important to pay attention to all facets of science." Following the presentation, Holland was the guest of honor at an invitation-only dinner held at the University Museum, at which time he received his award. "This was such a surprise for me," remarked Holland, who has also received a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, as well as high honors at Michigan and from the World Economic Council. Response to Holland's presentation was overwhelming, both from those familiar with his work and those not. "Most of [his speech] was a lot more complex than what I'm used to dealing with," Engineering sophomore Siddhartha Kar said. "But it was very interesting because it shows how theories that we don't usually relate to engineering come into play in all sorts of fields" "I'm a little biased because I've done work with genetic algorithms," added Mark McCormick, an employee in the School of Arts and Sciences' computing department. "I thought he gave a terrific speech and I think it's long overdue that he got this award. I really liked everything he said." "I really enjoyed his presentation," second-year Mathematics graduate student Aaron Jaggard said. "I wasn't familiar with genetic algorithms but I think that his perspectives on a field which he helped found were interesting, as well as his perspectives on new problems in the 21st century."
(10/28/99 9:00am)
The Fels Center announced that Attorney Geneal Janet Reno will visit on Nov. 18. U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, who earlier this month was reportedly planning a trip to Penn sometime in the near future, will likely do so on November 18 as part of a Justice Department-planned event at the Fels Center of Government, according to an announcement made yesterday by the Fels Center. Reno has been invited to deliver the keynote address at a symposium entitled "Corporate-Community Concerns for Public Safety: The Role of Business in Building and Sustaining Safe Communities." The event will feature a panel discussion with outgoing Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell, University President Judith Rodin, Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney, U.S. Attorney Michael Stiles and other corporate and community leaders. Though the Justice Department has not officially confirmed the visit, several University officials say Reno is fully expected to attend. Fels Center Director Lawrence Sherman -- a noted criminologist who will serve as moderator for the panel discussion -- says that the University was specifically chosen by the Justice Department, in conjunction with the Philadelphia Mayor's Office, to host the symposium. "The University of Pennsylvania should take great pride for being chosen to host this event," Sherman said. "It shows a lot about the progress we've made in working in the community and fighting crime." Sherman added that symposium will focus mainly on how to reduce violence in urban neighborhoods and how to mobilize corporate and non-profit participation in building safer communities. "The University is already engaged in a whole series of partnerships in West Philadelphia," said Sherman, who also serves as a professor of Sociology and an advisor to Police Commissioner Timoney. "We're looking even more at how to build that and how we can get local corporations to take a bigger role in that partnership." Sherman added that due to space limitations, the audience for the event -- whose location remains as yet unknown -- will be limited to only 250 people. Spaces for undergraduate students will be made available through an online lottery administered by Penn's Civic House. Undergraduates interested in attending should access the World Wide Web site http://www.upenn.edu/civichouse/doj.html during the week of November 1 through November 7 to register for the lottery. Reno's upcoming visit will be her third to the University since assuming the Justice Department's top spot in 1993. That year, she was on hand to dedicate the Law School's Tannenbaum Hall and to receive the University's first Medal for Distinguished Achievement. And in 1998, she gave the main address at the Law School's graduation ceremonies.
(10/25/99 9:00am)
Thirty-five Dental School students got their long-awaited first taste of a new residential program Saturday when they moved into the Dental House on the 4200 block of Osage Avenue. Designed to be the nation's first housing facility to integrate teaching and learning for dental students, the program is loosely modeled on the University's undergraduate college house system and is expected to foster improved studies and closer relationships between students in the Dental School, officials said. "It's designed to allow the dental students to interact with each other and work together," said John Economos, the building's manager and an employee of the University City Associates Realty division of the Trammell Crow Co., the corporation which owns and will operate the facility. "More than anything, it's designed to help with their studies and create a strong sense of community." Once the house adjusts to its new tenants, it will have preclinical adjustment labs for residents to practice dental treatment techniques, along with PennNet in every room, a faculty fellow who will serve as an advisor and oversee special programs, a community room and off-campus PennTrex telephone service. Originally slated for opening late in August, plans for the completion of the house -- a yellow manor house situated in the middle of a populated block -- were dealt a tremendous setback on June 22, when a late-night fire destroyed much of the building's third and fourth floors. The fire, which was later labeled an accident, compromised part of the building's structure and necessitated a lengthy period of renovations before any students could move in. Though the building is composed of 46 complete apartments, only 35 are to be occupied this year by Dental students. The remainder are being filled by outside tenants or are to remain empty, Economos said. The Dental School, which is renting the space from UCA, is expected to fill the entire building with students for the next academic year. Students moving in expressed a mix of feelings. Some saw the new facility as a tremendous academic and social opportunity, while others were disappointed with the accommodations and the conditions under which they were asked to move in. "I thought that [the Dental House] was completely misrepresented to us," said first-year Dental student Neil Cohen. "When we first saw the paperwork it looked like it was going to be nicely furnished and it turns out that things aren't that way. "I'm rather disappointed with the place. It looks like a rush job. They tried to cut corners and they penny-pinched, and it shows." Other students echoed each other's concerns regarding the hectic, single-day move-in. Some were especially troubled that it fell directly between two busy weeks of midterm exams. "Having one day makes it tough -- especially right in the middle of midterms week," first-year Dental student Sam Epley said. Epley added, though, that "it's going to be nice. It looks like a great facility and I think it's going to be a nice place to live." "Overall, I'm pretty pleased," first-year Dental student Jason Sudati said. "My expectations were higher but overall things aren't too bad. I think we'll have a lot of fun around here."
(10/12/99 9:00am)
Though details haven't been set, officials said Reno will discuss crime fighting with u. officials. U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno has expressed interest in visiting the University and will likely do so sometime in late November, according to several Penn officials. Though details of the visit have yet to be confirmed by either the University or the Justice Department, Reno is likely to be on campus as part of a special colloquium entitled "Corporate-Community Partnerships for Public Safety: The Role of Business in Building and Sustaining Safe Communities," Fels Center of Government Director Lawrence Sherman said. The event was initiated by Reno's office and Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell, who was recently named head of the Democratic National Committee. It is part of an initiative to highlight private institutions taking an active role in enhancing communities and fighting crime. The exact date, time and location of Reno's visit have not yet been firmly established, though Sherman said other speakers on the panel could include Rendell, University President Judith Rodin and Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney. It also remains unclear what segment of the University community would be invited to the event. According to Sherman, Reno's potential visit would provide an ample opportunity for the University to gain recognition in an area of national concern. "I think it's a magnificent opportunity for us to put the outstanding efforts of the University forward in terms of building public safety," Sherman said. "It's very appropriate to be having this kind of discussion at this University because of the strides Penn has taken in the community." Reno has served as attorney general since 1993, when President Clinton made her the first woman to occupy the top spot at the Justice Department. Over the past six years, she has been a controversial political figure, often drawing fire from Republicans for such issues as the FBI's 1993 raid of the Branch Davidian compound, as well as a decision not to appoint an independent counsel to examine campaign finance irregularities in Clinton's 1996 campaign. Throughout her term in office, Reno has visited the University on several occasions. In 1993, she was on hand to dedicate the Law School's Tannenbaum Hall and to receive the University's first Medal for Distinguished Achievement. And in 1998, she addressed the graduates of the Law School at their May graduation. Sherman, a Sociology professor and noted criminologist, was appointed to head the Fels Center in July. The center had been without a permanent director since 1996.
(09/29/99 9:00am)
Several hundred faculty, administrators and friends joined together at the Zellerbach Theatre Sunday afternoon to pay tribute to the memory of Ralph Ginsburg, a Penn Education professor who passed away last July while vacationing with his wife in England. Ginsburg, 61, served the University in numerous capacities since 1963, when he joined the faculty as a lecturer in the Sociology Department. His most recent appointment was as chairperson of the Educational Leadership Division in the Graduate School of Education. Ginsburg died on July 31 in a Bristol, England, hospital, the result of injuries suffered in an auto accident. Lauding his academic contributions, personal accomplishments and warm personality, a number of University officials and Ginsburg family members spoke at the ceremony, which lasted for over 1 1/2 hours. "He was a visionary in the study of technology and learning," said Education School Dean Susan Fuhrman, who opened the memorial with a description of Ginsburg's scholarly accomplishments and personal qualities. "His infectious warmth spread among faculty, students and staff." Many members of the audience were visibly moved when Marjorie Ginsburg -- the deceased's eldest daughter -- paused and wept as she recounted her family's history and memories of time spent with her father. The younger Ginsburg said it was her father's ability to maintain a "good work-life balance" that made him such a success in his profession and with his family. She discussed her parents' passion for culture and travel, an activity that was key to her father's study of the teaching of foreign languages. Several other Ginsburg colleagues, including professors from the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands and Loyola University in Chicago, echoed the sentiment that Ginsburg was truly a worldwide scholar. "We worked and collaborated together for over 30 years," noted Sociology Professor Emeritus Richard Lambert, the former director of the National Center for Foreign Language. "He was an immensely talented and motivated scholar." "I can confidently say that my father died doing what he loved to do," Marjorie Ginsburg added. Ralph Ginsburg's wife Lois, who serves as the associate director of the Education School's Center for Organizational Dynamics, was also in the car at the time but escaped without any major physical injuries.
(09/29/99 9:00am)
A new Engineering class teaches science-minded students about finance. The School of Engineering and Applied Science is offering a new course this semester designed to provide juniors and seniors with the basic business skills they would need in order to bring technical innovations to the marketplace. The course -- entitled Engineering Entrepreneurship -- was first envisioned several years ago by then-Engineering Dean Gregory Farrington and focuses "on the person who has that amazing idea," said Tom Cassel, director of the Engineering Entrepreneurship Program and the course's instructor. "An engineer's economic value just increases tremendously if they know how to capitalize on their ideas," Cassel added. Cassel, a graduate of the Engineering School's undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs, came to Penn this summer after serving as the chief executive officer of a local energy company. He spent much of the summer researching and visiting various programs in business and engineering offered at other universities nationwide. Drawing on model courses already in place at both Harvard and Stanford universities, Cassel's students are given a broad overview of several different business disciplines, including accounting, finance and marketing. Case studies are taken directly from standard entrepreneurship texts and outside experts are being called in to provide the students with additional insight into current issues of importance in the business world. But while the study of these issues may distinguish the course from the chemical and mechanical engineering subjects taught in the adjoining Towne Building classrooms, Cassel says that his students do not need the extensive business background required of their entrepreneurial counterparts in the Wharton School. "I don't care if a student has taken any business classes before and I don't care if he or she does it in the future," Cassel said. "I'm looking for the person who wants to develop their passion for technology." The interdisciplinary approach to teaching engineering and business dates back to the development of the Management and Technology program, which was first established in 1977 as a dual-degree program between Engineering and Wharton. What sets this particular program apart, however, is the availability of the single entrepreneurship class, Interim Engineering Dean Eduardo Glandt said. "The type of student at Penn tends to be very entrepreneurial," Glandt said. "Management and Technology is a good example, but they only take 50 students a year out of a class of 400. This gives some of the others that exposure." Plans are currently underway to expand the Entrepreneurship Program, either by adding an additional section next semester or eventually developing a second-level course. And already, the course is drawing rave reviews from administrators, who cite its innovative approach to preparing students for careers in the technology sector. "It was a match made in heaven," Glandt said. "What we're doing now is as cutting-edge as is happening anywhere." Engineering senior Jonathan Weinstock, who is enrolled in the class, said, "I think it's been terrific. I've gotten background and insight I wouldn't have gotten anywhere else."
(09/27/99 9:00am)
Before a small crowd of graduate students and University officials, Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney spoke at the Fels Center of Government Friday evening to share his experiences as a leading crime fighter and to discuss the steps being taken by the Philadelphia Police Department to enhance its own performance. Timoney, who previously served as a deputy chief in the New York City Police Department, arrived at his current role in early 1998. Throughout his presentation -- entitled "Reducing Crime as a Performance Measure" -- he highlighted the challenges facing typical urban police departments and the actions being undertaken in Philadelphia to combat them. "When you have a huge police department like the NYPD or the Philadelphia Police Department, the biggest problem is communication," Timoney said, noting that failure to share information between departments has crippled the abilities of the police to prevent crime. Key in Philadelphia's efforts to reduce these communication problems, he said, is the development of new procedures to aide in determining patterns of crime. COMPSTAT -- which stands for Computerized Statistics -- uses crime data as a scientific means of preventing future crime by projecting where and when it might occur. "The COMPSTAT practice, on a whole variety of levels, has been the biggest development in policing in the last quarter-century," Timoney said. Timoney also focused on the changing relationship between the police and the community, highlighted by the animosity which has developed in New York City between police and citizens following the strengthening of law enforcement under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. "What they've managed to do up there [in New York] is to completely alienate the community," he said. "Does having an assertive police force mean you have to give up on the community relations part of it? No. You just have to work on it." In this respect, Timoney claimed, Philadelphia police are far ahead of their counterparts, as they have done a better job of reaching out to communicate and interact with members of their local districts. "It's working with people, it's communicating, it's developing consensus," he said. "I think we're way ahead of the curve of the rest of the country." Timoney's address was arranged by Fels Center Director Lawrence Sherman, a noted criminologist and Timoney advisor. According to Sherman, the commissioner's comments were indicative of the success his efforts have had in improving the effectiveness of the Philadelphia police. "Commissioner Timoney gave us an excellent overview of his leadership strategy for transforming the Philadelphia Police Department," Sherman said. "He's explained how he's motivated people to do everything they can to make this a safer city." And University Police Chief Maureen Rush, whose department participates in the COMPSTAT information program and interacts frequently with the PPD, was also enthusiastic about her colleague's work to better city-wide crime enforcement. "Certainly we espouse many of the commissioner's beliefs," she said. "We're a big supporter of John Timoney and we think he's done a great job during his tenure here."
(09/17/99 9:00am)
Nearly three years ago, following the hasty resignation of its director and amidst growing calls for its abolition, the future looked bleak for Penn's Fels Center of Government. Recruitment efforts were failing and, up until this summer, students and faculty alike wondered what role the institution would assume at the University. But as classes began this semester, a few changes were in store for Fels -- including the recent hiring of its new director, Sociology Professor Lawrence Sherman, and a switch in the center's affiliation from the provost's office to the School of Arts and Sciences, which administrators are touting as causes of major improvement. "We want to become the most important sector of domestic issue leadership in the world," Sherman said. "We hope to make this school as valuable to public leadership as the Wharton School is to private leadership." Fels, one of the oldest public management programs in the nation, was founded in 1937 and grants a master's degree in Government Administration. Throughout its history, Fels' administrative affiliation has gone through many changes -- including stints with the Wharton School, the Graduate School of Fine Arts and, until this past June, the Office of the Provost. The school, which has existed in relative obscurity compared to its Ivy League counterparts such as the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School, also suffered significant blows when several key faculty members left its ranks and officials struggled to attract professors from other Penn schools to teach its students. In late 1996, following the resignation of then-director James Spady, an external review board of government school officials from Harvard, Yale and Princeton universities recommended that despite the mounting challenges, Penn should continue the program. Interim Director John Mulhern took the reins thereafter and became responsible for steering Fels in a new direction. Under his leadership, Fels redeveloped several aspects of its curriculum and made the administrative switch from GSFA to the provost's office, an affiliation considered by many more appropriate for a school of government. But officials are saying now that the most positive change has come along since Sherman's arrival at the Fels mansion at 3814 Walnut Street. "We were very enthusiastic about hiring Larry Sherman," University President Judith Rodin said. "We're extremely supportive of his vision and we're going to take a very significant leap in teaching for service or government." Sherman, who assumed his post this past summer, most recently served as chairperson of the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at the University of Maryland. He says that Fels' new direction -- which focuses on research-based studies rather than the typical history- or tradition-based learning -- is nothing more than a return to its roots. "We're basically just employing Sam Fels' vision: combining research with teaching [and] putting policy into practice," said Sherman, who also serves as an advisor to Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney. Since Sherman took control, the Fels program has placed a focus on new and stronger research initiatives, stronger recruitment efforts -- highlighted by a new submatriculation option offered to Penn undergraduates -- and increased interdisciplinary work. With this vision in place, Fels has focused on attracting students looking toward public service, highlighting Fels' specialty in practical training not normally taught in law schools or at most larger schools of government.
