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(04/24/95 9:00am)
As the semester winds down in Philadelphia, the pace of activity is quickening in Harrisburg, where members of the state legislature are deeply involved in the appropriations process for the 1996 fiscal year. During each of the past two years, the University has received about $35 million from the Commonwealth, according to Carol Scheman, vice president for government, community and public affairs. This year, though, the University has asked for $49.8 million in funding from the state, she said. The increase is primarily intended to help stabilize Veterinary School tuition for state residents, since the Vet School's high costs are forcing many qualified in-state candidates to obtain their education in animal medicine elsewhere. But with members of the General Assembly eager to balance the state budget and cater to their constituents' wishes, Scheman characterized continued funding for the University from Harrisburg as "far from certain." "I think there's enormous good will towards this University," she said. "There's also tremendous pressure on the budget." University President Judith Rodin agreed, explaining that the University -- as a "state-aided" institution -- can face concerted legislative opposition during the budgeting process. Some lawmakers feel that schools as rich as the University should not receive any state funding, and would prefer to eliminate the state-aided category from consideration, Rodin said. Others would rather allocate the available funds to Pennsylvania schools with a greater need than the University. "There is true anxiety at this time of the year, every year," Rodin said. "We think we've made a very strong case [for funding]." Still, Scheman said that because elected officials tend to cut funding for programs they feel are not necessary, student involvement is crucial to preserving the University's state appropriation. "I want to see an informed and active electorate on this campus," she said. "I stand ready to talk to any students who want to about the facts?This is a political issue that's on their pulse, it affects our lives." Money appropriated by the state is earmarked for the University's health professions programs -- specifically the Vet School, which is the only school of its kind in Pennsylvania -- and for the maintenance of a need-blind admissions policy, Scheman said. "At Penn, [need-blind admissions] means not only do we let students in on the basis of merit and not ability to pay, but second, we make it possible for every student who can get in to go here," she said. Part of the state appropriation provides direct scholarship aid for state residents studying at the University. Cutting-edge agribusiness research performed by Vet School faculty members is also supported by the state appropriation, Scheman said, adding that she thinks one of America's next Nobel Prize winners will come from the Vet School.
(04/21/95 9:00am)
The personnel changes began slowly, even before University President Judith Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow officially assumed their positions. Former Vice Provost for University Life Kim Morrisson became Vice Provost in the Provost's Office in December 1993. She is now co-executive director of the 21st Century Project on the Undergraduate Experience. Deputy Provost Walter Wales said last spring he would resign from his post and return to teaching, and former Assistants to the President Nicholas Constan and Ira Harkavy followed suit in the summer and fall, respectively. Predictably, the pace of change sped up as the year progressed. Former Executive Director of the President's Office Linda Hyatt left the University in November. She was replaced by Chief of Staff Stephen Schutt, Deputy to the President Jean Morse and Director of the President's Office Linda Gilvear. The latest on the list of those seeking employment opportunities elsewhere is University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich, who last week announced his resignation, effective July 31. "I think that with a new administration there's the inevitable turnover, and new people come," Rodin said this week. "We don't have [additional] large-scale expectations for change in personnel, but there is always that possibility." She added that searches are still underway for the director of the African-American Resource Center, vice president for human resources and assistant director for the Office of Affirmative Action. While all of the vacancies in Rodin's office are now filled, Chodorow has just begun to look for a permanent Vice Provost for University Life. Acting VPUL Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum has occupied the post since Morrisson's departure, although she originally agreed to serve for only six months. Chodorow said the VPUL search will be internal, adding that he is looking for "someone who knows Penn and who can manage in a changing environment." "I am concerned to ensure that the VPUL keep up with the results of PCUE and with the re-engineering efforts we are undertaking, all the while making sure that students receive better service than they receive now," he said. "In other words, I want a divinity who can perform miracles." The new job description, advertised in this week's "Job Opportunities at Penn" listing found in the merged Almanac and Compass, states that the individual selected as VPUL will be "responsible for all non-academic aspects of the undergraduate, graduate and professional student life," in addition to promoting "a supportive and humane campus community" for students, faculty and staff. A faculty/student screening committee that has not yet been formed will recommend candidates for the position to Chodorow, according to Executive Assistant to the Provost Linda Koons. McCollum said she is a candidate for the permanent position.
(04/20/95 9:00am)
Several University alumni make names for themselves on Capitol Hill On November 9, 1994, the morning after the so-called Republican revolution, professors gripped their lecterns a little more fiercely, and students watched the news with trepidation. While many in the mainstream cheered, academia was bracing for a storm of uncertain magnitude. College and university administrators looked at each other and at their balance sheets, trying to determine how Newt Gingrich's new leadership on Capitol Hill and his party's Contract with America would impact their institutions during the 1996 fiscal year. Now, three months after taking office, the 104th Congress -- dominated by conservatives -- is indeed embroiled in a battle over higher education appropriations. But the University, with five alumni currently serving on Capitol Hill, may have a hidden edge as negotiations continue. Representatives Phil English (R-Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), Benjamin Gilman (R-N.Y.), Joseph McDade (R-Pa.) and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) together constitute a group of lawmakers diverse in both experience and viewpoint, yet all aiming to create change. "They're people who understand the University and they have an affinity for the kind of institution that Penn is," said David Morse, assistant vice president for policy planning and federal relations. "That generally is very beneficial." University President Judith Rodin, agreeing with Morse's assessment, said she receives good, fair advice from alumni legislators. "It's wonderful for us as an institution to have those allies in Congress for our institution," she said. Still, the University is not as well-represented on the Hill as fellow Ivy League universities Columbia, Harvard, Princeton and Yale, according to Morse. Schools like the University of Michigan, Penn State and the University of California system also outrank the University in number of alumni serving in Congress because of their sheer size. Morse added that University alumni serving on Capitol Hill are more aware than their peers about the quality of the University's students, the public service work students and faculty perform, and the regional and national economic implications of the University's activities. "For these people, the learning curve is a lot shorter than it would be if they didn't know us," he said. "Does that give us a comparative advantage relative to other institutions? I don't think a great one, but it helps." Just as University administrators appreciate having sympathetic ears in the halls of power, there seems to be a genuine affection for the University from alumni with offices inside the Beltway -- no matter how long the ink on their diplomas has been dry. "I think the Penn experience for me, particularly the graduate school experience, was very helpful in reshaping the work I was able to accomplish as a legislator," said Fattah, the Congressman from Pennsylvania's second district, which includes West Philadelphia. Fattah participated in the Community Wharton Education Program as an undergraduate and, while serving as a state legislator, completed a master's degree in government administration through the Fels program in 1986. Nonetheless, he claims to have had "a fairly normal experience on campus," even finding time to hang out in Houston Hall's pool room. Although he no longer has much time to play games, Fattah maintains close ties to the University because it falls squarely into his district. In fact, his district office is located near the corner of 41st and Walnut streets, and the University is his landlord. Fattah credits the University with forcing him to learn about computers, despite his initial difficulty with them. He added that he is grateful to Fels faculty members who guided his interest in urban policy. A Philadelphia native, Fattah said his goal is to create a more comprehensive approach to solving the problems of major urban centers, incorporating a significant investment of fiscal and cultural resources and political will. "We just don't have a national commitment to cities," he explained. "That's an effort of my work here in the Congress." The local press has pegged Fattah as "the next Bill Gray," a reference to the former House Majority Whip from Philadelphia who left politics in 1991 to head the United Negro College Fund. Fellow freshman English may also have big shoes to fill, as the first first-term Republican appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee since 1967, when George Bush was in the same position. A 1978 University graduate, English majored in political science and was involved with multiple college-level organizations sponsored by the Republican party during his time on campus. Since graduation, English has been elected to one term as city controller in his hometown of Erie. He has also served as chief of staff to Republican State Sen. Melissa Hart and has assumed various directorships with the State Senate Finance, Transportation and Labor and Industry Committees. Having authored a study of "learn-fare" -- the requirement that families receiving welfare benefits continue their education until they receive high school diplomas -- for the Commonwealth Foundation in 1993, English figured prominently in the House Human Resources Subcommittee's drafting of its welfare reform bill this spring. He has already pushed for legislation to reclassify central Pennsylvania wetlands to "promote economic development, protect land rights and give compensation for landowners at the highest level possible," according to The Meadville Tribune. And on March 20, 1995, The Bond Buyer reported that English is working on a bill designed to "ease curbs on small-issue industrial development bonds." As a Congressional neophyte, English has a supporting role in the Ways and Means Committee -- known as one of the House's most powerful committees because it has near-total control over revenue matters. Conversely, Gilman -- because of his seniority and reputation as a moderate Republican eager to encourage bipartisan cooperation -- has been awarded the chairmanship of the House International Relations Committee. An industrial management major who received his Wharton degree in 1946, as an undergraduate Gilman was a member of the crew team and president of Phi Sigma Delta fraternity, the forerunner of Zeta Beta Tau. "I think my education at Penn in economics and management served me well throughout the years and helped me to be more productive," he said. Gilman also said a newspaper editor in his hometown of Middletown, New York, sparked his interest in politics when the editor encouraged young G.I.'s returning from World War II to reorganize a local Young Republicans Club. "From that point on, I became more and more involved," he said, adding that as he begins his 12th term representing Orange, Rockland, Sullivan and Westchester counties, he is not in favor of term limits. But Gilman said he realizes Congress has definitely become a more intense place to work. "We have so many more problems each and every year than [in] prior years, and there have been so many critical worldwide issues that have taken up our time," Gilman said, citing hunger, drug trafficking, health programs and education as his priorities. With the advent of CNN and C-SPAN, Gilman said Congress is more accessible to the public -- and more likely to be criticized for its failings, instead of lauded for its achievements. Cynicism, particularly among the youngest members of the electorate, is a negative by-product of the constant media attention. "[The] cynical attitude doesn't serve our nation well," Gilman said. "We need young blood and we need young ideas." McDade would not fit Gilman's desire for young blood, though -- having been elected for the first of his 17 terms in 1962. Currently, McDade -- who graduated from the University's Law School -- is the senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, the group in charge of funding the departments, agencies and programs of the federal government each year. Like English, McDade got his political feet wet in city government, serving as Scranton's city solicitor prior to his election to Congress as the representative of Pennsylvania's 10th District, the Scranton and Williamsport areas. His priorities have been defense, alternative energy sources and environmental protection, housing rehabilitation and community economic development. But in May 1992, McDade was indicted on charges of conspiracy, racketeering and taking bribes from defense contractors. His trial is expected to begin soon. Specter's ethics were questioned as well in the fall of 1991, when he indelicately grilled University of Arkansas Law Professor Anita Hill during the Senate Judiciary Committee's confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. But on the whole, Specter -- who squeaked past Democrat Lynn Yeakel to win a third term in 1992 and is now running for President -- is known as a moderate Republican, similar in stance to Gilman. Specter has further shown his willingness to break with his party on controversial issues such as abortion and health care. Specter graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University in 1951, served in the Korean War and then attended Yale Law School. Since his election, he has been a consistent supporter of labor and industry and has introduced legislation designed to combat drugs, crime and terrorism. After working on the Warren Commission and developing the "single-bullet" theory with respect to President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1964, Specter was elected Assistant District Attorney of Philadelphia. He later served two terms as District Attorney.
(04/20/95 9:00am)
University Trustee and alumnus Ronald Perelman has committed $20 million to the student center project that will bear his name, according to University President Judith Rodin.
(04/19/95 9:00am)
A Wharton senior who helped the University pinch a few pennies will be awarded $100 for her efforts. The accounting major, whose name has not been released, submitted suggestions on how the University could save money on non-value added activities for an Accounting 102 class two years ago. As part of the University's new A Penny Saved program, she will now receive a $100 gift certificate for recommending the recycling and reuse of office supplies in all University departments. Peggy DeProphetis, associate director and adjunct associate professor of accounting, said she forwarded the student's suggestions -- and some of her classmates' papers --anonymously when the new program began. After the student was chosen as a winner, DeProphetis matched typefaces of the original papers still on file in her office with the lists of anonymously submitted suggestions to find the student, whom she declined to identify last night. "It's lucky that it happens to be somebody who's still here," DeProphetis said, adding that many of her Cost Accounting students from that term were juniors and seniors who have already graduated. "There were a lot of extremely good ideas from this class, so I'm glad one of them won." This year, though, DeProphetis has assigned her students a more conventional essay. Book Store employee Joseph Martin, who supervises traffic control in the facility, was also recognized in the first round of Penny Saved awards. He suggested that the University consolidate its shipping orders across departments, resulting in orders of 150 pounds or more that would qualify for bulk discounts. Martin was unavailable for comment last night.
(04/18/95 9:00am)
Senior Class President Loren Mendell announced yesterday that Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glicksman will deliver this year's Ivy Day address. Mendell said Glicksman was selected by the Senior Class Board, with assistance from some University Trustees and alumni. Mendell admitted, though, that he does not expect seniors to rejoice at this announcement. "I don't think people will really get fired up about agriculture unless they're from the Midwest," the College senior said. "[But] I've seen him speak before, and he's very witty and he's an excellent speaker. I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised." Mendell also said that since Ivy Day is supposed to be a "lighter" ceremony than Commencement, he is pleased that Glicksman will be involved. Glicksman served as Kansas' 4th District Congressman prior to March 30 of this year, when he assumed the agriculture post vacated by Mike Espy at the end of last year. President Clinton tapped Glicksman to replace Espy -- who resigned because he allegedly accepted gifts from poultry producers -- because of Glicksman's nearly two decades of experience on the House Agriculture Committee. A lawyer by training, Glicksman also served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Judiciary Committee before being elevated to cabinet rank. Although Glicksman is not a University alumnus, as Ivy Day speakers often are, University Secretary Barbara Stevens expressed confidence that his address will impress members of the Class of 1995 and their parents. "I hope that he will speak of issues that are important and of some note in keeping with the traditions of Penn and the good feelings of that day, and I anticipate that's exactly what he will do," she said. Ivy Day is held annually on the Saturday before Commencement. This year's ceremony is scheduled for May 20 at 4 p.m. in Irvine Auditorium. Four male and four female seniors chosen by their classmates for overall excellence and campus involvement are honored during the Ivy Day festivities. The class also unveils its Ivy Stone on Ivy Day, and the eight award winners plant ivy near the stone. In past years, L.A. Law's Alan Rachins, Murphy Brown's Candice Bergen, Mayor Ed Rendell and comedian Joan Rivers have spoken to graduating seniors on Ivy Day.
(04/17/95 9:00am)
Gina Grant, the honor student whose early admission to Harvard University was revoked April 3 after school officials learned she had killed her mother, has also been admitted to Columbia University, The New York Times reported Saturday. According to Admissions Dean Lee Stetson, Grant did not apply to the University. But Stetson said last night he thinks her case -- in addition to that of Yale University senior Lon Grammer, who was expelled last week for falsifying significant parts of his application -- will impact future Ivy League admissions policies. Stetson said that as students feel increased pressure to apply to top-echelon colleges and universities there may be more cases of like these in the future. Grant was the subject of an April 2 article in The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine about the resilience of young adults who have overcome severe adversity while growing up. Raised in South Carolina, Grant moved to Massachusetts in 1991, when she became an orphan at the age of 14, the Globe reported. She now lives alone on income from a family trust fund. Grant's father died of cancer when she was 11, and she told Maria Karagianis -- the free-lance writer of the Globe story -- that her mother's death was too painful to discuss. But following the article's publication, both Harvard and the Globe received anonymously mailed clips of South Carolina newspaper stories that ran during Grant's trial and after her conviction. The stories detail a gruesome crime -- that of Grant bludgeoning her mother, Dorothy Mayfield, to death with a lead crystal candleholder, and then stabbing Mayfield in the neck to make her death look like suicide. Grant ascribed her actions to years of verbal and physical abuse by her alcoholic parents. Ultimately, she "pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter," according to the Globe, and served six months in a juvenile detention facility. The Harvard Crimson reported last week that during Grant's interview with a Harvard alumnus, she allegedly said her mother had died in a car accident. Harvard rescinded its offer of admission to Grant because of this lie -- a decision Harvard Law Professors Charles Ogletree and Alan Dershowitz have decried because they contend it was made hastily. But Grant's attorney, Margaret Burnham, claims Harvard "intentionally leaked information" about her client's circumstances, The Crimson stated. Burnham has also challenged Harvard's action because the application question regarding disclosure of a student's background is vaguely worded and could be interpreted to include only incidents of academic dishonesty. Stetson said staff members in the University's Admissions Office "do our best to validate every application" by requiring original transcripts and recommendations from a student's secondary school and test score reports directly from the testing agency. But he admitted that the admissions process is "based on an honor system to some extent," especially when it comes to plagiarism-prone essays. Stetson estimated that the University encounters four to six cases of dishonesty from applicants -- out of 15,000 applications -- in an average admissions cycle. He also said while he believes the University is not permitted by law to ask applicants about crimes they may have committed as juveniles, he "would expect that students would inform us where appropriate."
(04/07/95 9:00am)
While the Ivy League has traditionally featured some of the biggest names in Commencement speakers, headliners seem few and far between in this year's crop. Dartmouth College scored perhaps the biggest coup of all, convincing President Clinton to come to Hanover, N.H. to address graduating seniors, parents and alumni in June. The governing boards of the Harvard Corporation -- the school's board of trustees -- and Harvard's Board of Overseers went international, choosing Czech Republic President and playwright Vaclav Havel. Students at Harvard are not involved in the Commencement speaker selection process. However, they select their own Class Day speaker -- an honor extended to University Law Professor Lani Guinier last year. At Princeton University, president Harold Shapiro always gives the Commencement speech. National Endowment for the Arts Chairperson Jane Alexander -- the University's Commencement speaker -- will be Princeton's featured Baccalaureate speaker, she added. Brown, Columbia and Cornell have not yet announced their Commencement speakers for this year. However, staffers at the The Cornell Daily Sun said president Frank Rhodes may be asked to give the address since he is leaving the school this summer. And Columbia Daily Spectator News Editor Samantha Nicosia said NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw has accepted an invitation to speak at Columbia College's Class Day. The invitation was extended by the senior class marshals, a governing board with about 25 members elected by the class. Brown is the only Ivy League school that does not include dignitaries in its Commencement program, Brown Daily Herald Executive Editor Marshall Miller said. Instead, approximately 1,400 graduating seniors "and a crowd of parents and alumni that reaches into the thousands" hear from two student speakers. Miller also said a committee of students, faculty and staff select the speakers, looking for students who can offer diverse opinions and a unique perspective on Brown, delivered in an "interesting, accessible and well-said" manner. The senior class at Yale University usually invites prominent alumni back to campus for Class Day, since the school does not offer honorary degrees or speaking fees to dignitaries who participate in the ceremony. Yale President Richard Levin will speak at Commencement exercises, said Senior Class Treasurer Adam Marks. This year, Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke -- a 1971 Yale graduate and a Rhodes Scholar -- has been tapped to talk, disappointing students who were hoping for someone similar in stature to alumni George Bush and Jodie Foster, both of whom spoke at recent Class Days. Marks said the senior class council, officers and Class Day co-chairs worked together to find a suitable speaker by distributing surveys to the entire senior class. This year, they also tried to find "someone who is a Yale affiliate who could speak to the importance of this year" -- the 25th year of coeducation at Yale and the 25th anniversary of the school's non-residential African-American House.
(04/07/95 9:00am)
Beginning April 18, Almanac -- the University's journal of record for faculty -- and the more feature-oriented staff publication, The Compass, will merge under the Almanac masthead. Administrators have been discussing merger plans for nearly a year, University Secretary Barbara Stevens said earlier this week. The intent of the change is three-fold: to address the whole University community with one publication, to include University-wide news and feature articles while also conveying "the depth and breadth of Penn's faculty," and to conserve resources while at the same time avoiding duplication of information. The publications will retain their separate office spaces as the merger proceeds, exchanging information mainly through electronic interfaces, according to Almanac Editor Karen Gaines. She added that articles written by Compass staffers will appear in one section of the revamped Almanac, which will also include the weekly Job Opportunities insert published by the Office of Human Resources. Although the new publication will closely resemble Almanac for the foreseeable future, Stevens said it may eventually look similar to The Chronicle of Higher Education, a nationally distributed weekly magazine based in Washington, D.C. Gaines agreed, explaining that "we've got 41 years of back issues on the shelf and we won't change the size of the page." "We all consider it an experiment," she said. "If it works, great. If it doesn't work, we're supposed to separate again. We're trying to serve a very great range of full functions." Perhaps the greatest adjustment Compass personnel will have to make is working on a weekly deadline, Compass Managing Editor Martha Jablow said. "We're going to work on making this the kind of seamless publication for the fall," she said. "[But] somebody described it as marrying an elephant and a giraffe." While Gaines has edited Almanac since fall 1980 -- and from spring 1971, when it was first published weekly, until fall 1977 -- Jablow arrived on campus just three weeks ago. Jablow, who has written for The New York Times as well as Parents and Working Woman magazines, replaced Compass Managing Editor John Shea, who is working on a new publication at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Emeritus English Professor and WFLN theater critic Charles Lee, Glee Club Director Bruce Montgomery, WPVI consumer affairs reporter Herb Denenberg and Executive Assistant to the Provost Linda Koons have also edited Almanac at some point in their careers.
(04/06/95 9:00am)
Will house galleries The legacy of cartoonist Charles Addams -- a University alumnus and creator of the creepy, kooky television family of the same name -- will soon be a permanent presence on campus thanks to a gift by his former wife, Lady Colyton. Lady Colyton has donated an undisclosed sum to fund the renovation and rehabilitation of the Asbury Methodist Church, located on Chestnut Street between 33rd and 34th streets, University spokesperson Barbara Beck said yesterday. Upon completion, the site will be renamed the Charles Addams Fine Arts Hall. According to Malcolm Campbell, the interim dean of the Graduate School of Fine Arts, the new facility should be ready for use in 1997, with an annex to be added behind the main building after the first phase of restoration is finished. In a statement released yesterday, Colyton said Addams -- who received a fine arts degree from the University in 1934 -- would have loved the church, which will memorialize his contributions to the "field of graphic art." It is said that Addams modeled the mansion in his Addams Family cartoons after College Hall. Addams Hall will provide studio, classroom and gallery space for both undergraduates and graduate students, replacing the Morgan Building -- which is slated to be demolished during construction of the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Undergraduate fine arts instruction that currently takes place in the "blau haus," the blue shed near Hill Field built four or five years ago as a temporary structure, will also be moved to Addams Hall. "This is the first time in a long time the Fine Arts department will have a single, unitary home," Campbell said, adding that students and faculty are excited about the church's architectural possibilities. "It really will mark a fresh start in the arts at Penn -- you could almost use the word Renaissance." Although cleanup of the building has already started, the design process is just beginning, Campbell said. A committee has been formed to make decisions on how to allocate space in the new center. Cost estimates for the project, however, are not yet available. Following Addams' death in 1988, Lady Colyton endowed the Charles Addams Memorial Prize at the University. The $10,000 award is given annually to an outstanding student in the School of Fine Arts. Lady Colyton, who was formerly known as Barbara Barb, is now married to The Right Honorable Lord Colyton, a diplomat who served under former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Lord Colyton is a descendant of Francis Hopkinson, who was a member of the University's first graduating class in 1757.
(04/05/95 9:00am)
Testifying before the House Appropriations Committee in Harrisburg Monday, University President Judith Rodin hoped to secure almost $50 million in state funding for next year. She was quickly reminded, though, that politicians don't part with taxpayers' pennies easily. During the hearing, Rodin faced a barrage of what she called "difficult and probing" questions from legislators eager to cut higher education costs statewide. They even pushed Rodin to reveal her own $350,000 salary. As a test case, Rep. John Lawless (R-Montgomery) pointed to Temple University President Peter Liacouras, who recently said he will take a five percent cut in his $250,000 salary. Lawless led the attack on state appropriations for higher education, leveling criticism about the cost-effectiveness of teaching and research at all of the officials from Pennsylvania schools appearing at the hearing. He focused on faculty perks like sabbaticals and tenure. Rodin told the Committee that for their approximately $80,000 salaries, full professors at the University spend an average of nine hours per week in the classroom and three hours seeing students in their offices -- in addition to countless hours of related study and preparation. Lawless said he does not begrudge academics their high salaries, but thinks they should work harder to receive them. "I just think that we can reduce expenses by doing away with one out of four professors, by asking each to teach one more class," he said. Rodin acknowledged that her own salary is "generous," explaining that it was set by the University's Board of Trustees based on what former President Sheldon Hackney earned two years ago. However, Rodin's salary is the second-highest in the Ivy League -- behind only Columbia University President George Rupp, who has been on the job one year longer than Rodin. "I work very hard for it," Rodin said, citing her evening and weekend working hours for proof. "The responsibility of a $2 billion corporation is on my shoulders." University spokesperson Barbara Beck agreed. "The woman busts her butt every single day," she said. "Next to [Detroit Tigers Manager] Sparky Anderson, her job is the most second-guessed job in America." Rodin said she was pleased with the way Committee members received her testimony. She especially praised Rep. Joseph Battisto (D-Monroe), whose two children attended the University. "We gave them very strong and hopefully persuasive answers?We weren't treated any more harshly than any of our peer institutions," Rodin said. "Temple preceded us and Lincoln [University] followed us and they got exactly the same treatment." While fellow Committee members grew irritated at Lawless's deviation from the "substantive issues," the hearing didn't faze Rodin, according to Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman, who accompanied her to the capital.
(04/04/95 9:00am)
Students disappointed Jane Alexander, chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts, will be the keynote speaker at next month's Commencement ceremony, according to University Secretary Barbara Stevens. Members of the Class of 1995 contacted last night about the selection seemed nonplussed about Alexander's participation in their graduation day. "Dartmouth got Bill Clinton -- if they can do it, why can't we?" asked College senior Christopher Prokop, adding that he had hoped for a speaker plucked from the White House or Supreme Court. Wharton senior Laura Froehlich was even more blunt, admitting that she had "no clue" who Alexander is. "Guess that came through Sheldon [Hackney], huh?" Froehlich said. "That's kind of sad?It could be my ignorance, but with Hillary Rodham Clinton a few years ago, I would have expected someone a little more to date." However, College senior and Senior Class President Loren Mendell, who served on the Commencement speaker selection committee, said the group felt Alexander was "a great speaker" who could communicate well with the graduating class. The committee -- composed of leaders from the student body and the Faculty Senate, personnel from the Secretary's Office and members of the Board of Trustees -- met twice in the fall, Mendell added. They generated a pool of about 50 names for consideration, which was then narrowed down by mail ballot. Stevens said a "short list" was forwarded to University President Judith Rodin, who made a number of telephone calls to find the "best person." "We are awfully thrilled that she accepted," Stevens said, further characterizing Alexander's performances as moving, sensitive and thoughtful. "She is a brilliant actor and a very articulate spokesperson for the arts." Mendell said Alexander -- who won an Emmy for her role in 1981's Playing for Time and was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in All The President's Men -- should appeal to the multi-generational Commencement crowd. "I'm very happy with the selection," he said, adding that his parents are already looking forward to the address. Alexander was confirmed as NEA director in October 1993, following a stint in the Broadway production of Wendy Wasserstein's The Sisters Rosensweig. She appeared with James Earl Jones in The Great White Hope on Washington's Arena Stage -- a production that was later made into a feature film. Alexander arrived at the NEA just as the controversy over public funding of Robert Mapplethorpe's sexually-explicit photographs was subsiding. She now faces a Republican-dominated Congress eager to slash her agency's budget. The NEA also gave financial support to Andres Serrano, whose photograph "Piss Christ" stirred up tensions when it was exhibited on campus at the Institute of Contemporary Art last semester. Because of these monetary allocations, College senior Jeremy Chiappetta said he is angry about the choice of Alexander as Commencement speaker. "I just really have to question why the University continues to offend those who are religious and those who are conservative in their beliefs," he said. Stevens also announced last night that retiring University Chaplain Stanley Johnson will be this year's Baccalaureate speaker. And she disclosed the list of honorary degree recipients. Two scientists are among those selected: chemist Harry Barkus Gray, a professor at the California Institute of Technology, and Stanford University Professor Stanley Cohen, whose research focuses on recombinant biotechnology. Smith College President Mary Maples Dunn, who will become director of Radcliffe College's Schlesinger Library when she steps down from her current post this summer, will also receive an honorary award next month. Her husband, Richard Dunn, is a history professor at the University. Rounding out the roster are former University Board of Trustees Chairperson Alvin Shoemaker, medieval historian Emmanuel LeRoy Ladurie, director of the Bibliotheque de France, and Donald Stewart, former president of Spelman College and current president of the College Board, who was a University administrator from 1970 until 1976.
(04/03/95 9:00am)
There's no place like home. Actress Judy Garland was the first to say it, but University President Judith Rodin is probably feeling that way about Eisenlohr Hall at the moment. Rodin's fundraising and alumni relations responsibilities kept her on the go in California for three days last week. On Friday, she left campus again for an alumni reception and fundraising dinner in Washington, extending her stay in the nation's capital by one day to accommodate meetings with Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and President Clinton's White House safety panel. "I figured since I was in Washington anyway, I would cram in some government business," Rodin quipped. Today, she will be in Harrisburg, testifying before the State Senate Appropriations Committee about the University's Commonwealth funding for fiscal 1996. "They want to get to know me better?give me a chance to tell Penn's story directly," Rodin said. "We do such a tremendous amount for the Commonwealth, far more than we get in those dollars. I'm eager to communicate that." Thursday and Friday, Rodin will be in Miami and Boca Raton, Fla., attending to additional alumni and fundraising commitments. Next week, she's in Boston. This highly charged itinerary is the result of creative scheduling; the President's Office strains to fit a number of off-campus obligations into Rodin's date book whenever possible. Rodin said she spends about 15 percent of an average semester away from campus, adding that she intends to keep this fraction below 20 percent of her time. She said she spent much less time last semester traveling than would be typical of an Ivy League president, since she was still settling into her post and the rhythm of campus life. "In a sense, my schedule reflects the University's priorities," Rodin said, adding that her job requires her to be on-duty seven days a week. She also said she has pushed one trip back until after Commencement, and generally tries to postpone trips until vacation periods or University "downtime." "When it's time that we're in session, I can get in and out in a night, [I go]," Rodin said. "Other than that, I'm here, and then it's incredibly variable because some of it's proactive and some of it's crisis-driven." Now that Rodin has a full complement of senior staff members, including Chief of Staff Stephen Schutt and Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman, it is not as difficult for her to spend time outside West Philadelphia. "When I'm away, I'm on the phone with the office six times a day," she said. "In the beginning, it would have been much harder." But even when she is in town, Rodin must balance the needs of vocal constituencies -- students, faculty, staff, deans and the University's Board of Trustees -- with the demands of city and community relations. "We take our civic partnerships very seriously, it really does rely on my time to some extent," she said, citing the $50 million challenge grant pledged to Philadelphia's public schools by Wallis Annenberg, Walter Annenberg's daughter, as one of the most important of these initiatives.
(04/03/95 9:00am)
The Committee for Judicial Reform released final recommendations for a new Judicial Charter late last week, calling its proposal "a new system with greater and direct student and faculty involvement." The new document also creates a mediation center and increases the authority of student-faculty hearing boards. But before it can begin to impact students facing disciplinary action, it must be approved by Provost Stanley Chodorow, the General Counsel's Office and the deans. According to College junior Wilton Levine, chairperson of the working group that developed the new Charter, after Chodorow and University lawyers have appraised and made changes to the Charter, they will return it to Levine and the rest of the CJR for final acceptance. "Our main concern is keeping the spirit the same," Levine said, adding that his working group wants to insure the document's language remains simplistic enough for students to understand without the assistance of multiple lawyers. The final recommendations stand in contrast to the preliminary Charter the group released for comment in January. University Council remanded that document in February -- despite its verbose explanations and high degree of complexity -- because Council members believed it was an incomplete outline. The document Chodorow and the General Counsel's Office received last week incorporates some of the suggestions made by Council and during public forums held by the CJR. Thirteen students, rather than 11, would serve on the Student Judicial Council if the new version of the Charter is adopted. The complainant would not be a party involved in the hearing, unless he or she is called as a witness. Advisers, under the new system, would be "any member of the University community." The status of the hearing board's decision remains unresolved. While the working group still advocates the finality of the board's rulings "failing appeal," Chodorow has said he would prefer to use the hearing board's finding as a recommendation to him or his designee. "The Committee [on Judicial Reform] decided in the end to present its view of the Charter and not to try to accommodate my views," Chodorow said. "I think that is best. I will give my view a final form in the course of working through the details, because it is in the details that many issues can be worked out." Levine said last night his group has accomplished major reform even if Chodorow chooses to take the hearing board's work as a recommendation instead of a ruling. By forming a standing, permanent Student Judicial Council -- to meet every month for discussion of existing cases and to hold mock hearings for practice -- and having the SJC executive committee meet weekly with the Judicial Officer to monitor the system, Levine said the new Charter will deal with problems in the judicial system before they become overwhelming. "They're going to be efficient, they're going to be trained, and they're going to be consistent because they're going to have practice [handling cases]," he said, referring to members of the SJC. Levine said he hopes the Charter will be ready for implementation July 1, but said September 1 may be a more realistic date due to the conferences that must occur before all involved parties agree to its terms.
(03/31/95 10:00am)
The University, with new President Judith Rodin at the helm, is uniquely positioned to help catapult the Philadelphia area back into national prominence, urban affairs expert and syndicated columnist Neil Peirce concluded in a study published in last Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer. During the last decade, Peirce has criss-crossed the country emphasizing the power of innovation. Only by tapping existing creative potential -- and encouraging communities to see beyond their perceived shortcomings and failures -- can urban centers and their burgeoning suburbs be revitalized, Peirce believes. A Philadelphia native, Peirce and colleague Curtis Johnson have worked their magic in places like Dallas, Baltimore, Seattle and Phoenix, Ariz., spreading the gospel of the economically unified, environmentally respectful and intellectually advanced "citistate" wherever they go. When the Inquirer published Peirce's "Reinventing the Region" report, residents of the City of Brotherly Love and its surrounding suburbs were given a choice: embrace each other to create a dynamic and empowered region -- or face slow, steady and sure decline as the turn of the century approaches. The report offers a glimpse at the state of the city and lists suggestions for improvement culled from focus groups held throughout the past year, with the assistance of area businesswoman Beverly Harper and public relations consultant Nancy Mohr. "Reinventing the Region" centers on the citistate's neighborhoods, educational system, work force, culture, environment and government, with stories and graphics about patterns of migration in the area filling 12 broadsheet pages -- the largest outside commentary section the Inquirer has ever printed. "Maybe our ideas aren't specific or the right ones, but get with it guys, think forward," Peirce said yesterday from his home in Washington, referring to public officials in the region. "I am convinced that regions that rest on their oars will drift into unpleasant eddies. They'll be backwater regions in the next century." The University is integral to Peirce's plan for the 21st century citistate, because of its human capital, physical plant and involvement with the community. Peirce cited its advanced technological and information processing capabilities, as well as its specialized medical expertise, as particularly "stunning." "Penn occupies a role as a lead institution [nationwide]," he said. "It should not be a dictator to others, but with its intellectual depth and capacity it can set a pace as an example." However, Peirce is quick to point out that his team's prescription for the Philadelphia citistate is only a recommendation. "We're trying to open people's minds to the possibilities of collective or joint action, but not to say to them do our blueprint or you're lost," he said. "If you believe -- as we do -- that the answers come out of the process of people finding answers, who are we to say we have all the answers?" Ira Harkavy, director of the University's Center for Community Partnerships, said he enthusiastically supports Peirce's notion of regionalism. Since 1985, Harkavy has taught a seminar about the University's relationship with West Philadelphia, where enrolled students undertake original research projects in the community. For the fall 1995 semester, Harkavy said 15 departments are offering 28 courses incorporating some component of service learning. "American universities can have a fundamental effect on improving their neighborhoods," he said. "By engaging [University students] in solving real-world problems, we remain true to Franklin's mission."
(03/29/95 10:00am)
Following in the footsteps of Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), who recently entered the 1996 presidential race, University President Judith Rodin yesterday announced plans to mount a Senate campaign of her own. She said she is "toying with the idea" of seeking Specter's seat, adding that she expects to continue in her various capacities as president of the University during the upcoming race. "I didn't have enough to do on campus," Rodin said, explaining that in seven months on the job, she has already implemented administrative restructuring, developed a master safety plan, started planning for the Perelman Quadrangle and made all the major appointments in the President's Office. "I was ready for a new challenge, and besides, Washington is so much more exciting than West Philadelphia," she added. Rodin also said she will delegate key day-to-day responsibilities to Provost Stanley Chodorow in anticipation of having to spend more time away from campus than she currently does. "I relish the challenges of my job," Chodorow said when asked about Rodin's decision to drop her hat into the ring. "Taking on these additional duties just puts me more in control of students' lives, since they don't know what's good for themselves anyway." Rodin's political ambitions have been a subject of speculation since she arrived at the University last summer. Her decision to participate in the contest for membership in the nation's "most elite club," as the Senate is often characterized, has generated mixed feelings on campus. Assistant Vice President for Policy Planning and Federal Relations David Morse -- who spends at least one day each week on Capitol Hill with Pennsylvania's Congressional delegation -- said he is enthusiastic about Rodin's plans. "Having Dr. Rodin in the delegation would be fantastic for Penn," Morse said. "With federal funding for higher education in jeopardy because of the Republicans' eagerness to cut spending, another Democrat -- who is also an academic -- would be wonderful to have on the Hill." Board of Trustees Chairperson Roy Vagelos, however, said he strongly disagreed with Rodin's entry into the political arena. "It took a year-long search just to find her and bring her here, and we pay her to spend time on campus," Vagelos said. "Why she has chosen to do this after such a short time at Penn I'll never know." Vagelos added that because Rodin's senatorial run may present a conflict of interest, the Board will consider a resolution on the situation during its June meetings. Rodin said she looks forward to hobnobbing with President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. She said she would also like to introduce First Daughter Chelsea Clinton to her son, Alex Neijelow. Neijelow, however, had other plans. "Ewwww," he said when asked if he was interested in dating Chelsea Clinton. "I'd rather kiss Socks."
(03/28/95 10:00am)
One of the two University students questioned by police in connection with the alleged harassment of two Jewish students at gunpoint early Friday morning has been placed on an involuntary leave of absence by the Vice Provost for University Life, University spokesperson Barbara Beck said last night. "There is a continuing investigation of the circumstances under way," she added. "Disciplinary action will be taken and additional action is pending, when the investigation is complete." University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said police are still engaged in the fact-finding process, adding that he does not know when they will be finished. While no charges have been filed in this case, a second man charged with racial intimidation in an earlier case of harassment turned himself in to Philadelphia Police yesterday, Sergeant Charles McMullin said. Victor Vencus was arrested for allegedly harassing two South Asian University students outside their Hamilton Court apartment complex early last Thursday morning. Unlike the other suspect in the case -- Drexel University student Gregory Rosenbaum -- Vencus is not affiliated with Drexel, Kuprevich said. Kuprevich added that he thought Vencus was charged with the same offenses Rosenbaum is alleged to have committed, including ethnic intimidation, harassment and disorderly conduct. College senior Bela Shah, who did not return phone calls from The Daily Pennsylvanian yesterday, earlier this said week she plans to file a complaint against Philadelphia Police Southwest Detectives because of the way her case was handled. Kuprevich, however, said the Philadelphia Police Department -- and all of the detectives in the Southwest Division -- have been very responsive to concerns and issues raised by his officers and victims over the past few days. Kuprevich added that University Police officers attempt to quell disturbances involving students before making arrests, since students are also subject to the University's judicial system when they break the law.
(03/28/95 10:00am)
Watcher to take office July 1 Law and Economics Professor Michael Wachter has been selected as the University's new deputy provost, Provost Stanley Chodorow said last night. Wachter will take office July 1, presuming the Board of Trustees confirms his appointment. He replaces Physics Professor Walter Wales, who has served as deputy provost for almost three years. Wales announced his intention to step down -- effective Dec. 31, 1994 -- last April. But he agreed not to vacate the position until the deputy provost search committee, headed by History Professor Richard Dunn, completed its work. Dunn said the committee gave Chodorow six potential nominees for the deputy provost's job, all of whom were "really excellent" but in different ways. "I think he's a very good choice," Dunn said, explaining that Wachter's connections to the Law School, Wharton School and School of Arts and Sciences will be invaluable in helping to coordinate the University's long-term plans across school lines. "He's wonderful," Chodorow said, referring to Wachter. "He was a classmate of mine at Cornell, but we didn't know each other very well there. He's terrific, he's a great guy." Chodorow also praised Wachter's "analytic mind" and cognizance of crucial budgetary issues, adding that the bulk of Wachter's time as deputy provost will be spent on academic planning, rather than on personnel issues. However, Chodorow said he plans to create a position in the Provost's Office to handle personnel, policy and faculty members' individual issues, tasks which used to be handled by the University's associate provost. Wales agreed with Chodorow's assessment of his successor. "I think he'll be great," Wales said, adding that he will probably increase his teaching load when he returns to the classroom full-time this fall. Wachter, who has been at the University since 1969, became the director of the University's Institute for Law and Economics in 1984. He has published more than 100 scholarly papers and book chapters, and is a member of the American Law and Economic Association and the Industrial Relations Research Association, among others. Wachter could not be reached for comment yesterday.
(03/22/95 10:00am)
A change in the University of Pennsylvania Student Federal Credit Union's funds-availability policy last month left a biomedical sciences doctoral student and her husband without any change to spare. Marc Turner and his wife Julie have a joint account at UPSFCU. He said last night that in 1991, they opened the account because the organization's fee structure was lower than those advertised by competing city banks. But according to Turner, UPSFCU began holding out-of-state checks for five business days instead of just two on Feb. 22. He said he never received notice that the Credit Union's policy would be altered, and as a result bounced three checks to retailers that should have been covered by a Feb. 23 deposit. In addition, Julie Turner's stipend payments -- which are direct-deposited by the University -- were taking an extra day to clear, her husband said. "That's sort of check-kiting [because] they're getting the interest for the deposit," he added. "The money is in your account but it's not available to you." Credit union officials, however, maintain that the policy adjustment was made to insure UPSFCU's compliance with National Credit Union Association regulations. By law, banks are permitted to hold funds for up to five business days following deposit, although many banks in the area have a two-day turnaround time. Wharton junior Deborah Scharf, UPSFCU chief financial officer, said last night that all customers were made aware of the policy revisions at least 30 days in advance through information mailed with their monthly statements. Signs explaining the new policy were also posted at UPSFCU's office in Houston Hall, she said. "If there are any problems, they're being dealt with by member services representatives," Scharf added. Account executives are telephoning customers involved in cases like the Turners' on a case-by-case basis. But the Turners said the situation has not yet been resolved to their satisfaction. "Out of a $400 deposit, they took $100" in non-sufficient funds fees, Marc Turner said. The couple has written to the National Credit Union Association, which has given UPSFCU until April 21 to respond to their complaint. University President Judith Rodin has also promised to look into the matter, Turner said.
(03/21/95 10:00am)
University President Judith Rodin will be in Harrisburg today, meeting with legislative leaders and Governor Tom Ridge's budget director to discuss the University's state appropriation for fiscal year 1996. Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman, who is accompanying Rodin to the state capital, said the president's conversations will focus on funding for the Veterinary School and state financial aid for undergraduates who are also Pennsylvania residents. Scheman said the Vet School is recognized as the best school of its kind worldwide, in terms of faculty expertise, publication in respected journals and student aptitude. "It's really an extraordinary school and it needs more stability in funding," Scheman added. Currently, the Vet School receives less than 20 percent of its budget from the state, the smallest appropriation given by any state across the country for a veterinary school. Combined with the relative lack of state funding, the Vet School's steep tuition costs have forced many qualified state residents to obtain their education in animal husbandry elsewhere.
