It's getting even harder to earn an MBA from Wharton. Or from anywhere else. Local and international applications to MBA programs are rising steadily due to a stronger economy and more company demands for management degrees, the Graduate Management Admissions Council reported in August.

The Kelly Writers house chose a number of respected writers and artists as Writers House Fellows for the sprting semester, according to a University press release. Art Spiegelman, Lynne Sharon Schwartz and Jerome Rothenberg will all visit campus as part of the program.

Convicted sex felon and former Marketing professor Scott Ward is still under investigation for additional child-pornography charges in Pennsylvania, prosecutors said last week. Ward is being sought in Pennsylvania after authorities found a CD of child pornography and other explicit material in his Huntsman Hall office last August.

Two armed robberies that appear to be related occurred on the west edge of the Penn Patrol zone Monday night, according to the Division of Public Safety. Both incidents involved Penn students. At about 9:30 p.m., one male student and one male unaffiliated with the University were robbed by three males on bicycles while walking in the area of 42nd and Ludlow streets.

Most Wharton undergrads take their summer jobs and turn them into a career. Nathaniel Stevens took his summer job and turned it into his own company. Stevens is the founder and president of Yodle, a fast-growing company that helps small businesses increase profits through Internet advertising.

By Helen yoon Staff Writer wonhee@sas.upenn.edu With 200 events and 180,000 visitors a year, the University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is much more than a place for freshmen toga parties. Newly hired Director Richard Hodges served as a field archaeologist with 40 years of experience under his belt.

An electrical fire occurred late Monday night, blowing out the power on some of the houses on the 4100 block of Walnut Street. Division of Public Safety spokesman Jared Hupp said the arcing of power lines on the block caused a pole to catch fire. Philadelphia Fire Department were called and secured the area while PECO de-energized the electrical lines so that firefighters could extinguish it.

Forty-five months. That's how long the Class of 2011 has to prove that they "truly rule," Penn President Amy Gutmann said last night at Convocation. Gutmann officially welcomed the incoming class and transfer students out on a majestically lit College Green during the annual ceremony.

Theft Aug. 28 - Two juveniles were arrested by the Penn Police for allegedly attempting to remove secured bicycles from a bike rack at 415 Curie Blvd. by cutting the locks at about 1:45 p.m. Aug. 28 - A male unaffiliated with the University reported that an offender broke into his secured vehicle and removed his GPS device at about 5:30 a.

Keith Devine, a former Huntsman Hall Au Bon Pain employee who was wanted in connection with a March 25 murder, has been apprehended. Devine, 26, was arrested by the Philadelphia Police on August 16. He faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy to engage in murder and other offenses related to the March shooting death of Jovonne Stelly on the 5800 block of Pentridge Street.

The sudden vacancy of the dean of admissions post has led to a temporary replacement: Eric Kaplan. Kaplan, who used to work as the University's Associate Secretary, managing academic programs like Convocation and Commencement, will serve as dean through the end of this academic year, when Penn hopes to name a more permanent replacement.

A string of robberies and assaults committed by juveniles occurred on and near campus at the beginning of July. Police credit an increased presence with ending the crime wave quickly. Juveniles allegedly committed two robberies, three assaults, an indecent assault and a theft in the Penn patrol zone between July 3 and July 10.

The School of Veterinary Medicine announced last week the opening of the new Rosenthal Imaging and Treatment Center at its veterinary hospital. "We are very excited about the opening of the Commonwealth's only oncology and imaging facility devoted entirely to veterinary medicine," Veterinary School Dean Joan Hendricks.

In an abrupt turn, Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson has announced that he has resigned from his post, effective immediately. He has been replaced on an interim basis by Eric Kaplan, who served as the Dean of Admissions at Lehigh University from 2003 to 2006.

Following a large-scale, six-month search that ended in late June, Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Ron Daniels announced that Thomas Robertson will become the dean of the Wharton School.

Martin Meyerson, Penn's sixth president, died of prostate cancer June 2 at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. He was 84. Meyerson, who served as president from 1970 to 1981, saw Penn through a severe fiscal crisis and set about uniting a sometimes fractious faculty and student body.

When told about the University's newest e-mail service, College junior Max Glass looked a little puzzled. "Penn Live?" he asked. "What is that?" Glass isn't alone in his confusion. Penn Live, the Microsoft-run e-mail server that will eventually completely replace the oft-maligned Webmail server for School of Arts and Sciences and Wharton students, was released to students this summer.