Speaking Out
More on Salary Increases
With respect to Rick Wexler's letter in Almanac September 29 and John Fry's response to it:
Mr. Fry does not address Mr. Wexler's point of the fairness of disproportionate salary increases. Since the rest of use are held to 3-4%, why are President Rodin and Mr. Fry eligible for such generous increases?
The DP may have misquoted John Fry's words about his salary increase, but actions speak louder than words. If Mr. Fry were interested in equity, perhaps he would have declined such an increase.
--Cheryl Shipman, Administrative Assistant, Benjamin Franklin Scholars Program
Ed. Note: A response has been invited for this or a subsequent issue.
Academic Careers' 10th Year
We've just completed the Tenth Annual Academic Career Conference, co-sponsored by Career Planning and Placement and the Vice Provost for Graduate Education. This year eight sessions drew a combined audience of 370 doctoral students and postdocs, our highest attendance ever. Faculty and academic administrators from across the University, this year as in previous years, have been generous in sharing their time and insight on academic careers.
This year, as always, students have been profusely grateful for this opportunity to hear perspectives from a variety of disciplines. We want to take the opportunity to thank all those in the University community who have contributed to the richness of this important series. We'd also like to thank Almanac for its unwavering help in publicizing the series to the Penn community.
-- Mary Morris Heiberger and Julie Miller Vick, Career Services
-- Janice F. Madden, Vice Provost for Graduate Education
Speaking Out welcomes reader contributions. Short, timely letters on University issues can be accepted by Thursday at noon for the following Tuesday's issue, subject to right-of-reply guidelines. Advance notice of intention to submit is appreciated.--Ed.
Almanac, Vol. 45, No. 8, October 20, 1998