Tuesday,
February 22, 2000
Volume 46
Number 22
www.upenn.edu/almanac/

New Leadership Team for Health System: Peter Traber and Arthur Asbury

A new leadership team has been named for the Health System, according to an announcement on Thursday by President Judith Rodin.

She said that Dr. Peter G. Traber, chair of the department of medicine, has agreed to become the interim dean of the School of Medicine and CEO of the Medical Center and the Health System until "we undertake a thorough, formal search for permanent leadership."

Dr. Traber will take the place of Dr. William N. Kelley, who has been dean of the School and CEO of the Medical Center and its Health System for the past decade. Dr. Kelley, who will remain a distinguished member of the faculty of the School, also has been asked by the University, in his role as Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, to take on "a vital and expanded role in the increasingly complex and volatile realm of national health care policy that has had such a pervasive impact on UPHS and other academic medical centers across the country," Dr. Rodin said. She said that Dr. Kelley is still considering this important new assignment.

Dr. Traber will report to Dr. Rodin and Provost Robert L. Barchi, and " exercise the same full authority over Health System operations that Bill Kelley has in the past," Dr. Rodin said. Dr. Traber, the Frank Wister Thomas Professor of Medicine, is "an exceptional researcher and clinician whose knowledge of UPHS is broad and deep," she said. "He has our full confidence."

Assisting Dr. Traber will be Dr. Arthur K. Asbury, the Van Meter Emeritus Professor of Neurology, who has agreed to assume the position of deputy dean of the School. A member of the Penn faculty since 1974, Dr. Asbury has been a senior vice dean of the School, past chair of the department of neurology, acting dean of the School and acting executive vice president of the Medical Center.

Dr. Rodin added that Robert Martin will continue as chief operating officer of the Health System, "and we will continue to rely heavily on the great talent, judgment and energy he has demonstrated so clearly over the past year."

The University also confirmed that David Hunter, president and CEO of the Hunter Group, has agreed to provide "regular advice and consultation as UPHS continues to implement its rigorous remediation plan."

Dr. Rodin emphasized that the change is being made to provide the best possible leadership team for the Health System as it faces the challenges of the present and the future.

"Academic medical centers like ours face enormous financial challenges today," she said. "This is not a time of expansion. Rather, it is a time requiring integration, tight fiscal management and a highly strategic focus on investments.

"I am delighted that after looking closely within our Health System, we found the members of a new leadership team that will provide the very strong direction we need," she said. "The Health System is full of hundreds of world-class faculty, researchers and hospital staff. We are fortunate to have such a great wealth of talent to draw on.

"The Health System continues to face serious challenges in the days and months ahead," Dr. Rodin continued. "We are confident," she said, "that Drs. Traber and Asbury, Mr. Martin, the clinical chairs and the many talented men and women in the Health System management group will provide the best combination of skills to accomplish our goals and ensure a bright future."

Granoff Forum: President Clinton

President Clinton will deliver an address on The New Economy at the inaugural program of the University's Granoff Forum on Thursday, February 24, at 3 p.m. in Irvine Auditorium. Admission is by invitation only.

"We are very pleased that the President has accepted our invitation to be the first speaker in this exciting new program at Penn," said Penn President Judith Rodin. "President Clinton's participation underscores our commitment to providing a broad perspective on the critical issues of the new century. We are especially pleased that this new forum will enable our students to come in contact with some of the brightest and most influential minds of our day."

The Granoff Forum was recently established in SAS by alumnus Michael Granoff, C'80. The forum is designed to offer leading decision-makers an opportunity to discuss key issues of the day with faculty and students at Penn.

"The Granoff Forum is a wonderful addition to SAS's emphasis on interdisciplinary programs that prepare students for leadership on a global scale," said Dean Samuel H. Preston. "The Granoff Forum will be a catalyst for new ideas that will help shape economic, social and political development in this new century."

The Forum is a joint offering of the SAS International Relations Program, the Christopher H. Browne Center for International Politics and the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies.

Michael Granoff, president, CEO and founder of Pomona Capital, a venture capital group with offices in New York, Tokyo and London, said "A global perspective is perhaps the most critical element of a stable future. I think Penn, with its research mission and its liberal arts core, is the right place to lead in the development of such a perspective."


Ending the PSAS Sit In

On February 14, Penn Students Against Sweatshops presented President Rodin with what she called "a thoughtful, practical proposal." She said it offered considerable evidence that PSAS was willing to join the committee process and work with Penn to resolve the important issues of a code of conduct for licensees of Penn apparel and a monitoring system for their manufacturers. The agreement is below and the President's letter to the FLA is also in this issue [click here].

Agreement to End Sit-In

February 15, 2000

University of Pennsylvania President Judith Rodin and PSAS agree that Penn is immediately and publicly withdrawing its membership in the Fair Labor Association including terminating payments to the organization (if they are ongoing). This is a withdrawal of membership, not a suspension of membership, in that should Penn decide to re-affiliate with the FLA in the future, Penn will be initiating the process from the beginning. The two parties agree that the University Ad-Hoc Committee on Sweatshop Labor will submit a recommendation to the President regarding with which, if any, monitoring organization(s) Penn should affiliate. Only after this committee issues its recommendation will President Rodin consider rejoining the FLA. The agreement to withdraw from the FLA and to have the committee offer a recommendation will be reported in Almanac.

President Rodin will send a letter to the Fair Labor Association announcing Penn's withdrawal and termination of payments, give PSAS a copy of the letter and release it publicly. After receiving and approving these documents, PSAS will vacate the President's office.

PSAS agrees that the University Ad-Hoc Committee will proceed with making a recommendation regarding with which, if any, monitoring group or groups Penn should affiliate itself. The committee will continue in its current form; changes in the committee structure or membership must be approved by PSAS. PSAS will participate fully and with good faith in the committee process.

   Miriam Joffe-Block,Coordinator, PSAS    Dr. Judith Rodin, President  

Almanac, Vol. 46, No. 22, February 22, 2000

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