Trustees
Winter Meeting Coverage
At
the winter meeting of the Trustees, a resolution was passed to
amend the Bylaws of Penn Medicine to include the Provost, the
EVP, and the Chairman of the Board of Overseers of the School
of Nursing as ex-officio members of the Penn Medicine Board and
to not include the EVP in the Executive Committee.
A
resolution of appreciation for trustee Lawrence A. Weinbach conveyed
gratitude for service to Penn, as he steps down and moves to the
President's Circle.
To
reflect Penn's long-term commitment, the Trustees adopted "in
principle and practice" a statement on diversity.
Three
new term trustees were elected effective June 20, 2002: Wendy
Evans Joseph, J. Peter Skirkanich and Mark O. Winkelman.
President
Judith Rodin spoke about the late Dr. Jonathan E. Rhoads noting
that he was able to see the enormous esteem in which he was held.
A memorial resolution for Dr. Rhoads was passed to share "abiding
gratitude for his dedication and service throughout the years."
Dr.
Rodin introduced Dr. Afaf I. Meleis who was officially appointed
as dean of the School of Nursing. Dean Susan Furhman was then
reappointed as dean of GSE for a five-year term effective July
1. Pedro Ramos was appointed vice president and chief of staff.
Dr. Rodin mentioned that she, the provost, and the EVP have launched
an International Development tour to "share the exciting results
of the Agenda for Excellence."
Provost
Robert Barchi gave an update on Nursing and SEAS. He thanked Dr.
Neville Strumpf for "the excellent job" she did as interim dean
and welcomed Dr. Meleis. He also mentioned that several nursing
faculty have been honored lately. SEAS has added a dozen new faculty
members this year, many in CIS and bioengineering.
EVP John Fry presented the financial report for the first six
months of this fiscal year: the University's total net assets
were $4.577 billion, a decrease of .04% since June 30, 2001. This
is partly the result of a net loss on investments of $9.6 million,
non-operating contributions of $30.5 million and income distributed
for operations under the AIF spending rule exceeded earned investment
income by $17.7 million. There were lower utility expenses ($4.3
million reduction) due to favorable weather and successful conservation
efforts.
Dean
Arthur Rubenstein said the first meeting of the Penn Med Board
will be in April. He said that the Health System's financial performance
is positive and he has "cautious optimism." He said Dr. Robert
Martin deserves credit for this turnaround.
The
Academic Policy committee proposed two resolutions, which were
passed, to establish a department of medical ethics in the School
of Medicine and to merge the departments of electrical engineering
and systems engineering into electrical and systems engineering.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
was appointed as independent accountant for FY 2002.
The
Budget and Finance committee presented six resolutions which were
all passed including the design and renovation of CMK building
interior at New Bolton Center for Veterinary Medicine ($2.1 million);
acquisition of Hillel properties on 36th Street and transactions
related to Hillel's new facility; design and construction for
the completion of Instructional Technology Infrastructure for
Huntsman Hall ($2.5 million); the Law School's renovation and
expansion of Roberts Hall ($3.6 million). Design and construction
of the Hamilton College House renovation ($26.5 million), the
first phase of this six-year project includes elevators, sprinklers,
fire alarm systems, and landscaping.
The
External Affairs committee discussed some of the topics presently
concerning the Commonwealth Affairs such as the state appropriation,
medical malpractice, the tobacco settlement, stem cell research
and the gubernatorial race.
Facilities
and Campus Planning committee said that there are now proposed
design guidelines which will be published to solicit comment from
the University community.
The
Development committee said the first half of the year is on target
with several major gifts.
The
Investment Board said that the endowment appreciated, outperforming
the stock portfolio.
The
Neighborhood Initiatives committee expressed their support for
Penn's economic inclusion program.
The
Student Life committee reported that the new Graduate Student
Center has been strongly utilized; dining options for the coming
year are being evaluated as well as student health insurance.
The
Alumni Report noted that the Gazette is celebrating its
Centennial this year and there is a new alumni website.