April 3, 2018 Volume 64 Issue 29

Mark Wolff will become the next Morton Amsterdam Dean of Dental Medicine at Penn Dental Medicine, effective July 1, 2018.  Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Wendell Pritchett announced the appointment last Thursday. They described Dr. Wolff as “a celebrated teacher, a globally engaged scholar and deeply experienced clinician.” He is now professor and chair of cariology and comprehensive care at the College of Dentistry at New York University and also the College’s senior associate dean for development and alumni relations. “Among his many notable successes, he has demonstrated the many ways in which integrating patient care, educational experiences and research programs advance core strategic goals, strengthen faculty and student culture and better link the mission of dental schools with local and global partners and communities,” President Gutmann added.

Dr. Wolff’s career “is notable for his commitment to superb clinical practice as well as excellence in scholarship, education, and community engagement. Since joining NYU in 2005, he has brought bold and innovative thinking to the world’s largest dental school,” added Provost Pritchett. 

As chair of comprehensive care, Dr. Wolff has led a diverse group of more than 400 faculty and staff with outstanding results: student pass rates on national boards are at near perfect levels and more than $20 million in research programs have been completed under his leadership.  He designed and implemented the world’s largest electronic dental health record and fully-digital imaging system. He has also increased inter-professional educational opportunities for NYU dental students by creating an integrated case seminar series that brings dental students together with students in dental hygiene, social work, nutrition science and nursing.  He led a school-wide initiative to emphasize duty, altruism and community service as foundational components of the educational program. Also notable is his commitment to local and global engagement: He developed a community-based educational program that assures each dental student an opportunity to work in under-served communities throughout New York and has also served the world’s most vulnerable patients with specially designed clinical programs for survivors of torture and other crimes against humanity. 

As a faculty member at Stony Brook University for more than two decades before moving to NYU, he revolutionized that institution’s dental education program by pioneering a disease-based curriculum for first-year students that focused on prevention and wellness alongside interventions and procedures. Dr. Wolff also streamlined and strengthened patient care, including the design and adoption of the first 100% paperless clinical record at any dental school in the nation.  

A Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry, Dr. Wolff has authored or co-authored 80 original articles as well as 20 books and chapters. Since beginning his career, he has also mentored more than 100 dental students in research who have presented 75 papers at the American Association and/or International Association of Dental Research.  He has delivered invited lectures across the U.S. and the world and has received significant, long-term support for his scholarly activities, including from the National Institutes of Health, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and corporate and industry partners. He served as chair of the American Dental Education Association’s Council of Sections, as president of the American Association of Oral Biologists and as both secretary and councilor of the American Association of Dental Schools’ Oral Biology and Cariology sections.

The selection of Dr. Wolff as the next Dean of Penn Dental Medicine successfully concludes a global search to identify a successor to Interim Dean Dana Graves, who has served since January 1, 2018.  The president and provost expressed their great appreciation to Dr. Graves for his service in this vitally important role.  He succeeded Denis Kinane, whose dedicated leadership of Penn Dental Medicine from 2009-2017 contributed invaluably to the School’s eminence and sustainability in education, research and clinical service. 

Dr. Wolff has always loved his work and believed in dental medicine because dentists help make people smile.

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is pleased to announce that William P. Lauder, W’83, has committed $4 million to endow the William P. Lauder Wharton Leadership Fellows Program. Mr. Lauder is a member of the University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees, the Lauder Institute Board of Governors, the Wharton Leadership Advisory Board and a lecturer in the Wharton School.

Wharton Leadership Fellows are a community of second-year MBA students who mentor, coach and support first-year students in developing their potential and strengthening their performance as learning teams. Over the course of 15 months, the fellows receive intensive leadership development opportunities that first focus on enhancing their own abilities and then transition to hands-on experience building those skills in others. Fellows play a critical role in strengthening team dynamics, providing feedback, addressing conflict and coaching individual growth and development.

“I have always believed that great leaders are also great teachers, coaches and mentors,” said Mr. Lauder, who serves as executive chairman of The Estée Lauder Companies. “That’s what I expect of leaders at The Estée Lauder Companies, and what I hope to model for MBA students. I’ve been fortunate to have many extraordinary mentors in my career—my father Leonard A. Lauder, W’54, chief among them—and I’ve been consistently impressed by the ways in which Wharton Leadership Fellows enhance and contribute to the learning culture at Wharton. I am thrilled to support this outstanding program’s continued growth and evolution.”

This gift continues the Lauder family’s longstanding commitment to supporting education and the Penn community—from the Lauder Institute, to student fellowships, to numerous capital projects, including the recently completed New College House at 3335 Woodland Walk—and enriching the Penn experience for future generations of students.

“William Lauder’s contributions to the Penn community extend far beyond his generous financial support,” said Penn President Amy Gutmann. “William is an active presence on campus, sharing his time and insight with our students enrolled in his popular MBA course and providing exceptional advice and guidance to University leadership as a member of the Penn Board of Trustees. William’s investment in the Wharton community is a deeply personal one, and he has been an extraordinary asset to our students over the years as a teacher, mentor and role model. I look forward to watching the William P. Lauder Wharton Leadership Fellows Program flourish under his stewardship.”

Income from the endowment will provide sustainable resources to select, train and support the Wharton Leadership Fellows in their work with first-year MBA students. Mr. Lauder’s gift will also bring a new one-day leadership symposium to the William P. Lauder Wharton Leadership Fellows Program dedicated to exploring leadership principles in action.

“William embodies the core Wharton value of empowering leaders to change the world and we are deeply honored by his decision to endow the William P. Lauder Wharton Leadership Fellows Program,” said Wharton Dean Geoff Garrett. “The Leadership Fellows Program is a jewel in the Wharton MBA crown providing life-changing experiences for countless students. With William’s partnership, the program’s reach and impact will grow exponentially.”

Mr. Lauder is already known as an innovator among the Wharton faculty. The course he created and teaches, MGMT 892: Decision Making in the Leadership Chair, now in its sixth year, brings renowned business and civic leaders into the classroom each week to share lessons from their careers with second-year MBA students. In 2014, Mr. Lauder was recognized by his fellow faculty members with the Teaching Commitment and Curricular Innovation Award for the by-application course, which consistently ranks among the school’s most popular electives.

“I have had the privilege of working with William for the past decade on various programs for senior leaders through our Executive Education partnership, and on his outstanding course, Decision Making in the Leadership Chair,” said Michael Useem, director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management and the William and Jacalyn Egan Professor of Management at Wharton. “William’s passion for teaching and love of learning are second to none, and his insight and experience as a leader of a global company make him the ideal sponsor for the Wharton Leadership Fellows Program. I am pleased to partner with him to continue building this signature program for future generations of leaders.”

“I am grateful to Professor Mike Useem, McNulty Leadership Program Executive Director Jeff Klein and their teams for their tremendous work launching and nurturing this program over the past 19 years,” said Mr. Lauder. “I look forward to continuing to work with them and with the fellows to bring new ideas, insights and opportunities to the program, and to supporting exceptional leadership at Wharton and beyond.”

Mr. Lauder, son of Leonard and Evelyn Lauder and grandson of Estée and Joseph Lauder, has served as Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Directors at The Estée Lauder Companies since 2009. He previously served as CEO, expanding the Company’s international presence and distribution channels and greatly strengthening its brand portfolio. He also serves as chairman of the board for the Fresh Air Fund and as co-chairman of the board of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, among other board memberships.

The Perelman School of Medicine announces this year’s teaching awards as follows:

The Leonard Berwick Memorial Teaching Award

Ebbing Lautenbach is the Robert Austrian Professor of Medicine, professor of epidemiology and a senior scholar in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB). He is also the chief of the division of infectious diseases within the department of medicine and an attending physician at HUP. In this role, he teaches medical students, residents and clinical fellows in infectious diseases. Dr. Lautenbach also serves as the associate director of the clinical epidemiology unit within the CCEB, a role in which he provides primary oversight of the center’s graduate educational programs. For more than 10 years, he was course director and primary instructor for Critical Appraisal of the Medical Literature. He created and directed the advanced course Epidemiological Research Methods in Infectious Diseases. His unique ability to engage and inspire students at all stages of training has been consistently remarkable. His skill at integrating the basic science of epidemiology with clinical medicine, with a particular focus on the field of infectious diseases, has been extraordinary. His clear passion for teaching and mentoring has made him a role model for countless trainees. One of his fellows stated, “Dr. Lautenbach has in just three years been instrumental in shaping my career and I am incredibly grateful for his mentorship.”

This award was established in 1980-1981 as a memorial to Leonard Berwick by his family and the department of pathology to recognize “a member of the medical faculty who in his or her teaching effectively fuses basic science and clinical medicine.” It is intended that this award recognize persons who are outstanding teachers, particularly among the School’s younger faculty.

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching (at an Affiliated Hospital)

This year, there are five recipients of this award.

Katherine Lord is an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics and the inpatient medical director of the endocrinology service at CHOP. After completing her pediatric endocrinology fellowship at CHOP, she took a faculty position at the hospital. As inpatient medical director and endocrine hospitalist, Dr. Lord works closely with fellows, residents and medical students, and her teaching consistently receives high marks from trainees. A resident wrote: “Dr. Lord is first and foremost a gracious and approachable teacher. She is a passionate teacher who truly wants residents to learn and to get the most out of a rotation. I believe that Dr. Lord stands out among physicians at CHOP for her ability to teach as well as her investment in the residents’ education.”

Lauren Elman is an associate professor of neurology who specializes in neuromuscular medicine. She completed her neurology residency and neuromuscular fellowship at Penn.  Dr. Elman is active in both pre-clinical and clinical teaching. She served as the neurology block director for “Brain and Behavior” for eight years and continues to take an active role in the course. A former student stated, “The example she sets has strongly influenced my development as a physician, as it has for countless of my peers.”

Kirstin Knox is an assistant professor of clinical medicine at HUP and the VA. Dr. Knox served as an intern and resident in internal medicine at Penn before joining the division of general internal medicine as a hospitalist in 2012. Dr. Knox enjoys teaching students and residents at HUP and the VA, and is especially interested in teaching history taking,physical exam and communication skills. In addition to her passion for clinical teaching, Dr. Knox is committed to care of vulnerable and high-risk patient populations. She developed and now serves as medical director of the HUP Hospitalist High Utilizer Program, a multidisciplinary program working to increase continuity, streamline care and address underlying drivers of readmission for the most frequently admitted patients on the hospitalist service. A former trainee stated that, “Dr. Knox is a phenomenal educator and clinician and was by far the best attending that I worked with as a medical student….There is not another physician at Penn that I feel more deserving of this teaching award.”

Moyna H. Ng came to Penn and joined the faculty in the department of general internal medicine in the section of hospital medicine in 2014. She is an assistant professor of clinical medicine, specializing in medical consultation at Good Shepherd Penn Partners—The Penn Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine. A former trainee described her as “a truly amazing educator. She motivates us to improve and always provides real-time constructive feedback. She is knowledgeable, approachable and honest—a true gem.” Another trainee noted, “Her teaching style is energetic and versatile.She excels at bedside teaching as well as ‘chalk and talk’ and more formal conference lectures. Her passion for teaching is evident in her daily interactions, from routine patient rounds to complex consultations—she always manages to get a teaching point across.”

Douglas Pugliese finished his dermatology residency training at Penn in 2012 and stayed on as a faculty member. Dr. Pugliese teaches medical students, family medicine residents and internal medicine residents in the outpatient general dermatology clinic. He is very involved in teaching dermatology residents on the inpatient dermatology service and at the Penn Wound Center at PPMC, where he has a specialty clinic diagnosing and treating lower extremity ulcers. He participates yearly in the DERM 200 medical student course and the introductory to clinical medicine course and coordinates several recurring lecture series to medical students and primary care residents. One former trainee stated that “Dr. Pugliese is an exemplary teacher who exhibits endless enthusiasm for learning. His lectures are comprehensive, cutting edge and accessible at the same time.”

Established in 1987, this award recognizes clinical teaching excellence and commitment to medical education by outstanding faculty members from affiliated hospitals.  One or more Dean’s Awards are made annually, the recipients being selected on the advice of a committee composed of faculty and students.

The Robert Dunning Dripps Memorial Award for Excellence in Graduate Medical Education

Claudia Baldassano is a PSOM assistant professor of psychiatry and director of the Bipolar Resident Outpatient Program. Dr. Baldassano is an integral part of the residency and clinical program. As a quintessential clinician, she is known for her compassion and dedication to patients, students, residents and other trainees. According to one resident, “Dr. Baldassano showcases the nuanced knowledge we should have as specialists. Furthermore, she goes beyond rote repetition of facts and spends the time to teach residents how to read and interpret the literature as they go forward in their careers.” Another resident noted, “During patient emergencies or unexpected disruptive behavior from patients in clinic, she has been unflappable. She is a model of professionalism, and provides a calm, supportive presence for all residents in the clinic. She is personable and concerned for the well-being of every patient under her care and every resident under her mentorship.”

James M. Schuster is associate professor of neurosurgery, neurosurgery residency program director and chief of the neurosurgery service at PPMC.  He has been a faculty member in the department of neurosurgery since 2001.  His areas of emphasis include spinal oncology, spinal and cranial trauma and fly tying/fishing. A former trainee stated, “He is an exemplar of humanistic care, which is sadly uncommon among surgeons.”

This award was established by the department of anesthesia in 1983-1984. As a pioneer in the specialty of anesthesia and chair of the department from 1943 to 1972, Dr. Dripps was instrumental in the training of more than 300 residents and fellows, many of whom went on to chair other departments. This award is to recognize excellence as an educator of residents and fellows in clinical care, research, teaching or administration.

Blockley-Osler Award

Sami Khella is clinical professor of neurology at Penn. After graduating from Penn Medicine and training in neurology and neuromuscular diseases at HUP, Dr. Khella joined the medical staff at PPMC, where he is currently chief of neurology and director of clinical electrophysiology. A former resident stated, “At each stage of my training and career as a neurologist, Dr. Khella has been a role model as a physician, teacher and scientist. He has strongly influenced my own practice of clinical neurology.”

Created in 1987 by the Blockley Section of the Philadelphia College of Physicians, this award is given annually to a member of the faculty at an affiliated hospital for excellence in teaching modern clinical medicine at the bedside in the tradition of Dr. William Osler and others who taught at Philadelphia General Hospital.

The Scott Mackler Award for Excellence in Substance Abuse Teaching

Yu-Heng Guo is a clinical assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at PSOM. He provides the core inpatient psychiatry experience in addiction training as an attending psychiatrist at the VA, where he trains medical students, nursing students, psychiatry residents and addiction psychiatry fellows. Dr. Guo emphasizes understanding the patient’s culture, developmental history, family history and upbringing in order to “treat the patient, not the illness.” His teaching style involves supervision not only in the psychopharmacology, but also in psychological interventions. He has a very hands-on approach and often models collaboration with different departments and disciplines. He also tries to include families as much as possible. A medical student stated, “It is this kind of dedication to teaching both medicine and humanism that made Dr. Guo stand out among faculty members.”

This award was established in 2000 by the Penn/VA Center for Studies of Addiction and the department of psychiatry. Dr. Mackler was known for his excellence in teaching medical students, residents, post-doctoral fellows, nurses and other Penn faculty in many different departments in the area of substance abuse.

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Basic Science Teaching

Theodore (Ted) D. Satterthwaite is an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at PSOM. Dr. Satterthwaite completed his residency training in adult psychiatry and a neuropsychiatry fellowship at PSOM, where he joined the faculty in 2014. His laboratory uses multi-modal imaging techniques in concert with machine learning and network science tools to understand both normal patterns of brain development and how abnormalities of brain development are associated with diverse forms of psychopathology. One of his medical students stated that, “Dr. Satterthwaite possesses an unparalleled passion for teaching and is able to share knowledge in a manner that is accessible, clear and high-energy.”

This award was established in 1987 to recognize teaching excellence and commitment to medical student teaching in the basic sciences. One or more Dean’s Awards are made annually, the recipients being selected on the advice of a committee composed of faculty and students.

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Medical Student Teaching by an Allied Health Professional

Robert Broudy has been an outpatient psychotherapist both via community mental health centers and in private practice, and is a psychiatric social worker at Pennsylvania Hospital’s Inpatient Psychiatric Unit. His duties have been social work assessments of inpatients; contact and psychoeducation with patient families; collaboration with outpatient clinicians, case managers and residential counselors; and referrals to outpatient and residential providers if those services are not in place. A large part of his teaching approach is informal sharing with psychiatry residents and medical students of his experience-related observations and knowledge of the mental health system; as well as family interventions and the range of disposition issues and options provided by the Behavioral Health Systems. A former resident stated, “I can personally attest that Bob has been an irreplaceable figure in my education and development as a physician.”

Christy Moore is a sonographer educator in the department of emergency medicine at HUP and has been on staff there since October 2016, where she works under Dr. Wilma Chan, the PSOM director of ultrasound education. Her passion is working with medical students, residents and fellows teaching clinician-performed ultrasound. She has been recognized year after year for her excellence in medical education in point-of-care sonography. Ms. Moore is interested in evidence-based medical education and is an active researcher in the field. She is a published researcher and is currently coauthoring a textbook for medical education on clinician-performed ultrasound. A medical student stated that “Christy is an extraordinary teacher. Her teaching style is approachable, encouraging and inquisitive. Her ability to teach complex anatomy, pathology and mechanics to any level of learner is unparalleled.”

This award was established in 1996-1997 to recognize outstanding teaching by allied health professionals (e.g., nurses, physician’s assistants, emergency medical technicians). The recipients are  selected on the advice of a committee composed of faculty and students.

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching by Housestaff

Ashley Un is a fourth-year resident in psychiatry. She has enjoyed working with medical students throughout her residency. Dr. Un is a collaborative and thoughtful educator who is invested in the growth and development of medical students. She has been described as “enthusiastic, warm, and welcoming,” “an excellent instructor,” and “great at incorporating medical students into the team.” During her time as chief resident for medical student education, she has been actively involved in teaching medical students during their psychiatry clerkship rotation. She has participated in and assisted with the planning and implementation of small groups for the preclinical courses “Doctor-Patient”
and “Brain and Behavior;” contributed to the elective “Art, Observation, and Mental Illness;” and serves as a liaison for the medical student interest group PsychSIGN. She promotes active engagement of fellow residents in medical student education through recruitment, training and support. One of her colleagues stated, “I feel that the medical students are lucky to have exposure to such a talented educator and clinician.”

This award was established in 2015 to recognize clinical teaching excellence and commitment to medical education by outstanding housestaff. One award is made annually.  The recipient is selected on the advice of a committee composed of faculty and students.

The Special Dean’s Award

Mary Catherine (Mary Cay) Harris is a professor of pediatrics in the clinician-educator track at PSOM. She is a senior attending physician in the newborn intensive care unit at CHOP. In addition to her clinical and research roles, Dr. Harris has a passion for medical education and mentoring of medical students, residents and faculty. She was an advisory dean in the office of student affairs 2004-2017, where she advised and mentored numerous medical students. She also served as the chairman of the residency selection committee at CHOP. She has received considerable praise and appreciation for her dedication and commitment to her student advisees as well as her colleagues. One of her former advisees stated, “Thanks so much for your warmth, wisdom and kind words” and another said, “She is a wonderful mentor, advocate and friend…medical school is difficult, which makes people like you so crucial for students.”

Iris Reyes, professor of clinical emergency medicine at HUP, is also honored with this award. Dr. Reyes has served as an attending physician in the emergency department at HUP and PPMC since finishing her fellowship in 1990. Dr. Reyes is involved in the bedside and didactic teaching of emergency medicine residents and medical students. For more than a decade, she served as advisory dean for the office of student affairs. Currently, Dr. Reyes is the PSOM ombudsman. Dr. Reyes is a past-chair of the Medical Faculty Senate, past director of the sub-internship in emergency Medicine and is a board member of the Academy for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency medicine of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. Dr. Reyes’s passion for improving diversity in medical training and the need to improve the pipeline for under-represented minority faculty led to her founding the Alliance of Minority Physicians (AMP). Dr. Reyes is the faculty preceptor for the Minority Mentoring Sessions, the Medical Spanish Elective, Alianza Cubana and the Latino Medical Student Association of PSOM. One medical student stated that “Dr. Reyes does so much for students. She is always a thoughtful and patient teacher.”

Marc S. Levine is professor of radiology and chief of gastrointestinal radiology at PSOM. The education of Penn medical students has been one of the major focuses of Dr. Levine’s career since joining the faculty as a gastrointestinal radiologist in 1982. He has not only served as one of the primary lecturers in the “Radiology 300” course, but also has supervised an elective in GI radiology for senior medical students interested in radiology and has served as a mentor for students applying for residencies in diagnostic radiology for more than 30 years.

Dr. Levine has been particularly interested in teaching Penn medical students the art and science of clinical research and has collaborated with nearly 100 students on research projects published as original articles in scientific literature over the past 35 years. The Marc S. Levine, M.D., Award for Research in Radiologic Imaging was established in 2006. Dr. Levine was the PSOM Advisory Dean 2003-2017. He will be retiring from clinical practice in July but expects to continue his long relationship with Penn as professor emeritus of radiology. One former resident stated, “I can’t say enough good things about Dr. Levine. He is a pleasure to work with and a fantastic teacher.”

This award was established in 1989-1990 to recognize outstanding achievements in medical education by faculty members, particularly in the development of new, innovative educational programs. The Senior Vice Dean for Education, in consultation with the Teaching Awards Selection Committee, identifies unique contributions by the faculty, resulting in their receipt of this special honor.

Jane M. Glick Graduate Student Teaching Award

Toshinori Hoshi, professor of physiology, joined Penn in 2002. “It was obvious that Toshi had dedicated a lot of time and effort to prepare for his lectures and that meant a lot for us as learners; we always felt that he took his role very seriously,” said one student. And another: “I respect Dr. Hoshi for always encouraging me to delve deeper and showing me the importance of exploring further ideas to strengthen the investigation.”

E. James Petersson, associate professor of chemistry, joined Penn in 2008. From some of his students: “Dr. Petersson really impacted my life and has opened my eyes to the type of research I would like to do.” “Furthermore, it was through some of Dr. Petersson’s lectures that I became quite fond of the field of ion channels, which determined my third laboratory rotation choice and subsequently my thesis choice.”

This award was established in 2010 by the Glick family in remembrance of Dr. Jane Glick and her dedication to the Biomedical Graduate Studies (BGS) programs.  This year’s recipients have demonstrated a commitment to educating and training the next generation of scientists that exemplifies the type of scientist and educator Jane Glick represented.

Michael P. Nusbaum Graduate Student Mentoring Award

Amita Sehgal, John Herr Musser Professor in the department of neuroscience, has demonstrated dedication to mentoring students and guiding them in reaching their scholarly potential. One medical student stated that, “In short, Amita has created an environment where I have been able to develop on the path to being an independent scientist.”

Another noted, “Amita is not only a talented scientist but also a supportive mentor who clearly sees the success of her trainees as a top priority–and who is able to see ‘success’ not just as climbing the academic ladder, but as finding a balanced and personally fulfilling career.”

This award was established in 2017 to honor Michael “Mikey” Nusbaum as he stepped down from his role as associate dean for graduate education and director of biomedical graduate studies.

Medical Student Government Awards

Each year the graduating class honors one clinician and one basic scientist in recognition of their excellence in teaching. These awards are determined by a vote of the class.

MSG Clinical Teaching Award

Amy Pruitt is a professor of neurology and director of Medical Student Education for Neurology. She is described as “a treasure” and “a fantastic teacher and physician who is loved by all trainees at all levels.” She is known to include clinical anecdotes related to case studies, making the material more tangible. As one student said, “Dr. Pruitt is quite possibly the smartest person I have ever met. She is an incredible student educator and an expert at her craft.” Another said, “She has a unique ability to impart information in a way that makes it impossible to forget.” A third student said, “Fantastic, phenomenal, amazing, awesome—these are just a few adjectives that come to mind when describing Dr. Pruitt.” This is the fourth time Dr. Pruitt has received the MSG Clinical Teaching Award.  

MSG Basic Science Teaching Award

Robert Doms is the pathologist-in-chief at CHOP and a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine. Dr. Doms directs the Microbiology/Infectious Diseases course taught to the first-year medical students and gives most of the lectures in the class. He developed an innovative small-group teaching format in which hyperlinked slide decks are used to construct learning-trees. After being presented with a clinical case, students are faced with several options, each of which takes them down a different path.  Referred to by the students as “Choose Your Own Adventure,” this teaching format stresses decision-making and has now been adopted by many of the other pre-clinical courses at the School.

Benefits Open Enrollment is your annual opportunity to make changes to your healthcare elections. This year, Open Enrollment is Monday, April 23 through Friday, May 4. Penn Benefits provides you with a valuable range of options to help meet your particular needs. Now is a great time to begin considering if you want to make changes to your current healthcare coverage and which options will work best for you and your family in the coming plan year. Please note that this information applies to active full-time or part-time benefits-eligible faculty and staff only.

Plan Changes as of July 1, 2018

No Increase in Medical Rates

Medical rates for the 2018-2019 plan year will remain the same. The University of Pennsylvania’s medical health plans have seen favorable claims experience over the past year, which has enabled Penn to hold the medical rates flat for the upcoming year. Although the health care market in general has experienced approximately 6% medical cost inflation over the past few years, Penn’s plan costs have been much lower than the industry trend. Plan design changes, favorable claims experience, enhanced prescription drug management, wellness initiatives and better employee consumerism have resulted in this positive trend in cost. Faculty and staff enrolled in a medical plan will not see an increase in the 2018-2019 plan year. 

Fertility Benefits

Under the current benefit, candidates for in-vitro fertilization must have a proven history of their inability to conceive. Effective July 1, 2018, this benefit will put more emphasis on fertility rather than infertility, and candidates will no longer have to present a proven history of not being able to conceive.

A candidate for advanced reproductive benefits will have to exhaust less costly methods of conception such as artificial insemination, prior to their attempts with in-vitro fertilization. The new in-vitro fertilization process will benefit same sex couples as well as women without partners. They can receive two cycles per lifetime, per family, and at HUP only.

Penn Dental Changes Name

Penn Dental Plan is now Penn Family Plan. The dental provider has changed its name and their Bryn Mawr office will be moving to Berwyn in the summer 2018. The other offices are on Locust Walk and at 3737 Market Street.

2018-2019 Flexible Spending Account Limit

The IRS has increased the limit from $2,600 to $2,650. A flexible spending account is a special account where you set aside pre-tax dollars into an account to use for certain IRS eligible out-of-pocket healthcare costs.

Health Savings Account (HSA) Changes

For calendar year 2018, the IRS has announced a decrease in the HSA family maximum contribution by $50. The single contribution limit is not changing. For calendar year 2018, the annual limitation on deductions for family coverage will be $6,850. An HSA is a tax savings account that you can contribute to via payroll deductions and then use the money to offset the cost of care. An HSA requires enrollment in a High Deductible Health Plan.

Part-time Healthcare Benefits

Effective July 1, 2018, regular part-time faculty and staff will be eligible for Penn’s Aetna POS II Standard Plan (formerly called the ACA plan). The cost for single coverage will be subsidized by the University. This plan doesn’t require a primary care provider or referral and it has in-network or out-of-network coverage. The individual deductible is $900 and the family deductible is $2,000.

In addition, part-time faculty and staff will be eligible for a $50,000 Basic Life Insurance policy paid by the University, and Supplemental Life Insurance up to two times their benefits base salary.

This year part-time faculty and staff can also select Penn Family Plan and MetLife dental plans. Employees pay the full cost of coverage. Davis and VSP vision plans will continue to be offered.

ACA Eligible Benefits

Effective July 1, 2018, ACA-eligible faculty and staff can select the Aetna POS II Standard Plan (formerly called the ACA plan). The cost for single coverage will be subsidized by the University. ACA-eligible faculty and staff are also eligible for a $50,000 Basic Life Insurance policy paid by the University, and Supplemental Life Insurance up to two times their benefits base salary.

ACA-eligible faculty and staff can also select Penn Family Plan and MetLife dental plans. Employees pay the full cost of coverage. Davis and VSP vision plans are also offered, with employees paying the full cost for coverage.

When Are Changes Effective?

Changes made during Open Enrollment will be effective as of July 1, 2018. New rates for all plans will be reflected in your July 2018 paycheck.

Attend a Presentation

Learn details and ask questions at one of the upcoming presentations. Presentations will run for 45 minutes, followed by a Q&A session. The sessions will include detailed information about family-friendly benefits such as the advanced reproductive benefit.

Date                            Time                     Location

Tuesday, April 3            11a.m.-1 p.m.      Ben Franklin Room, Houston Hall

Wednesday, April 4       11a.m.-1 p.m      Ben Franklin Room, Houston Hall

Tuesday, April 10          11a.m.-1 p.m.     Terrace Room, Cohen Hall

Wednesday, April 11     noon-2 p.m.        Reunion Auditorium, John Morgan Building

Wednesday, April 11     noon-2 p.m.        Ben Franklin Room, Houston Hall

Attend a Fair

At the Wellness Fairs, representatives from Penn’s healthcare providers and administrators will be onsite to share information. Learn about medical plans, prescription drug coverage, dental plans, vision coverage, flexible spending accounts and the Penn Benefits Center. You can also take advantage of free health screenings and other wellness activities.

Date                         Time                       Location

Tuesday, April 24     10 a.m.–2 p.m.         Hall of Flags, Houston Hall

Thursday, April 26    10 a.m.–2 p.m.        New Bolton Center, Kennett Square

Penn Pharmacies

Did you know that you can use the Penn Medicine Pharmacies to obtain your specialty medications? A variety of delivery options are available. Penn Medicine Pharmacies have nine locations:

• Hospital of University of Pennsylvania Pharmacy, 3400 Spruce Street
• Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, 51 N. 39th Street, Medical Office Building
• Pennsylvania Hospital Outpatient Pharmacy, 800 Spruce Street
• Penn Medicine Radnor Outpatient Pharmacy, Radnor, PA
• Penn Presbyterian Apothecary, 3910 Powelton Ave., Basement CUPP
• Penn Medicine at University City, Apothecary, 3737 Market Street, Ground Floor
• Penn Home Infusion Therapy, King of Prussia, PA
• Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine Pharmacy, 3400 Civic Center Blvd., 101W
• Penn Medicine Valley Forge, Berwyn, PA

You can also continue to use CVS specialty medication programs.

Marion L. Bell, GSE’66, former associate director of the College of General Studies (CGS), died on March 11 in Walnut Creek, California. She was 88 years old.

Dr. Bell obtained her MA in history in 1968 and her PhD in 1974, both from Temple. She held teaching positions at several colleges and served as a general administrator for the National Institute on the Holocaust before coming to Penn in 1980 to serve as the assistant director for Special Programs. In 1985, she became the associate director of CGS (now LPS), where she remained until her retirement in 1996.

She is survived by her daughter, Susan Bell (GSE’92) and grandson, Alex.

 Benjamin Francis Rivell, a staff member of the  Computing and Educational Technology Services (CETS) at Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science since July 2014 and a student in the computer science masters program, died Tuesday, March 20 of an accidental drug overdose in Kensington. He was 28 years old.

Before joining Penn Engineering, Mr. Rivell, who grew up in Kennett Square, served in the Air National Guard and Air Force. He was deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2010, he served as a computer operator at Balad Air Base, in Iraq, before being honorably discharged.

Mr. Rivell is survived by his parents, William Howard Rivell and Laura Dean Douglas Rivell; sister, Grace; brother, Douglas; paternal grandmother, JoAn Rivell; and a large extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins.

Contributions in Mr. Rivell’s memory may be made to a Scholarship Fund with the Caron Foundation (www.caron.org).

Mary Jane (Jane) Williams (C’65), who served in various roles in development at Penn, died December 21, 2017. She was 74 years old.

Ms. Williams began her Penn career in 1969 in the alumni annual giving department. She left in 1971 but returned a decade later to join the department of development and University relations. She became the director of major gifts and then the assistant vice president of alumni relations, individual gifts, before leaving again in 1988. She subsequently returned to Penn as a consultant, serving as the acting director of development for the School of Medicine between full-time directors. She also served on Penn’s Women’s Athletic Board and chaired the Association of Alumnae.

Memorial contributions may be made to support the Rena Rowan Breast Center at the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Checks should be made payable to “Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania” and mailed to: Penn Medicine Development, Attn: Kathleen Hertkorn, 3535 Market St., Suite 750, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Put “Rena Rowan Breast Center” in the notes line of your check.

The following agenda is published in accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules. Any member of the standing faculty may attend SEC meetings and observe. Questions may be directed to Patrick Walsh, executive assistant to the Senate Office, either by telephone at (215) 898-6943 or by email at senate@pobox.upenn.edu

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

3-5 p.m.

Meyerson Conference Room (2nd Floor, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library)

1.    Approval of the Minutes of March 14, 2018, SEC meeting (1 minute)

2.    Chair’s Report (5 minutes)

3.    Past-Chair’s Report (4 minutes)

4.    Teach-In (20 minutes)

5.    Moderated Discussion (60 minutes)

6.    New Business (1 minute)

Check the Teach-in website www.upenn.edu/teachin for the latest information.

Wednesday, April 4:

• Data Refuge Stories: A Public Engagement Project of the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities and Penn Libraries; 12-3 p.m.; locations: Van Pelt-Dietrich Library-Lee Lounge, David Rittenhouse Labs-lobby, Fagin Hall-lobby, Annenberg School-plaza lobby
• Post-Carbon Futures in a Fact-Challenged Present; 5 p.m.; rm. 623, Williams Hall

Thursday, April 12:

• Immigration Town Hall; 5-6:30pm; Fitts Auditorium

Wednesday, April 18:

• Developing a Culture of Health; 1-2:30 p.m.; Widener Auditorium, Penn Museum; register: www.surveymonkey.com/r/9KJXPKW

Fall 2018:

• 2018 Evan C. Thompson Chair Lecture; date/time/location TBD

Rescheduled details still TBD for Thinking About Evolution

At the March 28 University Council Meeting, the Provost’s portion of the State of the University Report on Plans for the Next Academic Year was given. He introduced Museum Director Julian Siggers and Deputy Director Stephen Tinney to present on Building Transformation at the Penn Museum. The President’s portion, which pertains to the University Budget will be given at the next meeting of Council on April 12, 2018.

Building Transformation at the Penn Museum

Julian Siggers:

The Penn Museum faces not only campus, but Philadelphia as well. As many of you here know, at heart we’re a teaching and a research museum, but we are also a museum that takes its public engagement seriously. It’s a collection of around a million objects gathered from research projects, around 400 sites over the last 130 years. Starting with our excavation in Nippur, which is now in southern Iraq, Penn brought 15,000 tablets back to the campus and created the museum. We continue to work all over the world with some of the most famous and noteworthy excavations of any museum.

Then there was the world-famous site of Ur, also now in southern Iraq, which we excavated with the British Museum. The magnificent bull-headed lyre will shortly be displayed in its full magnificence in our new Middle East Galleries. We have also worked in Egypt, Asia, Europe and all over the Americas.

We also spent a great deal of time working in Israel. The site at Beth Shean is probably one of the largest excavations undertaken anywhere by the Museum. Penn quite audaciously cut right through it—a large slice through this cake—and there were Bronze Age artifacts at the bottom, and there were Iron Age artifacts after that. It was an Egyptian fort, and eventually a Hellenistic town and a Roman town and finally a Byzantine town on the very top.

As I mentioned, we excavated all over the Americas as well. One of our most famous sites is the site of Tikal, which was a temple complex in what is now Guatemala. This has been immortalized by one of the Star Wars movies, where it was a Rebel base.

That’s about the past and what really excites me about the museum is the work that we’re doing now and the work that we’re going to be doing in the future. We continue to excavate, for example, at the site of Gordion, which is the Phrygian capital in central Turkey. Last year, we supported more than 20 field projects, providing enormous opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students as well.

Our public-facing aspect is one that is of enormous importance to our museum. And this is something that the new renovations are going to catapult into a whole new realm. The museum as we see it is an act of generosity from Penn to the city and beyond. A good example of this is our K-12 program. We reach around 60,000 K-12 students a year. Some of it we do virtually through broadcast classrooms, some of it we do by visiting them in the schools, but much of it we do by bringing school students to the museum itself. One of the ones we’re most proud of is the Unpacking the Past program. This is a program we do in conjunction with the School District of Philadelphia. It’s a multi-prong program in which we go into the schools to help teachers teach from objects—one of our specialties—and then bring the students into the Museum. We provide the transportation and everything else, including a family membership for each student, so there is no cost to the schools or the students. We’ve targeted grade 7 in particular because that’s when Ancient Civilizations is on the curriculum, so this is very much curriculum-based education. There are around 10,000 kids in grade 7 in Philadelphia. Last year, we got around 7,000. Our goal is to get every single  school kid in Philadelphia to come to the museum, to make them understand that museums are for them, that the sort of things we do are things that they could aspire to do, and of course that Penn is for them, as well.

I’m going to turn over to the academic mission of the museum, which of course is absolutely central to what we do. This is something Steve Tinney, our deputy director, has spearheaded over the last years with enormous success.

Stephen Tinney:

One of my core responsibilities as deputy director is to work on the engagement between the museum and the rest of the University community. Having been at Penn and in the Museum since 1991, that’s something that’s been very dear to my heart for many years. The entire mission of the academic engagement department is to make it as easy as possible for students and faculty to use the museum, primarily in curricular matters, so we have a lot of outreach. We have a director of academic engagement, Anne Tiballi, who cold-calls professors when she gets the course listing and says, “I see you’re teaching 17th Century Japan; did you know we have Samurai warrior armor?” By doing this, we get people to come in and look at the objects and do a lot of stuff with them, ranging from simply amplifying their understanding of the material to talking about materials and production processes, what kind of production chain it requires to create an artifact that they’re looking at, and also close inspection and aesthetic considerations. We even have people coming from the medical school to improve their diagnostic skills by doing close reading of objects because it’s something that develops a transferable skill in that area. We work primarily with SAS but also across the University with many of the schools.

We do object-based learning in several contexts. We now have two full-time collections study rooms, and a classroom we outfitted for large classes of up to 50-60 people, and we also do it in the galleries of course. Much of what the museum does is integrated throughout the gallery spaces and the educational and academic mission. We also do it in the context of another unit that is called the Center for the Analysis of Archeological Materials (CAAM). That was created as a result of a long investment in the refurbishment of our West Wing, which was the starting point to create new teaching lab spaces and conservation areas.

CAAM has a curriculum that takes undergraduates from the very first steps (we have a large core class) through intermediate classes, eventually to being full-fledged undergraduate student researchers. One of the important parts of CAAM is that we have a group of professional and faculty staff who are experts in archaeobotany, archaeozoology, human skeletal analysis, archaeometallurgy, ceramics and lithics, and all of those areas are available for work at a variety of levels, both for the undergraduate and graduate community. One of the interesting things about the museum is that we are both an academic center and we have a substantial professional staff, and that offers a great opportunity to have  them work with our educational mission. That’s one of the things we’ve done in CAAM—Julian particularly was very determined that conservation should be taught as part of CAAM’s repertoire. That’s something we teach now every couple of years. We have professionals in their respective fields, working with both undergraduates and graduate students, working with faculty, working with the objects. All of that works very nicely—it’s very synergistic.

Julian Siggers:

While we’re doing that, we of course develop and execute a very ambitious exhibitions program. One of the things being a University museum allows us to do is to focus on relevance and also to experiment. A good example of this is a show that’s still up now that looks at the work that we’re doing to combat the damage to cultural heritage in Syria. This is a show where we worked with our Center for Archeological Heritage Conservation along with a Syrian artist as well to look at the impact to cultural heritage that’s happening there at the moment. We also have a very ambitious public programs department, which put on a series of public classrooms focused on science and race. We did this in partnership with WHYY and used Penn faculty to set up four of these and had them broadcast and preserved online. So we can tackle topics that are of utmost relevance and importance for museums like ours to deal with.

So, we’ve looked at what we are doing now, but the future, the Building Transformation campaign, is something that’s enormously exciting for us. I thought I’d just take you through the three phases that are currently underway.

Building Transformation will renovate a really substantial part of the building—around three-quarters of it. At the same time, not only will we be able to reimagine our collections, but we’ll be able to do some really important stewardship tasks that have been left for quite a while-things like HVAC, which really limits our ability to be able to attract people in the summer and to display our collections in the way they really should be displayed.

The Harrison Auditorium will be completely renovated. We will also add two elevators, a new freight elevator and much needed renovated bathrooms. We will also open up the two areas in the front of the building­—the historic staircases that were there, so we are really changing the flow of the building. Through the Kamin entrance where the fishpond is are two staircases that will open up and we will basically open up the whole area—not only just renovating it, but letting the light in. It’s really going to transform how people experience this building. And finally, for this phase on the third floor, where we’re putting new washrooms in alongside the Egyptian galleries, that’s also where the lift comes out, and a new stairwell as well.

In total, it’s more than 44,000 square feet of space we’re renovating. It’s the biggest project this museum has ever done. Right now, 78% of the building is without air conditioning and with renovations, 77% of the building will be air conditioned. It’s going to really lift the bar for us all the way across. This phase started with a wonderful event in November and we didn’t so much have a groundbreaking as we had sort of a seat removing ceremony with Dr. Gutmann and Museum senior leadership (Almanac November 14, 2017). I’m thrilled to say that we are progressing really well. The first phase of this project is going to be completed in September of 2019—comparatively soon. There are a number of other things that will open with it. The first of these is actually opening in a couple of weeks’ time. It’s three galleries that look at the ancient Middle East. One of the wonderful things about working at Penn is the enormous intellectual capital that we have here. Working on this gallery, which was led by Steve, we had nine other curators who could all contribute to this gallery in their own unique way. I’m going to turn it over to Steve to tell you a little bit about the gallery.

Stephen Tinney:

We were very clear when we began this project that we wanted to create something that was amazing for the visitor-this was the goal. Something that people will come in and say “wow” every time they turn the corner. And so, as Julian said, although we did configure a team of 10 curators and experts, and we had, as you can imagine, some quite extensive conversations about how to tell the stories we can tell and what to put in and what to leave out, we were always driven by the idea, “what will the visitor get most out of?”

What we came up with was a collection of approaches that were complimentary. One is that it was clear to us that we had to tell the stories very much through the objects—to bring the objects alive, to put them back in the hands of the people who used them and the places they were found to the extent possible. We’ve really focused on that. We have so many excavations that we were able to combine that with an approach that is both chronological and based around individual sites. We were able to fashion a narrative that goes from about 7,000 or 8,000 BCE with very early agricultural villages and deals with cities and urbanization. The subtitle is “Journey to the City.” We go from villages to the first cities, then the central room is dedicated to the finds from Ur—the Royal Tombs of Ur. Then in the last room there will be a sort of accelerated journey from about 1800 BCE to about 1900 CE. So, you have to buckle up for that one. It’s fascinating because the way we’ve been able to tell the story is to be able to look at what is essentially a succession of empires overlaid on each other and making their own worlds bigger and bigger and as we head toward the globalized world where by the 18th century, by colonial Philadelphia, we have trading from China into Iran, where we excavated at Isfahan, one of the trade centers which sent Chinese Porcelain on to Europe and from there it was exported to Philadelphia.

We really start from very small inter-village networks to the globalized world and the gallery actually, the final new thing you see before you turn around and walk back through the galleries, is a wall that is dedicated to urban life today and urban life in the past without making it superficial. We’re not claiming that life is the same then as it is now but we are pointing out several things that are familiar, would have been familiar to us if we were dropped into an ancient city or vice versa, to get the visitor to think about that aspect of what they’ve seen and we hope reflect upon it as they return to the end of the gallery. This was an amazing experience in translation. As we said in one of our grant applications, actually, we took 10 experts at Penn, many of whom couldn’t fully understand each other because of their specialties, and we took the stories they wanted to tell and we worked with designers and interpreters to translate that material into a form that we hope a very broad audience can enjoy and benefit from.

Julian Siggers:

In addition to those artifacts, this gallery will contain some of the great artistic masterpieces of the ancient world. They will be displayed the way they should be.

This is the first of many galleries that will actually unfold in the coming years. When we open after phase one, we will also have a new gallery of Mexico and Central America. At the same time, we will be opening our new African galleries; the lead curator is our own Tukufu Zuberi. He is working in tandem with a team of five other specialists in African art and culture. This is a very important gallery for us and for our school visitsprogram so it’s also been designed with them in mind.

Next year, when you walk into the main entrance, the main staircase will be gone and you will see the original, side staircases leading down into the Harrison Auditorium. The Harrison Auditorium will be completely renovated. This, I think, is going to be one of the most remarkable venues on the campus. It also opens up a whole host of other partnership opportunities for events after business hours. I should also mention that this project is going on at the same time as the University’s hospital project. This has been an enormous opportunity for us because we’ve had a number of things that we could do jointly and save a great deal of money. They are actually providing for the whole landscaping outside the rotunda. I think that with this landscaping, with that new building, it’s going to really transform that part of campus. I think it’s going to have a completely different look and feel.

Phase one moves seamlessly, fundraising allowing, into phase two, which of course is the Egyptian galleries. This will involve 20,000 square feet of new Egyptian gallery space. And at the very center of this newly reimagined Egyptian gallery space will be the reconstruction of the Palace of Merenptah, who was Ramses II’s son, to its full height. It’s going to be one of the most magnificent spaces on the eastern seaboard—it’s certainly going to be one of the most dramatic ones. And also it’s a 100 year arc, because they always intended to do this in 1919 and the floors just couldn’t take the weight. So 100 years later, we’ve worked out a way to do it and we will.

I think by the end of all this, you will have a museum that you can be even more proud of than today’s.

Read the National Architecture Week supplement showcasing Penn buildings and landscapes designed by women architects.

The University of Pennsylvania’s merit increase program is designed to recognize and reward the valuable contributions of faculty and staff to the University’s commitment to the highest levels of excellence in teaching, research and administration by paying market competitive salaries in a fiscally responsible manner. The merit increase pool for fiscal year 2019 is based on market trends and economic conditions. With this in mind, the following guidelines are recommended.

Faculty Increase Guidelines

Below are the standards for faculty increases that the Deans are asked to follow. The Deans will give the department chairs their own guidelines at the School level regarding available resources.

• The minimum academic salary for new assistant professors will be $70,600.
• Merit increases for faculty should be based solely on performance as evidenced by scholarship, research, teaching and service to the University and the profession. As in previous years, there will be no cost of living increase for continuing faculty.
• The aggregated merit increase pool for faculty will be 3.0 percent. Some Schools and Centers may have financial constraints that can only support budget growth of less than 3.0 percent. Salary increase recommendations that are below 1.0 percent for non-meritorious performance, as contrasted with general limits applied to an entire class of faculty, must be made in consultation with the Provost. Likewise, salary increases that exceed 5.0 percent due to market conditions must also be made in consultation with the Provost. Deans may wish to give careful consideration to salary adjustments for faculty who have a strong performance record but whose salaries may have lagged behind the market.

Staff Increase Guidelines

Presented below are the merit increase guidelines for July 1, 2018.

• This year’s aggregate salary increase pool is 3.0 percent with a range of zero to 5.0 percent. Merit increases should not exceed 5.0 percent. Any variation less than a 3.0 percent pool must be approved by the Provost and/or the EVP, and will be communicated separately by the School or Center administration.
• Monthly, weekly and hourly paid staff members are eligible for a merit increase if they are regular full-time, regular part-time or limited service status employees, and are employed by the University on or before February 28, 2018. The following groups are not covered under these guidelines: student workers, interns, residents, occasional and temporary workers, staff on unpaid leave of absence, staff on long-term disability and staff who are covered by collective bargaining agreements.
• The merit increase program is designed to recognize and reward performance. The foundation of this program is the Performance and Staff Development Plan. Salary increases should be based on performance contributions within the parameters of the merit increase budget.  The Performance Appraisal System documents each employee’s performance and contributions and establishes performance goals for the new fiscal year.  All employees must receive Performance and Staff Development Plans for the next review cycle whether or not they receive merit increases. Schools and Centers are requested to submit performance appraisals by June 1, 2018. The Division of Human Resources’ Staff and Labor Relations team is available to discuss performance management issues.
• Merit increases should average no more than 3.0 percent and may average less if a School or Center establishes a lower percentage merit pool based on financial considerations. The aggregated salary pool within a School or Center may not exceed 3.0 percent regardless of performance rating distributions. Performance expectations should be raised each year as employees grow in experience and job mastery. Performance ratings and raises should reflect a normal distribution for all employees. Employees with unacceptable performance are not eligible for merit increases.
• The University’s salary ranges have been increased effective April 1, 2018. All staff salaries must be at or above the minimum of their respective grades as of April 1, 2018.
• There will be no bonuses, in keeping with the elimination of discretionary bonuses announced in prior years.

The Division of Human Resources’ Compensation office is available to discuss specific merit increase parameters with Schools and Centers. Staff and Labor Relations team members are available to discuss performance management issues.

—Amy Gutmann, President

—Wendell Pritchett, Provost

—Craig Carnaroli, Executive Vice President

This spring, the Morris Arboretum will once again host its annual Japanese Cherry Blossom Celebration, in partnership with the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia. The Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival is an initiative of the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia with the goal of fostering a better understanding of the cultural, social and educational customs of Japan in the United States.

In the early 20th century, John and Lydia Morris (founders of the Morris Arboretum) established one of the finest collections of Japanese plants and gardens in the region at their home, Compton, which would later become the Morris Arboretum. To commemorate this heritage, the Morris Arboretum celebrates the Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival on Saturday, April 14, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. with a variety of activities.  The events are for both children and adults, and will celebrate the art, culture and gardens inspired by the more than 35 varieties of cherry trees that grace the Arboretum with their blossoms each spring.

Cherries should be at their peak this year during the Festival.  Although hard to define, the peak is usually based on when 70% of the Yoshino cherry (Prunus yedoensis) blossoms are open.  Two groups in Washington, DC study the weather extensively to predict the peak bloom time, including The National Park Service, (www.nps.gov) and the National Cherry Blossom Festival (www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org).  Philadelphia Yoshino cherries flower about one week after those  in Washington, DC, so expect peak time to be somewhere around April 15-19. Of course, Morris Arboretum has more than just Yoshino cherries, so there is always more to see. All events included with garden admission.

Events on Saturday, April 14, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Cherry Walk; 10:15 a.m. and 12:15  p.m., meet at Garden Rail entrance.

Kyo Daiko Drumming Crew; 10:30 a.m. and noon; Haha Wal.

Kimono Dressing Demonstration; 11 a.m., Upper Gallery; young and old alike will delight in the beautiful kimonos exhibited by Fumiyo Batta. As a “Cultural Ambassador” for the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival, Ms. Batta has given numerous classes and  demonstrations, including seminars on the art of kimono, traditional Japanese attire, since the festival’s inception in 1998, and has been considered a significant Japanese cultural asset to the Delaware county area for the past two decades. As an extensive collector of kimonos, she will talk about the history of the kimono and demonstrate how to wear them. Participation from the audience will be welcomed.

Samurai Arts Group; 11:30 a.m.; Two Lines Sculpture; the River of Life Martial Arts & Wellness Center will perform the ancient Japanese swordsmanship technique, Ken Jutsu. Used by the samurai on the battlefield, Ken Jutsu is made up of a sophisticated method of personal combat and strategy that is adapted and applied today to find harmony in one’s life. From these ancient lessons, the practitioner finds the ability to remain calm under pressure, to face one’s fears with strength, to have clarity in the midst of confusion and to surmount obstacles with grace.

Origami Workshops; 1 and 2 p.m., Upper Gallery; learn this art form of paper folding that has been practiced for centuries and become a lasting symbol of traditional Japanese culture.

Japanese Garden Elements Tours; 2-3 p.m., meet at Garden Railway entrance.

For more information about any of these events, please call (215) 247-5777 or visit Morris Arboretum online at www.morrisarboretum.org 

*This article has been modified to reflect the cancellation of the April 7 Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival.

Penn Dental Medicine’s student-run Philadelphia Oral Cancer Awareness Society is having their annual Philly Oral Cancer Walk & 5K on Saturday, April 7 at 8 a.m. The event raises awareness of the importance of screening and early detection in the prevention of oral cancer while raising funds in support of the Oral Cancer Foundation. Participants can either walk or run in the race, which will begin on Locust Walk between 38th and 40th Streets. Registration will begin before the race at 7:30 a.m. at the Penn Dental Medicine School at 240 South  40th Street. Info: www.oralcancerphilly.org

You know spring is here when it’s time for Penn’s 30x30 Challenge: https://www.sustainability.upenn.edu/participate/penn-community/30x30-challenge

It’s time to get outside! The 30x30 Challenge is an effort to encourage the Penn community to get outside, learn about local ecology, and appreciate the beauty of nature. Join Penn’s 30x30 Challenge and challenge yourself to spend at least 30 minutes outdoors in nature each day for all 30 days of April. The Challenge runs from April 1-30. 

 Did you know that Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, according to the EPA? Over the last decade, researchers have been documenting what many of us know intuitively—that nature is good for our health and well-being. Regularly immersing yourself in a natural setting—like a park, forest, or field—can reduce stress while boosting immunity, energy levels, and creativity.

Registration

30x30 is open to all Penn students, staff and faculty. You can register for the challenge at https://tinyurl.com/y9g4ttez 

Questions? Email sustainability@upenn.edu

30x30 2018 Penn Sustainability Activities

—Sustainability at Penn

Talks 

4    Post-Carbon Futures in a Fact-Challenged Present and Data Refuge Stories; see Senate Teach-In on page 2 for more information.

10    How Nuclear Architecture and Mediator Regulate Transcription; Rafael Casellas, NIAMS, NIH; noon; The Sarah and Matthew Caplan Auditorium, Wistar Institute (Wistar).

11    Geography and the Political Imaginary in the Novels of Toni Morrison; Herman Beavers, English and Africana studies; 5:30 p.m.; Terrace Room, Cohen Hall; RSVP: hbbooktalk.eventbrite.com (Africana Studies, Center for Africana Studies).

12    Immigration Town Hall; see Senate Teach-In on page 2 for more information.

Films

3    East LA Interchange; followed by a discussion with filmmaker Betsy Kalin; 7:30 p.m.; rm. 329A, Max Kade Center (LALS, Sociology, GIC, History, Africana Studies).

AT PENN Deadlines

The April AT PENN calendar is now online. The deadline for the May AT PENN calendar is April 10.

On Thursday, April 19 at 7 p.m., Morris Arboretum presents a lecture by Rich Wagner, Pennsylvania Brewery Historian, Brewing and Malting in Early Philadelphia. The cost for this lecture is $15 for Arboretum members and $20 for non-members, which includes a reception with refreshments. Advanced registration and payment are required. Please call (215) 247-5777, ext. 125 or http://bit.ly/morrislectures to make your reservation.

Anthony Morris, ancestor of Arboretum founders, John and Lydia Morris, became Philadelphia’s second brewer in 1687. The Morris family founded several breweries to supply ship captains with necessary sustenance for their long voyages and serve the city’s thriving tavern culture that supplied the growing city with food, drink and lodging. When Philadelphia was the second largest English-speaking city after London, and the largest seaport in the colonies, it produced more beer than the rest of the colonies combined.

William Penn and later the founding fathers promoted the development of the brewing industry as a solid foundation for a temperate society and as an engine for promoting industry and technological innovation. Brewing gave agriculture production a boost since brewers needed barley and hops, which encouraged their cultivation. Rich Wagner began interpreting the brewing process in 1990 at William Penn’s home, Pennsbury Manor. Since then he has constructed his own brewing system to demonstrate the brewing technology of the late 17th century. Using this experience along with primary source material, he gives a view of the city’s earliest breweries.

The University of Pennsylvania Police Department Community Crime Report

Below are the Crimes Against Persons, Crimes Against Society and Crimes Against Property from the campus report for March 19-25, 2018. View prior weeks' reports. —Ed.

This summary is prepared by the Division of Public Safety and includes all criminal incidents reported and made known to the University Police Department between the dates of March 19-25, 2018. The University Police actively patrol from Market St to Baltimore Ave and from the Schuylkill River to 43rd St in conjunction with the Philadelphia Police. In this effort to provide you with a thorough and accurate report on public safety concerns, we hope that your increased awareness will lessen the opportunity for crime. For any concerns or suggestions regarding this report, please call the Division of Public Safety at (215) 898-4482.

3/20/18           12:11 PM         3701 Walnut St.           Property removed from unsecured locker

3/20/18           12:09 PM         3702 Spruce St.           Unauthorized transactions made on business credit card

3/21/18           2:44 AM          4001 Walnut St.             Merchandise taken without payment/Arrest

3/21/18           12:04 PM         3945 Chestnut St         Unsecured package stolen

3/22/18           6:23 PM           3800 Walnut St.           Offender assaulted officer/Arrest

3/22/18           9:59 PM           4001 Walnut St.           Unsecured cell phone stolen

3/23/18           1:46 AM          3901 Locust Walk         Female cited for underage drinking

3/23/18           12:04 PM         3610 Hamilton Walk     Unsecured package stolen

3/23/18           4:41 PM           3730 Walnut St.           Tire was taken from bike

3/23/18           7:57 PM           119 S 39th St.              Unsecured iPhone stolen

3/24/18           4:00 PM           3441A Chestnut St.     Unsecured cell phone stolen

3/25/18           2:31 AM           4000 Walnut St.           DUI/Arrest

3/25/18           2:09 AM           4000 Pine St.               Complainant punched

3/25/18           11:44 AM        125-129 S 40th St.       Complainant punched

3/25/18           8:47 PM           201 St. Marks Square  Forcible burglary, nothing taken

18th District

Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 9 incidents (6 assaults, 1 aggravated assault, and 1 domestic assault) with 1 arrest were reported between March 19-25, 2018 by the 18th District covering the Schuylkill River to 49th St & Market St to Woodland Ave.

3/20/18           4:29 PM           4317 Ludlow St.          Assault

3/20/18           5:16 PM           506 S 42nd St.            Assault

3/21/18           8:12 PM           3400 Spruce St.           Domestic assault

3/22/18           6:49 PM           38th & Walnut St.         Assault/Arrest

3/22/18           11:23 PM         4619 Woodland Ave    Assault

3/23/18           3:29 PM           4723 Walnut St.           Aggravated Assault

3/25/18           4:22 AM           4000 Pine St.               Assault

3/25/18           12:04 PM         125 S 40th St.              Assault

A voluntary separation from Penn occurs when an employee resigns or retires under their own volition.

Voluntary separations include:

• Resignation
• Quitting without notice
• Separation out of medical necessity
• Retirement

Once a staff member is separated from the University, it is the responsibility of their previous school or center to document the termination, stop payroll and cease benefit payments. Additionally, the previous staff member’s PennCard (apart from those of retiring employees), keys, all library books and other University property must be returned to the University.

Be mindful of personal data on University resources prior to separation.

Before leaving the University, make sure you have a plan to transfer all of your personal data from Penn-issued devices (such as smartphones and laptops provided by your department) and applications to devices and/or resources under your control. Services like Penn O365 and Penn+Box may not be accessible following separation, rendering your important files unreachable. For assistance with moving your personal information, please contact the IT support group in your school or center: https://www.isc.upenn.edu/get-it-help

For more information on O365 and Penn+Box:

https://www.isc.upenn.edu/penno365-0

http://www.upenn.edu/computing/box/

Clarification: With few exceptions, your University email account will be disabled and eventually deleted. Standing faculty (tenure and clinician-educator) who retire may have the option of retaining their email account; they should check with their school or department.