September 24, 2019 Volume 66 Issue 6

Margo Natalie Crawford, professor of English, has been appointed director of the Center for Africana Studies in the School of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Crawford specializes in 20th- and 21st-century African American literature, cultural movements and visual art. She studies radical black imaginations and the global dimensions of black aesthetics. The avant-garde, experimental flows of black women artists are the energizing force of her scholarship.

Dr. Crawford is the author of Black Post-Blackness: The Black Arts Movement and Twenty-First-Century Aesthetics and Dilution Anxiety and the Black Phallus. She is coeditor of Global Black Consciousness and New Thoughts on the Black Arts Movement, and her essays appear in a wide range of books and journals. Her current project, What is African American Literature?, is a reconsideration of the role of textual production, diasporic tensions and affect in the shaping of the “idea” of African American literature. She is also completing New Genealogies of Black Abstraction.

Dr. Crawford received her doctorate in Yale University’s American Studies program. She was previously professor of English at Cornell, where she directed the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Program. She succeeds Camille Z. Charles, Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor in the Social Sciences and professor of sociology, Africana studies, and education, who directed the Center for Africana Studies from 2009 until this year.

The faculty of the Center for Africana Studies represent the majority of the University of Pennsylvania’s 12 schools and a broad range of disciplines, interests and regions of study. The Center has an extensive commitment to research and hosts numerous programs of regional, national and international significance throughout the year for the Penn and surrounding communities.

The Center for Africana Studies was founded in 2002 through the merger of the Afro-American Studies Program and the Center for the Study of Black Literature and Culture (Almanac October 1, 2002). In 2015, the Center merged with Penn’s Africa Center, significantly increasing the number of faculty and activities.

Dr. Crawford aims to build on the great momentum the Center currently has. She states, “The Center for Africana Studies is Global Black Studies in motion. Our programming puts the spotlight on the intersections of the humanities and the social sciences, and the intersections of the local and the global. We honor dynamic scholarship that produces dynamic public engagement. The Center is a crucial site of convergence for scholars, artists, political leaders, public intellectuals, undergraduates, graduate students and cultural workers in the communities surrounding Penn.”

Jane Holahan has been named executive director of Penn’s Weingarten Learning Resources Center. Dr. Holahan, who had been the longtime director of the Academic Resources Center at Georgetown University, started at Penn on July 1.

“I am delighted we have found a seasoned and innovative educator to lead Weingarten at this critical time,” said Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, vice provost for University Life. “Supporting students with learning needs and disabilities is paramount to our mission of equity, access and holistic wellness. I am confident that Jane has the vision and experience to take the Weingarten Center forward in new and exciting directions.”

“I am humbled to be taking over the leadership position from Dr. Myrna Cohen, someone who blazed trails in the areas of learning resources and for students with disabilities,” Dr. Holahan said. “I undertake my work with a sense of shared responsibility, for each member of the University community has a role in ensuring equity and access for all students.”

The Weingarten Center houses both the Office of Learning Resources (programming enhancing reading and writing skills, study strategies and time management) and the Office of Student Disabilities Services (federally mandated accommodations for students with documented learning, psychological or physical disabilities, from in-class personal note-takers to exam extensions, technology, housing and transportation services).

Dr. Holahan’s appointment coincides with the merging of the Tutoring Center into Weingarten, providing a one-stop hub of personal and group supports to undergraduate, graduate and professional students. Going forward, Weingarten will provide central access to a range of programming, whether a student seeks assistance with one difficult class, wants help mapping out how to tackle a challenging semester, or is beginning to write a dissertation.

Dr. Holahan will oversee the combined staff of the Office of Learning Resources, Office of Student Disabilities Services and Tutoring Center. Ryan Miller, who served as interim executive director, will resume his duties as director of the Office of Learning Resources.

“I am truly excited to have Jane join our VPUL family of professionals and administrators,” said Associate Vice Provost for University Life Sharon Smith, who oversees the Weingarten Center. “She comes to us with a wealth of experience, and I look forward to our work together.”

Dr. Holahan has led academic support resources at Georgetown since 1998, working closely with deans, the Office of University Counsel, Residential Living, Global Education and other colleagues to ensure that all students received necessary services to make the most of their university experience.

She also served as a faculty/curriculum advisor for Georgetown’s Institute for College Preparation (ICP), which provides enrichment, tutoring and coaching to middle and high school students in Washington, DC. In this capacity, Dr. Holahan has gained considerable knowledge about the unique academic and campus challenges faced by students who may be the first in their families to attend college, who are from low-income homes and/or who are from underperforming public schools.

Dr. Holahan started her educational career as a high school language arts teacher in North Miami Beach Senior High, tailoring lessons for both remedial and honors students. She also spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand.

Dr. Holahan received her doctorate in educational leadership from George Washington University, a master of educational leadership from Barry University and a bachelor’s in biology and literature from Moravian College.

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $1.8 million grant to establish the Center for Sustainable Separations of Metals (CSSM), which will be led by chemists from Penn. With support from NSF’s Centers for Chemical Innovation Program, the Center, one of three funded this year, will focus on scientific challenges related to metals recycling and sustainability.

Directed by Eric Schelter, a professor of chemistry in the School of Arts & Sciences, the Center will serve as a meeting point for transformative and innovative research on the fundamental chemistry that can improve the recovery of metals from post-consumer products. This work aims to reduce energy consumption, pollution and greenhouse gases while providing alternative approaches to unsustainable and unethical metal supply chains. The Center will also be involved with community education and science outreach. Jessica Anna, assistant professor of chemistry and Elliman Faculty Fellow, and Joseph Subotnik, the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Term Professor of Chemistry, will also be involved with the Center.

Dr. Schelter has been working on rare earth metals separation for several years. He said that, while it’s currently cheaper to mine many metals that are required for consumer electronics, such as gold, platinum and palladium, instead of recycling them, increased tensions around global trade relations, as well as the ethical and political impacts of mining activities, have brought this area of research to the forefront.

“But there’s an absence of fundamental science needed to transform these supply chains,” Dr. Schelter said about the challenges facing the field. “We developed this application to look at what we need to do to fundamentally transform metal supply chains and make recycling a viable, more economic option.”

The three Penn chemists have devised a strategy for separating metals based on the rates of chemical reactions, or how quickly products are formed. Current separation strategies for metals primarily rely on thermodynamic approaches, which involve separating metals from a mixture after a chemical reaction is completed.

Through the CSSM, Drs. Anna, Schelter and Subotnik will develop a scientific strategy and will collect detailed measurements on the chemical reactions to see how they can incorporate kinetics into separation strategies to make recycling more economical.

Other CSSM collaborators include Suzanne Bart at Purdue University, who will be working on chemical separations using electron transfer methods; George Schatz and Nobel laureate J. Fraser Stoddart at Northwestern University, who has developed gold extraction methods that don’t rely on toxic chemicals; Jonathan Sessler at the University of Texas at Austin, who created resins that selectively take up lithium from mixtures; and Jenifer Shafer at the Colorado School of Mines, who works on materials with “molecular recognition” that have high affinity for specific rare earth metals.

“It’s really exciting to see people from different backgrounds and career stages across the Center coming together and working on this problem that will have significant impact. That’s really the goal: thinking together and working together to address challenging and emerging problems,” said Dr. Schelter.

As the leading institution of the CSSM, Penn will also provide students with additional specialized training through the Sustainability Ambassadors program. Graduate and undergraduate researchers involved with the Center will come to Penn to learn about sustainability, science communication and outreach. The program, conducted in partnership with Penn’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and the Science History Institute, will provide students with the skills they need to engage with their communities about sustainability through outreach and educational activities.

“It’s going to be interesting to work with people from other universities and to interact with graduate students during the summer,” said Dr. Anna. “I’m excited for the new possibility to collaborate.”

“I’m really excited to work with two great experimentalists here at Penn, and to see if we can make progress on real-world (inorganic) chemistry problems using fundamental but esoteric theories advanced in the theoretical (physical) chemistry community. It will be a lot of fun and I hope illuminating,” said Dr. Subotnik.

Dr. Schelter also noted that “society is looking to science for solutions to real-world problems. Through efforts in the Center we expect to improve upon, or even replace, the harmful ways we get materials out of the ground and bring them to market. The ultimate goal is to recycle existing materials to create circular supply chains.”

This approach can also help address key ethical and political issues connected to the extraction of certain materials. From the toxic waste generated by gold mining to the political turmoil linked with cobalt extraction, having more sustainable chemistries and cyclical supply chains for the metals that are crucial for modern-day technologies could help provide relief to communities around the world.

Grace C. Cucinotta DeRitis, former longtime administrative assistant in Penn’s School of Nursing, died September 12 at her home in Collingdale, Pennsylvania. She was 95.

Born in Philadelphia, Ms. DeRitits graduated from John Hallahan High School in 1941 and joined the University of Pennsylvania’s staff in 1977 at the School of Nursing as an administrative assistant for the nursing of children division. She retired in 1997.

Ms. DeRitis is survived by her daughter, Cynthia M. O’Hanlon; grandchildren, Kevin W. O’Hanlon (Julia), William P. O’Hanlon (Jordyn) and Cynthia M. “Cindi” O’Hanlon (Kyle); and great grandchildren, Brooks and Morgan O’Hanlon and Hudson Hannon.

Memorial gifts may be made to the University of PA, Institutional Advancement, Claire M. Fagin Hall, 418 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104-4217, giving@nursing.upenn.edu

Alan Klide (V’65), emeritus professor at Penn Vet, passed away on September 12. He was 80.

Dr. Klide received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and his veterinary medicine degree from Penn in 1965. He spent his entire career at Penn Vet. He was appointed assistant professor of anesthesiology in 1969, promoted to associate professor in 1972, and then to professor in 1994. Dr. Klide served as section chief and director of small animal anesthesia, and he became emeritus professor of anesthesia before retiring in 2007.

Dr. Klide was a charter member of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia and a member of the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. Penn Vet noted that he will be remembered as a true pioneer in veterinary anesthesia and for his dedication to the field.

Margaret (“Peg”) Scatarige Tannenbaum (G’94), former director at Penn Law Development and Alumni Relations, died September 10. She was 76.

Ms. Tannenbaum earned her BA from Penn State and served as director of development at County Day School of the Sacred Heart in Bryn Mawr before joining Penn Law in 1984 (Peg DiPuppo at the time of her hire). She held several positions at Penn Law Development and Alumni Relations, starting out as an annual giving officer and going on to serve as director of annual giving, director of Development and finally as interim director of the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, working with both Dean Robert Mundheim and Dean Colin Diver. She left Penn in 1993 to become assistant dean for development and alumni relations at Widener University School of Law. At the time of her retirement, Dean Diver noted that under her direction “our Annual Giving Program has become a nationally recognized model that many other law schools have sought to emulate. Peg’s departure will leave a very large hole to fill in our development program.” She received her MA in organizational dynamics from Penn in 1994.

Ms. Tannenbaum is survived by her husband, Philip Tannenbaum (C'54 M'58); children, Michael DiPuppo, Jr., Julia Pijawka (Daniel) and Kathryn Tucker (J. Rory); and grandchildren, Christopher and Ryan Pijawka and Riley Tucker.

—

To Report A Death

Almanac appreciates being informed of the deaths of current and former faculty and staff members, students and other members of the University community. Call (215) 898-5274 or email almanac@upenn.edu

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Officers 2019-2020

Chair: Steven Kimbrough, Wharton

Chair-elect: Kathleen Hall Jamieson,
Annenberg

Past Chair: Jennifer Pinto-Martin, Nursing

Secretary: Carmen Guerra, PSOM/Medicine

Secretary-elect: Alison Buttenheim, Nursing

Past Secretary: Ayelet Ruscio, Psychology

At-Large Representatives

Aletha Akers, PSOM/Pediatrics

Gad Allon, Wharton

Lee Bassett, SEAS/ESE

Carolyn Cannuscio, PSOM/Family Medicine

Emily Falk, Annenberg

Chau Guo, SP2

Robert Hurst, PSOM/Radiology

Hans-Peter Kohler, SAS/Sociology

Jianghong Liu, Nursing

Jennifer Lukes, SEAS/MEAM

Guillermo Ordonez, SAS/Economics

Melissa Wilde, SAS/Sociology

Assistant Professor Representatives

Firooz Aflatouni, SEAS/ESE

Amy Castro Baker, SP2

Dennis Flores, Nursing

Penn Association of Senior and Emeritus Faculty (PASEF) Representative

Martin Pring, PSOM/Physiology

Constituency Representatives

Damon Centola, Annenberg

Robert St. George, SAS/History

Jairo Moreno, SAS/Music

VACANT, SAS/Mathematics

Brian Gregory, SAS/Biology

James Petersson, SAS/Chemistry

Kathryn Hellerstein, SAS/Germanic Languages and Literatures

Jere Behrman, SAS/Economics

VACANT, SAS/English

Daniel Singer, SAS/Philosophy

David Spafford, SAS/EALC

Mirjam Cvetic, SAS/Physics and Astronomy

Julia Lynch, SAS/Political Science

Geoffrey Goodwin, SAS/Psychology

Chenoa Flippen, SAS/Sociology

Kathleen Boesze-Battaglia, Dental Medicine

Janine Remillard, GSE

John Bassani, SEAS/MEAM and ESE

Mark Allen, SEAS/ESE

Franca Trubiano, Weitzman

Eric Feldman, Law

John Holmes, PSOM/Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics

Jack Gutsche, PSOM/Anesthesiology

Desmond Oathes, PSOM/Psychiatry

Pedro Gonzalez-Alegre, PSOM/Neurology

Kenneth Margulies, PSOM/Medicine

Ryan Greysen, PSOM/Medicine

Rebecka Peebles, PSOM/Pediatrics

Lewis Kaplan, PSOM/Surgery

Jie Deng, Nursing

Ezekiel Dixon-Román, SP2

Anna Kashina, Vet

Paula Henthorn, Vet

Eric Clemons, Wharton

Eric Orts, Wharton

Jonah Berger, Wharton

The Senate Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty (SCESF)

Jennifer Blouin, Wharton

Peter Cappelli, Wharton, Chair

Dennis Culhane, SP2

Blanca Himes, PSOM/Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics

Sarah Kagan, Nursing

Iourii Manovskii, SAS/Economics

Pamela Sankar, PSOM/Medical Ethics and Health Policy

Ex-Officio:

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Annenberg, Faculty Senate Chair-elect

Steven Kimbrough, Wharton, Faculty Senate Chair

Jennifer Pinto-Martin, Nursing, Faculty Senate Past Chair

The Senate Committee on Faculty Development, Diversity and Equity (SCFDDE)

No Chair Yet

Hydar Ali, Dental Medicine

Antonella Cianferoni, PSOM/Pediatrics

Nelson Flores, GSE

Jorge Gálvez, PSOM/Anesthesiology and Critical Care

Carmen Guerra, PSOM/Medicine

Sharon Hayes, Weitzman

Amy Sepinwall, Wharton

Dagmawi Woubshet, SAS/English

Ex-Officio:

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Annenberg, Faculty Senate Chair-elect

John Keene, Weitzman, PASEF non-voting member

Steven Kimbrough, Wharton, Faculty Senate Chair

The Senate Committee on Faculty and the Administration (SCOA)

Ryan Baker, GSE

Joel Bennett, PSOM/Medicine

Ken Drobatz, Vet

Al Filreis, SAS/English

Robert Ghrist, SAS/Mathematics, Chair

Kevin Platt, SAS/Russian and East European Studies

Talid Sinno, SEAS/CBE and MEAM

Ex-Officio:

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Nursing, Faculty Senate Chair-elect

Steven Kimbrough, Wharton, Faculty Senate Chair

Marshall Meyer, Wharton, PASEF non-voting member

The Senate Committee on Faculty and the Academic Mission (SCOF)

No Chair Yet

William Beltran, Vet

Eric Feldman, Law

Lea Ann Matura, Nursing

Susan Sauvé Meyer, SAS/Philosophy

Ani Nenkova, SEAS/CIS

Bruce Shenker, Dental Medicine

Julia Ticona, Annenberg

Lyle Ungar, SEAS/CIS

Ex-Officio:

Roger Allen, SAS/NELC, PASEF non-voting member

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Annenberg, Faculty Senate Chair-elect

Steven Kimbrough, Wharton, Faculty Senate Chair

The Senate Committee on Students and Educational Policy (SCSEP)

Sunday Akintoye, Dental Medicine

David Amponsah, SAS/Africana Studies

Sara Jaffee, SAS/Psychology

Wallis (Ty) Muhly, PSOM/Anesthesiology and Critical Care

Carol Muller, SAS/Music, Chair

Marilyn Schapira, PSOM/Medicine

Mindy Schuster, PSOM/Medicine

Krystal Strong, GSE

Alan Strudler, Wharton

Ex-Officio:

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Annenberg, Faculty Senate Chair-elect

Steven Kimbrough, Wharton, Faculty Senate Chair

Anita Summers, Wharton, PASEF non-voting member

The Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility (SCAFR)

Charles Bosk, SAS/Sociology

David Eckmann, PSOM/Anesthesiology and Critical Care

David Eng, SAS/English

Nader Engheta, SEAS/ESE

Chris Feudtner, PSOM/Pediatrics

Toorjo Ghose, SP2

Nancy Hirschmann, SAS/Political Science

Julia Lynch, SAS/Political Science, Chair

Jon Merz, PSOM/Medical Ethics and Health Policy

Ex-Officio:

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Annenberg, Faculty Senate Chair-elect

The Senate Committee on Publication Policy for Almanac

Sunday Akintoye, Dental Medicine

Christine Bradway, Nursing

Daniel Cohen, SAS/Sociology

Al Filreis, SAS/English

Cary Mazer, SAS/English

Martin Pring, PSOM/Physiology, Chair

Ex-Officio:

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Annenberg, Faculty Senate Chair-elect

Faculty Grievance Commission

Chair: Connie Ulrich, Nursing

Chair-elect: Mitchell Berman, Law

Past Chair: James Palmer, PSOM/Otorhinolaryngology

Executive Summary

This report summarizes the general functioning and procedures of University Council (UC) Committees during the 2018-2019 academic year. These committees are: Committee on Academic and Related Affairs (CARA), Committee on Campus and Community Life (CCL), Committee on Diversity and Equity (CDE), Committee on Facilities and Committee on Personnel Benefits (CPB).

Suggestions for enhancing the functioning of these committees include: (1) consider feasibility of evening-hour meetings for committee members whose participation during business hours is consistently impossible; (2) create table name cards for use by committee members during meetings; (3) ensure that all representative perspectives (i.e., faculty, staff and students) are heard from during committee discussions; (4) distribute meeting minutes or recaps to all committee members in a timely fashion; and (5) set aside some portion of each committee’s first meeting for an administrative update.

Mechanism of Evaluation

Members of the Committee on Committees (UCCoC) collected information for this report. Information was collected via in-person, phone and/or email interviews, using the list of questions below as a guide. UCCoC members interviewed committee members from their own constituency. For example, faculty members interviewed Committee Chairs, as well as faculty representatives as available; students sought to interview the corresponding student representatives; and staff members of the UCCoC interviewed their counterparts in the committees. This report provides an overview of the general findings from the data collected and comments on the functioning and procedures of each Committee. The UC Steering Committee is encouraged to refer to the individual committee reports for more information on the functioning of each committee.

Questions Posed to Each Committee Chair

1. What changes, if any, do you think need to be made in the committee’s general charge? Do you feel the scope of the committee is appropriate?

2. What issues did the committee address this year? Will they be resolved by year’s end? Were the committee’s specific charges for this year clear and appropriate?

3. What issues in the committee’s charges are unlikely to be addressed or resolved by the end of the academic year? What do you see as issues emerging for consideration next year?

4. How many times did the full committee meet? Were any subcommittees created? If so, how many were created, how often did they meet, what were their purposes and did they achieve their goals?

5. Is the membership of the committee well suited to the committee’s charge in terms of relevant expertise, representation of interests, etc.? Does the chair demonstrate sufficient leadership; if not, then who on the committee does? Which members would you recommend to serve on the committee next year?

6. What was the role of the administration’s liaison in your committee? (The liaison is an administrative person who can provide relevant information for a committee charge or connect the committee with others on campus with relevant information.)

7. Did someone from the administration provide explicit feedback on last year’s recommendations? Was the feedback satisfactory? Were there any aspects that were not resolved or for which a path to resolving them has not been developed?

8. What problems did the committee encounter (e.g., limitations on access to necessary resources or information)?

9. Was the committee effectively structured to accomplish its charges?  Were there appropriate opportunities for the committee to provide advice, to work with its administrative liaison to resolve specific issue, and/or to generate grander recommendations?1 Were constituents outside of the membership roster consulted in the committee’s work?

10. What recommendations about the committee’s process and organization do you have? Is there any question that should have been asked about process that was not included?

11. For Staff and Students: Do you feel that your voice was heard as part of the committee?

12. For Students: Was there a primary and an alternate student representative on each committee?

General Comments Across All Committees

Each UC committee has two major roles:

1. Performing a broad review in its areas of interest and monitoring the issues to determine whether there are any that require deeper exploration. While it is occasionally the case that no recommendations emerge from this process, the University is well served by having a representative body tracking important institutional and community matters on a continuing basis.

2. Performing an in-depth consideration of a small number (typically three to five) issues that arise from the previous year’s agenda and its recommendations, or new information relating to the work of the previous year’s committee. These issues are developed in consultation with Committee members from the previous year, Faculty Senate leadership and University leadership. The examination of an issue charged to the committee may be undertaken by the committee as a whole, or by subcommittees, and will typically involve multiple meetings and conversations with people around the University engaged with the issue. While many issues can be resolved by working directly with administrators in the focus area to clarify issues and consider policy modifications, in the absence of a resolution of a given matter, the committee may request that Council Steering reexamine the issue. Committees and Council Steering should nevertheless bear in mind the importance of closure on matters addressed by the various committees.

While several factors can contribute to whether a committee functions effectively, there are a few governing principles which can help a UC committee function well: a clear explanation of the purpose of the committee by the chair; a careful delineation of the roles of the various members of the committee; the formation of appropriate subcommittees; scheduling meetings to fit the schedules of the members of the committee; and beginning meetings as soon as feasible in the fall semester to get an early start on the charges. Accordingly, as has been the practice in past years, the University Council Committee on Committees urges committee chairs to provide committee members with detailed orientation materials along with a thorough explanation of their roles and the committee’s role in the University as a whole in order to facilitate substantive and efficient discussions on the committee’s charges.

Two of the five committees received feedback indicating that more could be done to ensure that student voices are heard, and the Committee on Committees has followed up with the Chairs of these committees to raise awareness of the importance of ensuring that student perspectives be solicited and considered, particularly on topics where students will be those most strongly impacted.

In light of feedback received, UCCoC makes the following specific recommendations for consideration during the 2019-2020 academic year:

1. We encourage the convening of occasional evening-hour meetings (when student representatives would be more likely to participate), especially when discussing issues that would distinctly benefit from student perspectives.

2. Committee chairs should ensure that perspectives from all constituency representatives (faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students) are heard during committee discussions. This can be accomplished by softly encouraging active input from all constituents: faculty, staff, graduate students and undergraduate students.

3. Committees should use table name cards during committee meetings so as to encourage familiarity and camaraderie amongst all committee members. The cards should list the member’s name, constituency and position title or degree candidacy status as appropriate.

4. Meeting minutes or recaps should be promptly distributed to all committee members so as to encourage feedback from those who were unable to participate during the appointed meeting hour.

5. We strongly encourage that some portion of each committee’s first meeting be set aside for an administrative update on the prior year’s recommendations; these updates can be arranged through the Office of the Secretary.

1 Each committee has been charged to operate keeping the following process in mind: 1) To perform general advisory review of their area of concern; 2) To try to resolve specific issues that the committee wishes to address (or has been charged to address) by working through the administrative liaison; 3) In cases where the intra-committee level effort is not able to resolve issues, to generate recommendations to be addressed outside of the committee as formal proposals to be forwarded to the administration or for the University Council to consider.

Committee on Committees 2018-2019

Chair: Steven Kimbrough; Staff: J. Patrick Walsh and Kathy Kruger; Faculty: Mirjam Cvetic, Eric Feldman, Sharon Irving, Anna Kashina, Jennifer Pinto-Martin, Santosh Venkatesh; PPSA: Nadir Sharif; WPPSA: Loretta Hauber; GAPSA: Haley Pilgrim; UA: Stephen Imburgia

Committee on Academic and Related Affairs (CARA)

General Comments

CARA’s charges were again broad and complex, and the committee continued a “listening tour” of what University leaders are doing to address each issue. CARA focused on two targeted efforts: affordability of a Penn education and preparation provided to classroom instructors.

The University Council Committee on Committees notes the complexity of issues presented in CARA’s general charge and its specific charges. Given this complexity, we recommend the sharing of internal, online-based discussion documents (using document sharing services such as Penn Box, Google Drive, or others) so as to continue productive discussions beyond the scheduled meeting hours. We further encourage CARA’s engagement with classroom instructors on future charges that pertain to them, despite their absence from the committee’s formal roster.

General Committee Charge

(i) shall have cognizance over matters of recruitment, admissions and financial aid that concern the University as a whole and that are not the specific responsibility of individual faculties, including the authority to carry out studies on existing recruitment and admissions procedures and their relationships with existing policies on admissions and financial aid and to recommend changes in policy to the Council;

(ii) shall consider the purposes of a University bookstore and advise the Council and the management of the University bookstore on policies, development and operations;

(iii) shall review and monitor issues related to the international programs and other international activities of the University, including advice and policy recommendations in such areas as services for international students and scholars, foreign fellowships and studies abroad, faculty, staff and student exchange programs and cooperative undertakings with foreign universities;

(iv) shall advise the vice provost and director of libraries on the policies, development and operation of the University libraries;

(v) shall have cognizance over recreation and intramural and intercollegiate athletics and their integration with the educational program of the University, including the planning and provision of adequate facilities for various sports and recreational activities; and

(vi) shall have cognizance of all matters of policy relating to research and the general environment for research at the University, including the assignment and distribution of indirect costs and the assignment of those research funds distributed by the University and shall advise the Administration on those proposals for sponsored research referred to it because of potential conflict with University policy.

2018-2019 Specific Charges

1. Review and comment on the affordability of a Penn education for all undergraduate and graduate students by considering expenses related to tuition, fees and costs-of-living and to socioeconomic and cultural concerns of both first generation and low income students and of middle income and other students.

2. In collaboration with the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty, and school-based representatives, review and comment on existing preparation provided to classroom instructors (e.g., teaching assistants and full-time/part-time/adjunct faculty).

Committee on Academic and Related Affairs 2018-2019

Chair: Joe Libonati; Liaison: Leo Charney; Staff: Diane Fassett; Faculty: Julie Fairman, Daniel Raff, Marc Schmidt, Lisa Servon, Alan Strudler, Guobin Yang; PPSA: Yuhong He, Patty Lynn; WPPSA: Rhonda Kirlew; GAPSA: Gregory Callahan, Rina Madhani; UA: Dhruv Iyer, William Yoo

Committee on Campus and Community Life (CCL)

General Comments

CCL met 7 times, first addressing held-over issues from the previous year and then meeting with partners from University City, specifically the Powelton Village neighborhood. The first six meetings included discussions with invited guests and the seventh was used to break into subgroups who crafted sections of the annual report based on CCL’s specific charges. Committee members noted that CCL’s general charge is quite broad in scope, leaving it time to give attention to only a portion of its general charge in a given year. However, CCL has successfully navigated a well-defined set of specific charges in each of recent years. Scheduling of meetings to allow for full attendance continues to prove challenging, especially with respect to students’ schedules. Though the idea of evening meetings was entertained, doing so might adversely affect faculty and staff participation.

The University Council Committee on Committees commends CCL on its well-defined annual process by addressing a specific issue in turn and then dividing into subgroups to create its report and recommendations. We note that this model should be considered for use by all committees as they plan their annual schedules. We encourage the committee to review the feasibility of its general charge and provide recommendations on how or whether amendments are necessary in order that the charge can be addressed more completely and regularly.

General Committee Charge

(i) shall have cognizance over the University’s communications and public relations activities in their various formats and media including electronic, audio (the telephone system), video and printed copy, and it shall monitor the University’s internal communications, the operations of the University Communications Office, communications to alumni and the interpretation of the University to its many constituencies;

(ii) shall advise the Council on the relationship of the University to the surrounding community and the relevant University policies, work to ensure that the University develops and maintains a constructive relationship with the community and monitor pending real estate activities of concern to the community;

(iii) shall have cognizance of the conditions and rules of undergraduate and graduate student life on campus, including: 1) gathering and analyzing information concerning student life and student affairs and making recommendations to the Council; and 2) responding as appropriate to requests from and reporting information and recommendations concerning student life and student affairs to the vice provost for university life and other appropriate administrative officers; and

(iv) shall advise the president, the director of public safety and the administrators or directors of specific buildings, offices or projects on all matters concerning safety and security in the conduct of their operations, including consideration and assessment of means to improve safety and security on the campus.

2018-2019 Specific Charges

1. Continue to monitor the pathway of mental health care for students.

2. Continue to monitor the University’s relationship to the surrounding community, with particular emphasis on community’s experiencing increasing residency by Penn affiliates.

3. Continue to monitor pending real estate activities of concern to the community.

4. Review and comment on Penn’s current internal communications activities, especially those pertinent to mental health care and University relations.

Committee on Campus and Community Life 2018-2019

Chair: Monica Calkins; Liaison: Monica Yant Kinney; Staff: Emily Hobbs; Faculty: Maja Bucan, Brenda Casper, Delphine Dahan, Nancy Hodgson, Catherine McDonald, Mark Trodden; PPSA: Traci Chupik, Tessa Mansell; WPPSA: Mariel Featherstone, Maureen Goldsmith; GAPSA: Jennifer Phuong, Anubha Tyagi; UA: Jess Andrews, Oluwafeyikemi Makinde

Committee on Diversity and Equity (CDE)

General Comments

CDE continued to focus on a narrow set of specific charges. Challenges were cited as to how to collect data on microaggressions and bias. Several committee members expressed appreciation for the helpful role the administrative liaison played in informing the committee of previous years’ work.

The University Council Committee on Committees recommends that, when possible, links to subject matter be provided in advance so that meeting time can be used to discuss the content provided in the briefings.

General Committee Charge

The Committee on Diversity and Equity aids Penn in fostering and taking full advantage of its diversity as well as in strengthening ties across all boundaries to enrich and enliven the campus community. The Committee shall advise the offices of the president, provost and the executive vice presidents on ways to develop and maintain a supportive atmosphere on campus for the inclusion and appreciation of diversity among all members of the University community. The Committee will review and provide advice regarding the University’s equal opportunity and affirmative action programs and policies. The areas in which the Committee shall report to the Council include diversity within the educational and work settings, integration of staff and faculty into the larger campus community and ways to foster a campus environment that is inclusive and supportive of difference. The Committee also will advise the Administration on specific diversity issues that may arise on campus.

2018-2019 Specific Charges

1. Review and comment on student experiences of microaggressions and bias, and school mechanisms and practices for reporting and addressing.

2. Examine current and potential mechanisms and practices for campus wide information dissemination, particularly pertaining to topics and resources on diversity and equity.

Committee on Diversity and Equity 2018-2019

Chair: Ben Garcia Liaison: Sam Starks Staff: Kuan Evans Faculty: DaCarla Albright, Gerald Campano, Antonio Garcia, Irina Marinov, Timothy Rommen, Eric Schelter, Ebony Thomas; PPSA: Cynthia Kwan, Kathy Tang; WPPSA: Tiffany Perkins, Angela Rivers; GAPSA: Francisco Saldaña, Laronnda Thompson; UA: Luke Kertcher, Oluwafeyikemi Makinde

Committee on Facilities

General Comments

The committee addressed the prevalence of gender-neutral bathrooms on campus, the use of tobacco in campus outdoor spaces and the bicycle, commuter and parking programs. Some time was devoted to the use of e-cigarettes, especially by students.

Given turnover of committee membership in recent years, the University Council Committee on Committees encourages the Committee on Facilities to provide a full briefing of recent efforts undertaken by the committee, perhaps by devoting the first session of the next academic year to a full committee orientation and by encouraging all committee members to review its reports from the previous three years and be advised of the administrative responses to the previous year’s recommendations.

General Committee Charge

The Committee on Facilities shall be responsible for keeping under review the planning and operation by the University of its physical plant and all services associated therewith, including transportation and parking.

2018-2019 Specific Charges

1. Continue to monitor progress of all-gender restrooms on campus.

2. Continue to monitor tobacco-free initiatives on campus.

3. Continue to monitor the bicycle, commuting and parking program, and explore traffic, pedestrian and bicycle safety on campus.

4. Review and comment on Penn Connects and Climate Action Plan initiatives.

Committee on Facilities 2018-2019

Chair: Michael McGarvey; Liaison: Mark Kocent; Staff: Taylor Berkowitz; Faculty: William Braham, Erick Guerra, Jinyoung Kim, Allison Lassiter, Kathryn Michel, Claire Mitchell; PPSA: Patrick Dolan, Tom Wilson; WPPSA: Laura Naden, Lara Fields; GAPSA: Mark Bookman, Alex Chen; UA: Amani Bey, Maria Curry

Committee on Personnel Benefits

General Comments

The Committee on Personnel Benefits continued to address a number of topics following briefings provided by Executive Director of Benefits Susan Sproat, including the status of lactation rooms on campus (which may require coordination with the Committee on Facilities and with individual schools and centers) and the use of tuition benefits for dependent children with disabilities.

The University Council Committee on Committees is grateful to the committee’s administrative liaisons, Susan Sproat and Jack Heuer, whom several committee members complimented for their exceptional presentation and facilitation of existing benefits plans and policies and for identifying potential future issues for the committee to address. We recommend that future years’ specific charges be limited so as to be achievable within the timeframe of an academic year or acknowledge that the committee’s effort may make take multiple years to complete.

General Committee Charge

The Committee on Personnel Benefits shall have cognizance over the benefits programs for all University personnel. The Committee shall consist of eight faculty members (of whom one shall be a member of the Senate Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty (SCESF)), three representatives of the Penn Professional Staff Assembly and three representatives of the Weekly-Paid Professional Staff Assembly. The Vice President for Human Resources, Associate Provost and Director of Benefits shall serve as non-voting ex officio members.

2018-2019 Specific Charges

1. Review and comment, as necessary with the Facilities Committee, on the availability of day care and lactation rooms for new parents and mothers.

2. Review and comment on the University health insurance plans and the potential impact of Be In The Know and related wellness programs.

3. Review and comment on expanded education and information to employees and retirees on financial planning for and throughout retirement.

Committee on Personnel Benefits 2018-2019

Chair: Jonathan Moreno; Liaisons: Jack Heuer, Susan Sproat; Staff: Melissa Brown Faculty: Anita Allen (ex-officio), David Balamuth, Markus Blatz, Scott Harrington, Tanja Kral, Olivia Mitchell, Andrew Postlewaite, Pamela Sankar; PPSA: Ashley Bush, Desiree Fleck, Adam Roth-Saks; WPPSA: Darlene Jackson, Rhonda Kirlew, Rosa Vargas

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee shall consist of the president of the University, the provost, the chair, the chair-elect and the past chair of the Faculty Senate, the chair of the Undergraduate Assembly, the chair of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, the chair of the Penn Professional Staff Assembly and the chair of the Weekly-Paid Professional Staff Assembly. Drawn from the Council membership there shall be in addition four faculty members, one graduate/professional student and one undergraduate student elected by the respective governing bodies, as well as one additional member of the Penn Professional Staff Assembly and one additional member of the Weekly-Paid Penn Professional Staff Assembly, each elected by their representative assemblies. The chair of the Faculty Senate shall be the chair of the Steering Committee. In the absence of the chair, or at the request of the chair, the chair-elect shall serve as chair of the Steering Committee. The Council moderator will be an official observer at meetings of the Steering Committee. The secretary of the Council shall serve as secretary of the Steering Committee. Members of the Steering Committee may attend the meetings of Council committees.

—Council Bylaws

Members of Steering Committee

Cydnee Bryant     

Gregory Callaghan    

Eric Clemons

Kris Forrest    

Brian Goldstein    

Pedro Gonzalez-Alegre    

Amy Gutmann    

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Chair-elect

Steven Kimbrough, Chair

Thalia Mangan    

Natasha Menon    

Jennifer Pinto-Martin, Past Chair

Wendell Pritchett    

Janine Remillard

Nadir Sharif

Members of Council

Faculty: Forty-five members of the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate shall ensure that each faculty is represented and that at least three assistant professors serve on the Council. The members of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee who are members of the Council shall otherwise be chosen in accordance with the rules of the Faculty Senate.

One full-time lecturer and one full-time member of the research faculty are to be selected to serve two-year terms by vote facilitated by the Office of the Secretary in consultation with the Steering Committee of the full-time lecturers and research faculty, respectively, from a slate consisting of the five lecturers and the five members of the research faculty receiving the largest number of nominations by lecturers and members of the research faculty. If the Steering Committee receives fewer than five nominations for either group, additional nominations shall be solicited from the constituency representatives of the Senate Executive Committee.

Administrative and Staff: Eleven administrative officers, including the president, the provost and nine members of the administration to be appointed annually by the president, at least five of whom shall be deans of faculties.

Two elected representatives of the Penn Professional Staff Assembly. One elected representative of the Librarians Assembly. Two elected representatives of the Weekly-Paid Professional Staff Assembly.

Students: Fifteen graduate and professional students elected as members of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly. The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly shall ensure that, to the extent possible, each school is represented. The members of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly who are members of the Council shall otherwise be chosen in accordance with the rules of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly.

Fifteen undergraduate students elected as members of the Undergraduate Assembly. The Undergraduate Assembly shall ensure that, to the extent possible, each undergraduate school is represented. The members of the Undergraduate Assembly who are members of the Council shall otherwise be chosen in accordance with the rules of the Undergraduate Assembly.

One elected representative of the United Minorities Council.

—Council Bylaws

Elected by the Faculty At-Large

Steven Kimbrough, Chair

Jennifer Pinto-Martin, Past Chair

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Chair-elect

Carmen Guerra, Secretary

Alison Buttenheim, Secretary-elect

PASEF Representative

Martin Pring

Elected by Faculty Constituency

Mark Allen    

John Bassani    

Jere Behrman    

Jonah Berger    

Kathleen Boesze-Battaglia

Damon Centola

Eric Clemons    

Mirjam Cvetic

Jie Deng

Ezekiel Dixon-Román    

Eric Feldman    

Chenoa Flippen    

Pedro Gonzalez-Alegre    

Geoffrey Goodwin    

Brian Gregory    

Ryan Greysen     

Jack Gutsche

Kathryn Hellerstein    

Paula Henthorn    

John Holmes

Lewis Kaplan    

Anna Kashina

Julia Lynch

Kenneth Margulies

Jairo Moreno    

Desmond Oathes

Eric Orts    

Rebecka Peebles    

James Petersson    

Janine Remillard    

Daniel Singer    

David Spafford    

Robert St. George    

Franca Trubiano

TBD: 2

Assistant Professor Representatives

Firooz Aflatouni

Amy Castro Baker    

Dennis Flores    

Lecturers and Research Faculty Members

Research Faculty Representative: Lubica Rauova,

term expires May 2021

Lecturer Representative: Lillyrose Veneziano Broccia,

term expires May 2021

Members of the Administration

William Gipson    

Pam Grossman    

Amy Gutmann    

John Jackson    

Vijay Kumar    

Wendell Pritchett    

Ted Ruger

Maureen Rush    

Fritz Steiner    

Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum

Meredith Wooten    

Graduate/Professional Students

Austin Borja    

Gregory Callaghan, GAPSA President

Eric Ellison    

Aviana Franklin    

Matthew Lee, GAPSA Vice President

Asminet Ling

Tirth Manek, Professional Council Chair

Christina Murphy

Steven Neuhaus    

Autumn Ondo    

Lindsay Roth

Aalok Thakkar

Nyomi Thompson

Jeffrey Trueman

TBD: 1

Undergraduate Students

Jordan Andrews, UMOJA

Baktiar Choudhury, Muslim Students’ Association

Jude Dartey, UA Speaker

Caleb Diaz, Transfer Student Association

Bella Essex, Consent Collaborative

Kathleen Givan, Penn Wellness

Brian Goldstein, UA Vice President

Sebastian Enrique Gonzalez, Penn First

Katherine Hsu, Asian Pacific Student Coalition

Cinthia Ibarra, Latinx Coaltion

Natasha Menon, UA President

Wes Neal, Lambda Alliance

Wendy Qian, Assembly for International Students

Maggie Zheng, Penn Association for Gender Equity

TBD: 1

United Minorities Council

Eaton Lin    

Penn Professional Staff Assembly

Nadir Sharif, Chair

Kris Forrest, Chair-elect

Weekly-Paid Penn Professional Assembly

Thalia Mangan, Chair

Cydnee Bryant, Chair-elect

Librarians’ Assembly

Anna Levine    

ROTC Representative

Colonel Matthew C. Culbertson, USMC*

Secretary of University Council

Lizann Boyle Rode*

Parliamentarian

Lauren Steinfeld*    

Moderator

Emily Steiner*

*Indicates a non-voting participant.

For more information regarding University Council, including Status Reports and Resolutions, see the Council website: https://secretary.upenn.edu/univ-council

Academic & Related Affairs

Chair: Julie Fairman, Nursing

Liaison: Leo Charney

Staff: Nadine Farrier

Faculty:

Montserrat Anguera, Vet

Nancy Hirschmann, SAS/Political Science

Kris Laudanski, PSOM/Anesthesia

Dan Raff, Wharton

Lisa Servon, Weitzman

Alan Strudler, Wharton

Graduate Students:

Gregory Callaghan

1 TBD

Undergraduate Students:

John Casey

Nardos Mecuria

PPSA:

Lucia Dinapoli

Rashmi Kumar

WPPSA:

Marcia Dotson

Vicky Lee

Campus & Community Life

Chair: Monica Calkins, PSOM

Liaisons:

Tamara King

Tony Sorrentino

Staff: Emily Hobbs

Faculty:

Maja Bucan, PSOM/Genetics

Delphine Dahan, SAS/Psychology

Nancy Hodgson, Nursing

David Hoffman, Law

Sara Jacoby, Nursing

Mark Trodden, SAS/Physics

Graduate Students:

Julia Hah

Haley Pilgrim

Undergraduate Students:

Jess Andrews

Yonatan B. Bendore

PPSA:

Traci Chupik

Logan Thurnauer

WPPSA:

Mariel Featherstone

Laura Naden

Diversity & Equity

Co-chair (fall): Ebony Thomas, GSE

Co-chair (spring): Ben Garcia, PSOM

Liaison: Sam Starks

Staff: Kuan Evans

Faculty:

DaCarla Albright, PSOM

H. Gerald Campano, GSE

Howard Chang, Law

Antonio Garcia, SP2

Jennifer Punt, Vet

Eric Schelter, SAS/Chemistry

Graduate Students:

Kelly Diaz

1 TBD

Undergraduate Students:

Michael John

Zoe Walker

PPSA:

Cynthia Kwan

Kathy Tang

WPPSA:

Tiffany Perkins

Angela Rivers

Facilities

Chair: Michael McGarvey, PSOM/Neurology

Liaison: Mark Kocent

Staff: Taylor Berkowitz

Faculty:

William Braham, Weitzman

Cary Coglianese, Law

Erick Guerra, Weitzman

Allison Lassiter, Weitzman

Michael May, Vet

Claire Mitchell, PSOM/Cell Biology

Graduate Students:

Richa Agarwal

Autumn Ondo

Undergraduate Students:

Maria Curry

Zahra Elhanbaly

PPSA:

Katherine Primus

Tom Wilson

WPPSA:

Jennifer Vatza

1 TBD

Personnel Benefits

Chair: Tanja Kral, Nursing

Liaisons:

Jack Heuer

Susan Sproat

Staff: Melissa Brown

Faculty:

David Balamuth, SAS/Physics

Jose Bauermeister, Nursing

Markus Blatz, Dental

Scott Harrington, Wharton

Paula Henthorn, Vet

Olivia Mitchell, Wharton

SCESF: 1 TBD

PPSA:

Ashley Bush

Desiree Fleck

Miriam Wright

WPPSA:

Darlene Jackson

Rhonda Kirlew

Rosa Vargas

Ex-Officio: Anita Allen

Committee on Committees

Chair: Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Annenberg

Staff:

Katherine Kruger

Patrick Walsh

Faculty:

Jennifer Pinto-Martin, Nursing

Steven Kimbrough, Wharton

Mirjam Cvetic, SAS/Physics & Astronomy

Eric Feldman, Law

Sharon Irving, Nursing

Anna Kashina, Vet

Graduate Student: Gregory Callaghan

Undergraduate Student: 1 TBD

PPSA: 1 TBD

WPPSA: Mariel Featherstone

M. Andres Blanco, an assistant professor, in biomedical sciences at Penn Vet, was recently awarded a $100,000 grant from The Leukemia Research Foundation for blood cancer research funding to for the research project titled “Dual Targeting of LSD1 and KAT6A to Induce Therapeutic Differentiation in AML.” The one-year grant is awarded through the Foundation’s Hollis Brownstein Research Grants Program for New Investigators.

“The primary mission of the Leukemia Research Foundation is to fund research into the causes of and cures for blood cancers and providing grants to New Investigators is critically important,” said Leukemia Research Foundation Executive Director Kevin Radelet.

Each proposal was thoroughly evaluated and scored using the same scoring system adhered to by the NIH. The Leukemia Research Foundation Medical Advisory Board, led by Patrick J. Stiff, medical director of the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois, discussed each project in person that scored in the top half of the preliminary critique. Final recommendations were forwarded to the Leukemia Research Foundation for funding.

The Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science has selected Dalmacio Dennis Flores, assistant professor in Penn’s School of Nursing, as one of six early-career nurse scientists to participate in the 2019 Duck-Hee Kang Memorial Mentored Workshop. The competitively chosen group of postdoctoral and new faculty will receive research mentoring from senior nurse scientists during a one-day workshop on October 22 in Washington, DC.

The Council is an open membership initiative of the American Academy of Nursing whose mission is promoting better health through nursing science. The workshop will provide the opportunity to have a submitted research grant proposal critiqued by a senior investigator, as well as to participate as a member of a National Institutes of Health style mock review panel.

Presented by the Council’s Early Career Special Interest Group, the workshop honors the late Duck- Hee Kang, who was the Lee and Joseph D. Jamail Distinguished Professor at UTHealth School of Nursing, part of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Dr. Kang, who died unexpectedly in 2016, was highly regarded as a biobehavioral nurse scientist and an outstanding research mentor to those at the start of their career.

Manuel S. González Canché, associate professor in the higher education division of Penn GSE, has received a grant award from the AccessLex Institute for the project “The Effect of the Uniform Bar Examination on Diversity, Affordability, and Employment Prospects.” The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether the adoption of Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) has positively influenced increased diversity in law school enrollment and completion, bar passage rates, tuition costs, employment mobility and overall employment prospects.

Dr. González Canché brings an innovative set of tools—including econometric, geospatial and network analysis methods—to study the structural factors that influence minority and at-risk students’ likelihood of success, including less access to financial, academic and social resources. He aims to identify plans of action capable of closing these social and economic gaps. His work has already challenged traditional ideas about access, persistence and success in higher education, and has led to a better understanding of the effect of location, influence and competition.

Nancy A. Hodgson, the Anthony Buividas Term Chair in Gerontology and associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, has been appointed chair of the Clinical Management of Patients in Community-based Settings (CMPC) Study Section in the Center for Scientific Review of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

This committee reviews applications addressing the clinical management of patients in community, primary care and home-based settings. Its areas of emphasis include support for patient self-management of chronic conditions, improving quality of life for patients and caregivers of the chronically ill, survivorship care after treatment and home care for patients with chronic or episodic illness. Applications may include disciplines such as nursing, medicine, social work, pharmacy, health psychology and rehabilitative therapies.

Members of NIH committees are selected on the basis of their demonstrated competence and achievement in their scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals and other significant scientific activities, achievements and honors.

Dr. Hodgson’s term runs from July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2021.

Michael Mitchell, the Skirkanich Assistant Professor of Innovation in the department of bioengineering at Penn’s School of Engineering, has received a Young Investigator Award from the Chinese Association for Biomaterials.

Dr. Mitchell received the Young Investigator Award at the Biomaterials Science Excellence and Technology Translation Workshop in collaboration with the Society for Biomaterials at the 2019 Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington.

According to the Chinese Association for Biomaterials, “The CAB Young/Mid-Career Investigator Awards recognize the individuals who have successfully demonstrated significant achievements in the field of biomaterials research.”

The Chinese Association for Biomaterials was founded in 2015 at the Society for Biomaterials Annual Meeting. It is a non-profit professional organization that aims to facilitate exchange of research ideas and to promote collaboration among scientists in the fields of biomaterials research.

Kirk Wangensteen, an assistant professor of gastroenterology and genetics at PSOM, received the 2019 Beckman Young Investigator Award, which fosters the invention of techniques, instruments and materials in the chemical and life sciences. The recognition from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation comes with a $600,000 grant, which Dr. Wangensteen will put toward creating genetic methods to uncover new targets and treatments for MYC-driven liver cancer. Dr. Wangensteen is one of only 10 researchers in the country to receive this award in 2019.

The Weitzman School of Design has selected architecture practice KPF cofounder A. Eugene Kohn as the 2019 recipient of the Kanter Tritsch Medal for Excellence in Architecture and Environmental Design, and the Regional Plan Association (RPA) Fourth Regional Plan as the inaugural recipient of the Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal in City and Regional Planning.

The Kanter Tritsch Prize is awarded to a master of architecture candidate entering the final year of study who demonstrates transformational thinking on the built environment and innovation in his or her approach to one or more challenges of energy, ecology and social equity.

The recipient of the second annual prize, which carries a $50,000 scholarship, is Patrick William Danahy, recognized for work in computation and fabrication within the realm of sympathy and aesthetics. Mr. Danahy will apply his studies in the robotics lab under assistant professor of architecture Robert Stuart-Smith and as a graduate assistant to his research abroad in machine learning and aesthetics, applied in his travel to survey French and Belgian Art Nouveau architecture.

The Witte-Sakamoto Prize recognizes an outstanding planning student entering his or her final year in the master of city and regional planning program for innovation and impact in planning. The prize carries a $50,000 scholarship. The recipient of the 2019 prize is Amie Patel, for her studies in urban design and how designs can work with the existing community fabric. Ms.  Patel’s desire to work with local citizens and design with the community in mind reflects her studies and professional work in landscape architecture in Southern California before coming to the Weitzman School to study city and regional planning.

The Kanter Tritsch Medal and Prize were established in 2017 (Almanac December 19, 2017) and The Witte-Sakamoto Family Medal and Prize in 2018 (Almanac November 20, 2018).

The Medals and Prizes will be presented at the School’s gala next month in New York City.

Download the October AT PENN calendar as a PDF or visit the online version at https://almanac.upenn.edu/at-penn-calendar/october-at-penn-2019

The annual PennReady Life Saving Measures event is scheduled for Friday, September 27, from noon until 3 p.m. on College Green. The members of Penn’s Division of Public Safety (DPS) invite the campus community to attend all or part of this event. The rain date is Friday, October 4.

Life Saving Measures includes three major components. The first component is the annual campus-wide UPennAlert Emergency Notification System test and Shelter-in-Place Awareness Drill. Vice President for Public Safety and Superintendent of Penn Police Maureen Rush will open this segment with remarks about the importance of emergency notifications and the special partnerships the DPS has across the Penn community. She will also talk about the partnership with the Philadelphia Fire Department promoting campus safety.

The second and third components are related closely: they are Hands-only Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) awareness. CPR is a skill everyone should acquire. The CPR component will teach the basic steps to take when a person goes into cardiac arrest.  CPR only takes a few minutes to learn and is a vital team building exercise for your department, school, center, team, club, chapter or college house. Even if you know CPR, come out and refresh your skills; bring a friend who doesn’t know it.You will be taught by the student members of the Penn Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) and members of the University of Pennsylvania Health System’s Mobile CPR Project. The MERT will be gathering and reporting data to see what organization is most represented.

Penn Police’s Deputy Chief of Tactical Emergency Readiness Mike Fink will lead a team of officers who will discuss the campus AED program at a resource table. They will tell how an AED works in conjunction with hands-only CPR. They will discuss the approximately 160 locations where AEDs are on campus and that Penn Police and the MERT carry them while in service. Maybe your school or center would want to install an AED.

While visiting the many resource tables, staffed by Penn partner organizations, enjoy lunch with the DPS and the Penn community.  Penn Dining is back again this year with its famous Firehouse Chili Cook-Off. Eat the chili and vote for your favorite chef. Also, MERTs favorite hot dog cart is back again!

—Eugene C. Janda, Chief, Fire and Emergency Services, DPS

Professional and Personal Development Programs

Open to faculty and staff. Register at http://knowledgelink.upenn.edu/

Challenging Negative Attitudes; 10/1; 12:30-1:30 p.m. By challenging negative attitudes, we have the power to take control of pessimistic perspectives and stressful situations. During this course, participants will learn to manage the impact of negative situations, deal with negative people more effectively and learn coping tools for dealing with change.    

Managing Teams; 10/8; 9 a.m.-noon, $75. Whether you’re a seasoned manager or leading a department project, knowing how to effectively manage teams is an essential skill in today’s workforce. Understand ways to manage teams by learning the various aspects of team leadership such as establishing groups, clarifying roles, facilitating meetings, handling conflict and rewarding accomplishments.

Emotional Intelligence as Vital Skills—Responding in Difficult Situations or in Times of Change; 10/9; 12:30-1:30 p.m. This brown bag is designed to give you the tools you need to respond in difficult situations or in times of change, bringing the participant to a new level of self-awareness. Participants will leave with a better understanding of stress and emotions—why they matter and how to express and manage emotions.

Tools for Career Assessment and Development; 10/9; 12:30-1:30 p.m. In this program we will examine questions for assessing and developing your career. You will contrast your career options by utilizing a variety of tools. By the end of the session,  you will have the resources needed to develop a plan for career success.

Sparkhire Video Interviewing; 10/11; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Spark Hire is Penn’s video interviewing technology. In this session we will provide an overview of video interviewing and how job candidates use the system. We will also provide some tips and techniques for creating a great video interview.

Managing Up; 10/17; 12:30-1:30 p.m. In today’s busy work environment, creating a relationship of trust and open communication with your manager is critical to your success. In this course, learn to increase your ability to recognize your manager’s perspective and meet his/her expectations, as well as fine tune your communication skills to optimize your work with your manager, including providing and receiving feedback.

Presentation Skills; 10/29; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Successful completion of this course will increase your knowledge and your ability to define the objective of your presentation to keep your efforts on target, keep the interest and the attention of an audience with a well-paced presentation that meets the demands of today’s listener and identify types of post-presentation follow-up that may be applicable to fully satisfy your objective.

Work-life Workshops

Open to faculty and staff. Register at www.hr.upenn.edu/registration

Mindfulness in the Workplace; 10/1; 2-4 p.m. This eight-week program offers an introduction to mindfulness-based stress management. This structured and foundational process supports participants to learn mindfulness-based tools and apply mindfulness in real-life situations to help reduce stress, increase focus and mental clarity, improve communication in relationships, improve mood and energy and better manage difficult situations. The course consists of eight 2-hour weekly classes and a full-day retreat on the weekend before week seven of the course. All class materials are provided, including weekly practice assignments and guided audio meditation practices.

Balancing Work-Life-Family; 10/3; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Balancing your work and home life can seem impossible in our busy world. Feelings of guilt and turmoil are stirred by the demands of work and home, and the lack of personal time and time for family and friends. Through open discussion, this workshop outlines how to work toward attainable personal and professional goals, while reducing stress levels. It also offers effective workday tips for reducing discomfort and guilt, and successfully “keeping it all together.”

Guided Meditation; 10/4 and 10/25; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Practice mindful breathing that focuses your attention on the present moment with kindness, compassion and awareness. Self-massage and gentle mindful movements that promote relaxation and reduce stress may also be included in the workshop. No experience necessary.    

Webinar: Managing Emotional Health at Work; 10/9; 12:30-1:30 p.m. This webinar will help participants to develop an awareness of the emotional illness and its impact in the workplace. Reviewed are the infinite stressors that impact employees’ behavior and work performance, as well as what leadership should look for, and how to supportively confront those concerns for a successful outcome.

Models of Excellence Information Session: How to Nominate a Staff Member or Team for a Models of Excellence Award; 10/10; noon-1 p.m. Do you work with someone who shows special initiative or demonstrates outstanding leadership? Have you noticed that a colleague or team excels at fostering workplace collaboration or shows an especially deep commitment to service? If so, then recognize them as a Model of Excellence. The Selection Committee depends on the content of the nominations to make its decisions. Therefore, nominations submitted should be as detailed and descriptive as possible in order to convey a nominee’s exceptional performance. Be sure to attend this workshop and learn about how best to write your nomination and obtain some tips on doing so!

Mindfulness; 10/11; 12:30-1:30 p.m. This monthly workshop will offer participants an opportunity to practice awareness activities adapted from Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. During the first part of our practice, we will begin with a guided meditation focusing on the breath. The second half of our session will focus our attention on a guided exploration of the body, bringing awareness to the different areas of the body and allowing ourselves to experience how each part feels, without trying to change anything. No experience necessary. All warmly welcome.

Flexible Work Options; 10/14; 11 a.m.-noon. This presentation will provide an overview of Flexible Work Options and provide guidelines for proposing and implementing a flex request including understanding the applicable HR guidelines and policies, assessing the fit between position and job responsibilities, reviewing a sample proposal, documenting the flexible work option request and implementing the request.

New and Expectant Parent Briefing; 10/15; 12:30-1:30 p.m. This is an introductory resource briefing designed for expectant parents and those who are new to parenting or child care. Participants will learn about local and University childcare and parenting resources including breastfeeding support and the nursing mothers program, childcare locators, back-up care, adjusting to new schedules and flexible work options, among other topics. This session will also cover Penn’s time away policies, including short-term disability (STD), parental leave and related sick leave policies.

Understanding the Opioid Crisis; 10/21; 12:30-1:30 p.m. According to the most recent data available, opioid overdose takes the lives of 116 Americans every day. The Greater Philadelphia Region has not been immune to this epidemic. In this presentation, we will: examine the reasons for this alarming trend; discuss how it may impact us as individuals, families, friends and co-workers; and address what we can all do to help prevent someone we care about from developing addiction or assist someone in getting the help they need if a substance use disorder is present.

Wills, Trust, and Estate Planning; 10/29; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Join Marcie L. H. Merz, Executive Director of Planned Giving and Associate General Counsel at the University of Pennsylvania, to learn about the importance of estate planning, managing your estate during life and disposing of your estate at your death through the use of trusts, wills, beneficiary designation forms and other planning documents.

Penn Healthy You Workshops

Open to faculty and staff. Register at www.hr.upenn.edu/registration

Sugar Detox; 10/1; noon-1 p.m. Sugar has gotten a bad rap in the media recently. Come and learn why! A Family Food registered dietitian will help you identify hidden forms of sugar, how to reduce the amount of added sugars you consume and will explain which sugars to avoid.

Chair Yoga; 10/2; noon-1 p.m. Plenty of people turn to yoga for exercise, but striking a pose isn’t for everyone. If you’ve been tempted to try it but don’t know where to start, it’s time to try chair yoga. Chair yoga is a more moderate form of yoga that’s done while sitting in a chair or using a chair for support. You get the same benefits of a regular yoga workout (like increased strength, flexibility and balance) but don’t have to master complex poses. Chair yoga can even improve your breathing and teach you how to relax your mind and improve your wellbeing. Ready to give it a try? Join us for a free Chair Yoga workshop. And don’t worry about your experience or flexibility—chair yoga can be modified for all levels! This workshop will be led by Judith Glass from UPHS.

Gentle Yoga; 10/10 and 10/24; 11 a.m.-noon. Let your body reward itself with movement! Join us for this Gentle Yoga session and explore the natural movements of the spine with slow and fluid moving bends and soft twists. During this session, you will flow into modified sun salutations that loosen those tightened muscles and joints of the lower back, neck, shoulders and wrists. And as an added bonus, you’ll get a workout in the process. Mats and props will be provided.

October Wellness Walk; 10/11; noon-1 p.m. Our wellness walks encourage participants to increase their physical activity by stepping outside to pump up their heart rate by walking through Penn’s beautiful campus. What better way to get motivated and gain energy for the day! Meet the Center for Public Health Initiatives staff at noon in front of College Hall by the Ben Franklin statue. The walk will be approximately 2-miles and we will inform you when we have reached the 1-mile mark in the event that you need to exit the walk early. We hope you will be able to join us. Bring your water bottle and don’t forget to bring along a colleague and your sneakers!

BODYPUMP; 10/18; 11 a.m.-noon. A toning and conditioning class with weights that is for everybody! It’s perfect for anyone who wants to add strength training into their aerobic workout. You won’t know if you don’t go. So meet the challenge and reap the rewards!

Spinning; 10/30; 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Pedal your way to a fantastic workout indoors! With the use of stationary cycles, each class is led on a “virtual” outdoor road, complete with a variety of exercises. This class will give you an energizing, calorie-burning, fun workout, and it is great for all fitness levels because you will always ride at a self-directed pace.

—Division of Human Resources

Start this year’s Be in the Know campaign and sign up for a free and confidential biometric screening, which measures your blood pressure, blood sugar (glucose), and non-fasting total and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol. You may also choose to fast to include low-density cholesterol (LDL) and triglyceride results. Get started today and earn up to $300 this campaign year!

Advance registration required: www.hr.upenn.edu/registration Screenings will be held 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; times subject to availability, on the following dates:

10/8; Tse Center Hutchinson Gym

10/9; BRB Penn Medicine

10/10; Penn Vet Hill Pavilion

10/14; Towne Building

10/15; Left Bank

10/16; Irvine Auditorium

10/17; Irvine Auditorium and Morris Arboretum

10/21; Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall

10/22; Fagin Hall Lobby

10/24; Penn Dental Evans Building

10/25; Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall

10/28; Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall

10/29; Pottruck Health & Fitness Center

10/30; Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall

10/31; Irvine Auditorium

The upcoming Times and Travels: A Group Show at the Burrison Gallery is curated by Andreea Dimofte and includes works by 22 members of the Radiation Oncology Group.

The show runs September 29-November 5; the reception will be October 4, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The Burrison Gallery is located in the University Club at Penn on the 2nd floor of The Inn at Penn, 3611 Walnut Street and is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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 September 9-15, 2019. 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 for the dates of September 9-15, 2019. The University Police actively patrol from Market St to Baltimore 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.

09/10/19   9:06 AM    51 N 39th St      Unauthorized prescriptions written

09/10/19   9:23 AM    202 S 36th St     Project and MAC 220 taken from room

09/11/19   6:14 PM     305 S 41st St    Unsecured package taken from porch/Arrest

09/11/19   7:30 PM     3850 Spruce St Unsecured backpack taken from hallway

09/12/19  12:01 AM    4247 Locust St  Domestic assault by offender/Arrest

09/12/19  10:17 AM    3800 Spruce St Two desktops taken

09/12/19   1:09 PM     4024 Ludlow St Unauthorized person in residence

09/12/19   3:09 PM    3730 Walnut St   Secured bike taken from bike rack

09/13/19   8:26 AM    51 N 39th St       Cash stolen from automobile

09/13/19   9:22 AM    120 S 30th St     Offender cited for writing on mural

09/13/19   1:16 PM    3730 Walnut St   Secured bike stolen

09/14/19   6:43 AM    3417 Spruce St   Bait bike theft/Arrest

09/14/19   4:53 PM    3100 Walnut St   Tarp vandalized with graffiti

09/14/19   9:38 PM    2929 Walnut St   Unauthorized charges on credit card

09/15/19   8:11 AM    3100 Ludlow St   Aggravated assault by male/Arrest

09/15/19   4:00 PM    211 S 42nd St     Computer taken from drawer in room

18th District

Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 5 incidents (2 domestic assaults, 1 aggravated assault, 1 indecent assault and 1 robbery) with 2 arrests was reported September 9-15, 2019 by the 18th District covering the Schuylkill River to 49th Street & Market Street to Woodland Avenue.

09/10/19   4:37 PM   4040 Baltimore Ave Indecent Assault

09/12/19  12:27 AM  4247 Locust St Domestic Assault/Arrest

09/15/19   1:31 AM   3700 Spruce St Domestic Assault

09/15/19   8:38 AM   3100 Ludlow St Aggravated Assault/Arrest

09/15/19  11:03 PM  43rd/Chester Ave Robbery

Be in the Know, Penn’s faculty and staff wellness campaign, is back for its eighth year. Last year’s campaign was another record-breaker thanks to more than 6,200 Penn faculty and staff members who completed a biometric screening. The 2019-2020 campaign year offers fresh opportunities to improve your well-being while earning extra cash. Benefits-eligible faculty and staff members can earn up to $300* in incentives for Be in the Know health and wellness activities between September 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020.

Penn makes it simple with 3 Steps to Success: a biometric screening, StayWell’s online health assessment and a variety of Bonus Actions. These Be in the Know activities allow you to earn points and cash while supporting your mind, body and financial well-being.

Get started today by registering for a free on-campus biometric screening at www.hr.upenn.edu

What’s New for 2019-2020?

This year’s Bonus Action options include the updated “Refer-a-Friend” Bonus and a new 30 Day Wellness Challenge. Penn has also added bone density screenings to the list of Preventative Health Options for Bonus Action points.

Unlike the 2018-2019 campaign, the current Be in the Know campaign year ends June 30, 2020. All activities must be completed by that date. Documentation, such as a Proof of Bonus Actions form, is due by July 31, 2020.

3 Steps to Success

STEP 1: Your Free Biometric Screening: Quick, convenient screenings are available at various Penn locations October 8 through November 26.

At the biometric screening, a health educator will measure key components of your overall health, including blood pressure, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and blood sugar (glucose) levels. You also have the option to fast before your screening to learn low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride levels (see page 11).

STEP 2: StayWell’s Online Health Assessment: After your biometric screening, be sure to complete the online health assessment, available October 7 at Penn’s wellness portal, penn.staywell.com Your current biometric screening values are needed to complete the online health assessment.

2 Core Actions for Your First 100 Points and $100: The biometric screening and online health assessment are the two Core Actions required to earn your first 100 points and $100.

STEP 3: Earn More with Bonus Actions: Get even more rewards by completing Bonus Actions worth up to 200 additional points for a total of $300 this year. There are dozens of qualifying Bonus Action activities in four categories: preventative health, wellness activity, physical activity and online programs. Bonus Action points can be just the nudge you need to take care of yourself with important annual health screenings, nutrition counseling, exercise and online challenges. Major activities such as the Penn Comprehensive Smoking Treatment Program are worth as much as 60 Bonus Action points.

Earn 250 Bonus Action points or more (350 total campaign points) to reach the Be in the Know VIP level. On top of the maximum cash incentive, Be in the Know VIPs receive a special gift.

You can earn Bonus Action points for qualifying activities completed at any time during the campaign year. However, cash incentives for Bonus Actions will not be awarded until you complete the first two Core Actions.

Your Be the Know Incentives: Just like last year, you can chose to receive all of your incentives in your paycheck or as a Penn Recreation credit.

Whether you want treat yourself, challenge yourself or maintain well-being, Be in the Know and Penn are here to help.

Check the Be in the Know webpage at www.hr.upenn.edu/beintheknow for program details.

*All cash incentives are less applicable payroll taxes.

Another tip in a series provided by the Offices of Information Systems & Computing and Audit, Compliance & Privacy

Online surveys are a great tool to use for collecting individual opinions, schedule availability or other information from a group of people. However, surveys should be created in a thoughtful way that respects the privacy of the individual filling out the survey. When conducting anonymous surveys or surveys about a sensitive topic, consider these tips to protect the privacy of those filling out your survey:

• Be mindful about the information you are collecting. Do not collect sensitive data such as credit card data, social security numbers or health data in surveys.

• Avoid using free online survey tools. When collecting survey data, use a survey tool that encrypts the data collected and will not sell the data to third parties. Qualtrics, a Penn-approved vendor, is an appropriate tool to use.   

• When creating an anonymous survey, be mindful that you do not collect information that is so specific or if combined could indirectly identify an individual—then the survey would no longer be anonymous.   

• Qualtrics allows survey creators to anonymize responses by not collecting IP addresses and other identifying information. This can be done via Survey Options > Survey Termination when creating a survey.

• When using free text boxes, remind the individual filling out the survey that it is anonymous. You can do this by adding, “Please do not include any identifying information” to the question text.

Questions about survey creation and privacy can be addressed to privacy@upenn.edu

For more information about Qualtrics see: https://www.library.upenn.edu/using-libraries/tech-equipment/software/qualtrics

For additional tips, see the One Step Ahead link on the Information Security website: https://www.isc.upenn.edu/security/news-alerts#One-Step-Ahead

The October AT PENN is now online along with the September AT PENN. The deadline for the November AT PENN is October 14. The deadline for the weekly Update is the Monday prior to the following week’s issue.

When I first came to Penn, I would regularly include an essay prompt for students in my introductory philosophy courses: “Create and answer your own question. You will be graded on the quality of both the question and the answer.” For students just starting out in my discipline, such an exercise can add an extra layer of challenge to the existing challenge of learning the art of doing philosophy. But more often than not, students would eagerly rise to the challenge, and creative and exciting topics and thinking would emerge in response to this prompt. Over the years, though, the number of students selecting this option dwindled, until almost nobody selected it. Curious, I asked a class once why they didn’t opt for that prompt, and one student quickly answered, “Because there are two ways of failing—in creating and in answering the question.”

This is one anecdote about one assignment, and this is just one student’s attitude, but it encapsulates what seems to be an increasing fear of failure, and thus, an increasing concern among some students about their grades. Moreover, this concern with grades can get in the way of what I take to be crucial elements of the educational mission of a university, namely enabling students to push themselves intellectually by taking difficult courses, to pursue unfamiliar subjects outside of their comfort zone and to immerse themselves with enthusiasm in a course’s content for its own sake rather than with an eye constantly on the grade they hope to earn.

In order to tackle this inordinate focus on getting good grades, I’ve tried a number of strategies and am constantly on the lookout for more. Here are two strategies that I’ve recently employed with notable success.

First, since the concern with grades is directly related to course assessment—the activities we ask our students to do in order to earn their grades —my first goal was to devise ways of assessing my students such that the students would care about the projects for their own sake, and such that the specter of the grade would fade in importance in students’ minds. One of the students’ favorites assessments in my Introduction to Early Modern (1600-1800) Philosophy is the Anonymous Correspondence assignment, an assignment suggested to me by Adrienne Prettyman at Bryn Mawr College. In this project, I pair students, assign each student to take on a philosophical persona and assign each student pair a philosophical topic we have not addressed in class to debate. For example, a pair of students could be assigned the personae of René Descartes and Margaret Cavendish, and they could be assigned to discuss the nature and treatment of non-human animals. The students do not know their partner’s identity, and they exchange letters for several weeks on an electronic platform such as EtherPad or Top Hat.

Much philosophy in the early modern period was conducted in private correspondences, often between correspondents living at some distance from one another. Some correspondences were mediated by third parties, and of these, some were anonymous. Correspondences were slow. It is a mode of communication starkly different from many contemporary ways of communicating, such as through emails and texts and various social media platforms. This is the first feature of the assignment that draws students into an interesting world and a different way of thinking and communicating. A second feature that draws the students into the activity for its own sake is the challenge and complexity of the assignment coupled with the opportunity for playfulness. For not only do students need to think themselves into an often-foreign philosophical framework and argue from that framework for their positions, but they have to understand the philosophical framework of their interlocutor and engage in a discussion that pays due heed to commitments of their partner’s persona. In addition, students often seek out interesting tidbits about the philosophers, such as Cavendish’s penchant for fine fabrics and sewing, so that they can work these details into their letters. A shift in focus away from the grade is also helped by the mystery of their writing partner’s identity—the wondering, guessing and anticipation of finding out which face in the lecture crowd is behind the exchange of ideas. The excitement that students bring to their execution of their letters is palpable in our discussions during office hours, and even in the quality of the letters themselves.

A second technique to lessen student concern with grades is to offer a course devoted to a project that feels so urgently important to the students that the grade becomes of minimal consequence to them. There are many such course models, but the kind of course that I have made a staple of my offerings precisely for this virtue is the Academically-Based Community Service (ABCS) course.

One ABCS course I teach proceeds as follows: the Penn undergraduates and I meet during the week to discuss the philosophical topic of the course—for example, the philosophy of education—and then, on the weekends, the Penn students engage with local high school students around these topics. The syllabus for the course is largely created by the Penn students as they identify topics within the theme and locate readings for the class to read. On the basis of the seminar discussion during the week, a team of three or four of the undergraduates design a lesson plan to teach to the high school students. On Saturday mornings, then, the high school students come to Penn’s campus, and the Penn undergraduates teach the material to the high school students. After an hour and a half of hard work, we head over to the philosophy department lounge for lunch, which will often extend late into the afternoon as friendships develop, form and cement. About halfway through the semester, we switch gears on Saturdays to start preparing the high school students for a conference at the end of the semester where the high school students present their own original papers on some aspect of the philosophy of education. The conference is open to the public and is attended by members of the University community as well as friends, family members, teachers and supporters of the high school presenters. In the lead-up to the conference—during one of the busiest times of the Penn students’ term—the undergraduates often meet with their high school charges for extra weekend hours, after school, and often late into the night coaching and encouraging the younger students as they near the ‘finish line.’ The Penn student’s grade is in no way bound up with the degree of success of the high school student’s presentation, but the undergraduates nonetheless commit themselves completely to the course, and they display a level of dedication to the success of their younger counterparts that is heartwarming to witness. The Penn students’ focus is completely outside of themselves and on the struggles and triumphs of the high school students.

The ABCS course model, which calls students to look outward to the community and to think about productive and respectful ways in which they can engage with the wider world, tends to minimize in students’ minds the importance of the grade. And in my experience, these courses achieve this end—shifting student focus away from grades and toward the intrinsic value of the educational project—more effectively than any other course I have taught or any other technique I have tried.

Karen Detlefsen is professor of philosophy in SAS.

This essay continues the series that began in the fall of 1994 as the joint creation of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Lindback Society for Distinguished Teaching.

See https://almanac.upenn.edu/talk-about-teaching-and-learning-archive for previous essays.