Tuesday,
December 7, 1999
Volume 46
Number 14
www.upenn.edu/almanac/


HUD Post: Dr. Wachter

Dr. Susan Wachter, professor of real estate and finance at the Wharton School, was sworn in December 2 as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. She had been approved by the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee by a vote of 19 to 1 on November 19. Dr. Wachter, a national expert in housing analysis and the first woman to head the American Real Estate Urban Economics Association, was nominated by President Clinton this summer.

Dr. Wachter has taught at Wharton since 1972 and served as chair of its real estate department from 1997 to 1999. She also served the University as Ombudsman from 1987 to 1990. She has been a consultant to HUD's Policy Development and Research office for much of the year and is currently on leave from Penn. Dr. Wachter pioneered work on home ownership affordability, including the first-time identification of the impact of borrowing constraints on home ownership. "I believe that expanding access and opportunity to home ownership are critical to the revitalization of our cities and the economic well-being of our nation," said Dr. Wachter at the nomination hearings.


Information Technology Advisory Board

Provost Robert Barchi has announced the formation of an IT Advisory Board comprising senior faculty and administrators from across the University, as well as student representatives. The Board will meet on a regular basis to advise the Provost on strategic issues involving the use of information technology and their impact on the academic mission of the University.

"Shaping the University of the 21st Century," Provost Barchi said, "requires us to take a broad view of the future centered on the academic mission of the institution. This Advisory Board draws on the time and talent of some distinguished Penn patriots and will support our work in important ways."

The group was formed with consultation from the chairs of the Senate Executive Committee and will be chaired by James J. O'Donnell, Professor of Classical Studies and Vice Provost for Information Systems and Computing. The Advisory Board will include:

  • Mary Alice Annecharico, Dir., Information Services, School of Medicine
  • Robin Beck, Associate Vice President, ISC
  • Peter Conn, Deputy Provost
  • Margaret Cotroneo, Associate Professor, Nursing in Psychology
  • Susan Davidson, Professor, CIS
  • Laura Ducceschi, GAPSA
  • Kathryn Engebretson, Vice President, Finance
  • Alan Filreis, Professor, English
  • Thomas Gerrity, Reliance Professor, Management and Private Enterprise
  • Theo LeCompte, Co-Chair, Committee for Tangible Change
  • Elizabeth Kelly, Professor, Law; Dir., Biddle Law Library
  • Gerard McCartney, Executive Dir., Wharton Computing and IT
  • Russell Neuman, Professor, Communication
  • Michael Palladino, Executive Dir., ISC Networking
  • Patricia Renfro, Associate Dir., Library Public Services
  • Stanley Schwartz, Associate Professor, Medicine
  • Dana Tomlin, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning
  • Ira Winston, Executive Dir., SAS and SEAS Computing

 COUNCIL Agenda



University Council Meeting

Wednesday, December 8, 1999, from 4 to 6 p.m.

McClelland Hall, The Quadrangle

Members of the University who wish to attend as observers should so indicate by calling the Office of the Secretary, (215) 898-7005.

I. Approval of the minutes of November 10, 1999 meeting: 1 minute.

II. Status Reports by the President, Provost, Chairs of the Steering Committee, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, the Undergraduate Assembly, the Penn Professional Staff Assembly and the A-3 Assembly. Time limit for reports and clarifications: 20 minutes

III. Remaining 1998-99 Year-end Report of the Committee on Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics: 5 minutes presentation; 5 minutesº discussion.

IV. Discussion on Experience with Outsourcing: 5 minutes presentation; 15 minutes discussion.

V. Open Forum: Presentations will be limited to 3 minutes. Issues that are not on the schedule will be accommodated if time allows.

A. University Licensing for Penn Clothes

B. Problems With Penn Policies on Students With Disabilities

C. Women's Safety

D. Women's Safety: University Administration's Relationship With the Penn Police

E. University's Investment of the Endowment

F. Minority Recruitment and Retention

G. Obtaining Prayer Space

VI. Adjournment by 6:00 p.m.

 TO:  University Community
 FROM: John C. Keene, Chair, Council Steering Committee William F. Harris, Moderator, University Council
 SUBJECT: University Council Open Forum, 12/8/99

The issues for the University Council Open Forum in the order in which they will be addressed are:

  1. University Licensing for Penn Clothes
  2. Problems With Penn Policies on Students With Disabilities
  3. Women's Safety
  4. Women's Safety: University Administration's Relationship With the Penn Police
  5. University's Investment of the Endowment
  6. Minority Recruitment and Retention
  7. Obtaining Prayer Space

Presentations will be limited to 3 minutes. Issues that are not on the schedule will be accommodated if time allows. The University Council meeting is from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 8, in McClelland Hall, the Quadrangle. A PennCard is needed to enter the Quadrangle. The meeting is open to any member of the University Community who wishes to attend, subject to space limitations. We suggest that people interested in the Open Forum arrive at 5 p.m. 


Retirement Plan for All

Penn weekly-paid staff will soon have the option of participating in the "defined contribution" retirement plan that, up until now, has been open only to eligible faculty and monthly-paid staff, if new recommendations by the Office of the Provost and the Division of Human Resources are accepted by the President, Provost and Executive Vice President.

"This is very good news for thousands of weekly-paid staff, many of whom have asked to join the retirement plan, which features immediate vesting, portability and other important benefits," said Jack Heuer, vice president, Human Resources. The Personnel Benefits Committee of University Council asked Human Resources to review the issue, and the recommendations are in this issue.


Almanac, Vol. 46, No. 14, December 7, 1999

| FRONT PAGE | CONTENTS | JOB-OPS | CRIMESTATS | Holiday Shopping 1999, Part One | COUNCIL: State of the University, Part Two (Barchi & Conn) | TALK ABOUT TEACHING ARCHIVE | BETWEEN ISSUES | DECEMBER at PENN |