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Coverage of Trustees' November Stated Meeting

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November 8, 2011, Volume 58, No. 11

At the University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees’ Stated Meeting on November 4, a Memorial Resolution was passed for G. Morris Dorrance  (Almanac September 6, 2011) who died in August at age 88. There were also Resolutions of Appreciation for Paul S. Levy and Susan C. Taylor, as well as one for L. John Clark who was designated an Emeritus Trustee. William W.M. Cheung and M. Claire Lomax were elected as Term Trustees and Marc F. McMorris was reelected as a Term Trustee.

President Amy Gutmann noted that while Penn has already exceeded the $3.5 billion goal of the Making History Campaign, it will use the remaining 14 months of the Campaign to reach the remaining goals. She announced that Penn was recently listed as #9 among the top ten universities in the world by QSWorld,  having climbed up from #11 in the past two years’ rankings.

Dr. Gutmann spoke about Penn Park—a complicated and difficult project—like making “a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” That area has been transformed from an ugly parking lot into a green oasis (Almanac September 20, 2011).

The Trustees approved the resolution to appoint Stephen J. MacCarthy as Vice President for University Communications (Almanac September 6, 2011).

Provost Vincent Price spoke about two of Penn’s entities that have recently celebrated their 10th anniversary: CURF and the Botswana Program.

EVP Craig Carnaroli summarized the University’s and Health System’s financial condition for the three months ended September 30, 2011. He said the total operating revenue for the consolidated University increased from $1.4 billion to $1.53 billion, an 8% increase over the same period last year. However, there was a decline in the net assets from non-operating activities due to the downturn in the equity markets. The Health System had a strong first quarter with an excess of revenues over expenses from operations, 26% higher than last year.

Dr. Larry Jameson gave his first Penn Medicine Report since assuming his new duties as the dean of the School of Medicine and EVP for UPHS some four months ago. He noted that there have been several key appointments there recently including the director of the Abramson Cancer Center (Almanac October 18, 2011).

A new doctoral program in the School of Dental Medicine was approved to combine a doctor of science in dentistry “DScD” with a clinical dental specialty.

The Budget & Finance Committee presented 10 resolutions which all passed.

• Since more than 50% of HUP is more than 40 years old and many of the rooms are doubles, and the Penn Tower parking garage is aging, the Trustees approved the authorization of $102 million for the South Pavilion Extension (SPE) onto the Perelmen Center for Advanced Medicine, to be designed by Rafael Vinoly commencing this winter for occupancy winter/spring 2014. They also approved a replacement parking garage, $48 million, on the former Pennsylvania Hall site, which meets some of the Trustees’ obligations to the Philadelphia Industrial Development Commission from which Penn acquired the land in 2004.

• Interior renovations in Mayer Hall, $8.7 million, its first renovation since its original construction in 1964.

• Fagin Hall phase 5 renovations, $5.5 million, for the School of Nursing—Penn’s sixth largest school.

• Silverman Hall renovations, $5.4 million, to support the Law School’s educational experience.

• Vance Hall basement classroom renovations, $2.92 million, for the Wharton School.

• Neural Behavioral Science Building design development phase, $2.87 million, for SAS, to house psychology and biology and biological basis of behavior (BBB); it will require the demolition of the Mudd and Kaplan Buildings.

• Palestra Hutchinson Gym infill building phase 1—the design and preconstruction services, $2.4 million.

• Chemistry 1973 Building lighting conversion energy reduction project, $1.765 million, for energy efficient fixtures to reduce utility expenses.

• Levy Tennis Pavilion renovation, phase 1, $1.125 million.

Almanac - November 8, 2011, Volume 58, No. 11