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Previous issue's Gazetteer
| March/April Contents | Gazette
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EXPERIMENTAL
MEDICINE
Clinical Trials Put on Hold
at Gene-Therapy Lab
Four months after the death
of a gene-therapy-study participant at Penn,
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration halted clinical trials at the Institute
for Human Gene Therapy, which oversaw the experiment. Citing “numerous
serious deficiencies” in the oversight and monitoring procedures of that
study— designed to test a treatment for an inherited liver disorder—the
agency placed it and seven other investigational new-drug applications at the
IHGT on “clinical hold.” Continued...
TRANSITIONS
Kelley Out
Dr. William N. Kelley was dismissed
as CEO of the University’s Health System (UPHS) and Medical Center and
dean of the School of Medicine on Feb. 17. Taking over those positions on an
interim basis is Dr. Peter G. Traber, the Frank Wister Thomas Professor of Medicine
and chair of the department.
Continued...
 RESEARCH
New Treasures From
King Midas’ Tomb
He didn’t enjoy it much himself,
but recent research from the
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has revealed
that Phrygian mourners gave King Midas quite a send-off, partying down with
gallons of grog and feasting on a savory lamb-and-lentil stew.
Continued...
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Relive the Midas Funerary Feast
For the epicurious, the University of Pennsylvania
Museum, working in conjunction with Museum Catering Company, is planning a special
King Midas feast in the Fall of 2000. The menu will include a main course of
barbecued lamb-and-lentil stew incorporating local spices such as fennel; an
appetizer of mezze, an assortment of local products being used both now
and in the time of Midas; various dishes made from sesame seeds, arugula and
eggplant; and for dessert a caramelized fennel tart. A local microbrewery will
recreate the Midas grog.
Invitations,
and more information, will be available in August. The number for information
is (215) 898-4890, or visit the museum’s Web site (www.upenn.edu/museum).
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FACULTY
McHarg to Receive the Japan Prize
Ian McHarg may be credited
with creating the whole concept of ecological
planning—not to mention founding the Department of Landscape Architecture
and Regional Planning at Penn —but the emeritus professor’s reaction
to learning that he had been awarded the Science and Technology Foundation’s
Japan Prize in city planning was “absolute astonishment.” Continued...
E-COMMERCE
AND EDUCATION
Wharton: Virtually Exploding
“This is an unprecedented
time in economic and commercial history,”
Dr. Thomas P. Gerrity was saying. “It’s very, very exciting. It’s
also a time, with all this speed and innovation, of considerable unpredictability
in terms of outcomes. This is a story that is unfolding in front of us.”
Continued...
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Wharton
Names Harker as Dean
Last
month (as the Gazette was going to press), the Wharton School announced
that it had chosen one of its own to be the school’s 12th dean: Dr. Patrick
T. Harker CE’81 GCE’81 Gr’83, the UPS Transportation Professor
for the Private Sector and professor of operations and information management.
Harker, 41, had been serving as deputy dean since July 1—when former Dean
Thomas P. Gerrity stepped down—and as interim dean since Aug. 9. He has
been at Wharton since 1984, and holds a secondary appointment in the Department
of Systems Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Harker
also earned his bachelor’s degree (civil engineering), master’s degrees
(urban engineering and economics), and Ph.D. (civil engineering) from Penn.
Harker
has been deeply involved in the high-tech programs at Wharton (see the accompanying
story on page 20), and during his brief tenure as interim dean proved to be
an adept fundraiser. According to President Judith Rodin, he is “recognized
as one of the brightest young minds in America,” and she hailed his “extraordinary
record of accomplishment and leadership, as a teacher, researcher, consultant
to government and industry and as a University citizen.” Rodin described
the search process that selected him as “one of the most exhaustive and
thorough ever conducted at Penn.” The search committee, chaired by Dr.
Gary Hack, dean of the Graduate School of Fine Arts, reportedly reviewed more
than 200 candidates.
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PENN AND
THE ECONOMY
Economic Impact Study
Shows Penn’s Muscle
It’s no secret that the University—the
largest private employer in the Philadelphia region—has a powerful impact
on the local economy. Continued...
Previous issue's Gazetteer
| March/April Contents | Gazette
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Copyright 2000 The
Pennsylvania Gazette Last modified 2/22/00
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A
group of students calling themselves Penn Students Against Sweatshops
occupied the College Hall reception room of President Judith Rodin for nine
days—and nights—last month. Saying that the University should monitor
labor conditions more closely in factories producing its apparel, the students
demanded that Penn leave the Fair Labor Association —a sweatshop-monitoring
organization that they say is ineffective—and join the Worker Rights Consortium,
which they believe to be more effective. On Feb. 14, Rodin agreed to pull out
of the FLA while a University committee (which included three PSAS members)
continued evaluating the organizations. The committee’s recommendations
were due by Feb. 29.
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Browne
Gives $10 Million to SAS for Endowed Chairs
A
recent gift of $10 million by Christopher H. Browne C’69
will be used to endow five professorships in the School of Arts and Sciences.
At least one Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professorship will be established
in each of the school’s academic divisions —the humanities, the social
sciences and the natural sciences—while the remaining two will be used
in the areas of greatest need, as determined by Dr. Samuel H. Preston, dean
of the school.
The
Browne Professors, said Preston, “will set a standard for all faculty by
demonstrating exceptional distinction in research and teaching and a deep commitment
to the most fundamental values of a university.” He added that the “exceptional
quality” of those appointments will make a Browne Chair “one of the
most highly prized honors that can be bestowed on members of our faculty.”
Dr.
Judith Rodin, president of the University, called the gift “the latest
evidence of Chris’ unwavering commitment to Penn during more than 20 years
as a volunteer, philanthropist and in various leadership capacities.”
Browne,
a trustee of the University and chairman of the SAS board of overseers (as well
as managing director of the Manhattan-based investment management firm Tweedy,
Browne Company and president of Tweedy, Browne Mutual Funds), said the gift
was an “opportunity to give something back to Penn, to draw attention to
the excellent faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences, and to confirm my
personal belief that academic distinction should be defined by excellence in
research, outstanding teaching ability and a strong commitment to making Penn
a forum for open dialogue.”
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