PHILADELPHIA -- The University of Pennsylvania has appointed Charles L. Howard, a Penn alumnus, as university chaplain, effective July 1.

The announcement was made by Provost Ronald Daniels and Associate Provost Vincent Price.

Howard has served as interim chaplain since February and as associate chaplain since 2005. He succeeds William Gipson, who became associate vice provost for equity and access in January.

“We are truly fortunate that the most outstanding candidate, at the end of our comprehensive national search, proved to be a spiritual leader with such an impressive history of devotion and service to Penn,” Daniels said. “Chaz will be a chaplain of vision, compassion, wisdom and accessibility, qualities that he has already amply demonstrated to all of us in the Penn community.”

Howard co-founded the Greater Love Movement, a non-profit anti-poverty organization focused on the needs of the homeless. He has edited “The Souls of Poor Folk,” an essay collection and multimedia project raising awareness about poverty, and also directs Chords, a program through the Chaplain’s Office and Penn’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships that connects Penn with West Philadelphia schools, neighborhood organizations and communities of faith.

Howard teaches in Penn’s Programs for Awareness in Cultural Education, a partnership of Penn’s Graduate School of Education and Greenfield Intercultural Center and at the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia, where he is completing a doctorate in practical theology with a minor in contemporary theology.

He holds a master of divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School.

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