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April 5, 2001 News briefs Bac to bac For the first time ever, the Baccalaureate will be two identical ceremonies, one after the other, thanks to popularity of the ceremony. The Rev. Floyd Flake, senior pastor of the 10,000-member Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church in Queens, New York, will address this year’s ceremonies at 1:30 and 3 p.m. May 20 in the newly renovated Irvine Auditorium. Under Flake’s leadership, Allen AME has become a model for faith-based community development across the country. Tuition hike Total undergraduate charge for tuition, fees, room and board will increase 4.9 percent to $34,614 for the 2001-2002 academic year, up from $32,996 this academic year. The hike, passed by the Trustees late last month, keeps Penn in line with other Ivy institutions. Admissions will continue to be based on academic achievement without regard for ability to pay. “We are continuing our commitment to reduce the debt burden on our students by increasing the number of institutional grants offered to students and reducing loans,” said President Judith Rodin. Grad grades Six of the University’s 12 graduate and professional schools were among the top 10 in their fields in the April 9 U.S. News & World Report rankings of graduate schools. And every school surveyed this year rose from last year’s standings save Medicine and Wharton, which each slipped a notch. The schools of Nursing and Veterinary Medicine tied for second in their fields, the Wharton School and the School of Medicine placed fourth, the Graduate School of Education placed eighth and the Law School tied for 10th. Among Ph.D. programs in the humanities and social sciences, Penn’s economics program ranked ninth and the English program 10th. The School of Social Work ranked 11th, and the School of Engineering and Applied Science rose to 30th from 33rd.