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May
3, 2001
CAMPUS BUZZ BY SANDY SMITH The Gov drops by: The sweet smell of tobacco money hung in the air as Gov. Tom Ridge swung by The Wistar Institute April 25 to tout his Pennsylvania Life Science Greenhouse Initiative. The plan would set aside $90 million of the state’s tobacco settlement money to fund biotech research and ventures in Pittsburgh, Hershey and Philly. Wistar Acting Director and CEO Clayton Buck endorsed the plan, which would in all likelihood involve both Wistar and Penn along with the region’s other research institutions. Earl of Duke: Having transformed the way Penn delivers services, Associate Vice President for Campus Services Larry Moneta is off to work similar magic at Duke University as its new vice president for student affairs. His track record on the housing side at Penn led Duke officials to add campus housing there to his portfolio. Documentary evidence: The Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, now under way, has another Penn connection besides its Annenberg Center home base. Jon Katz, visiting lecturer in English, has programmed the festival’s documentary section since moving here from Toronto four years ago. (He did the same thing for that city’s international film festival.) He and his wife Joan Saltzman, who joined him as co-programmer this year, viewed nearly 120 films to choose 15 for this year’s filmfest. His work also helps him keep current for his Penn film-studies course, which he says he enjoys teaching. “Penn students are so inquisitive, they make teaching fun.” Later this year, he will take 30 of his students to the Cannes Film Festival. Hello, my name is Fran, and I’ll be your waiter this evening: We seriously doubt that the patrons at the April 24 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation fundraiser at the Westin Hotel heard Men’s Basketball Coach Fran Dunphy utter that phrase. But we’re sure they enjoyed being served by Dunphy, who was one of several celebrity waiters working the Westin dining room that evening. Dunphy sure enjoyed serving them. “We raised a ton of money, and I had a great time doing it,” he said afterwards. Old (City) Masters: Penn’s master of fine arts students will be part of Philly’s real art scene again this year. For the second year in a row, the annual M.F.A. thesis exhibition — which previewed in Meyerson Hall last month — will be mounted in an Old City gallery. This year, the Horton Gallery, a new space at 237 Market St., is doing the honors. The show opens tomorrow, May 4, with a First Friday event from 5 to 8 p.m. and will remain on display through May 25. Regular gallery hours are noon to 6 p.m. Call Deirdre Murphy, 215-898-8734, for more information. And while we’re talking about art: The chairman of Penn’s fine arts department, John Moore, has a gallery show working in the Big Apple. His paintings are on display at Hirschl and Adler Modern, 21 E. 70th St., through June 1. Call the gallery at 212-535-8810 for more information.
What's the buzz? Tell us what's happening! Call us at 215-898-1426, send e-mail to current@ pobox.upenn.edu or drop a line to the Current at 200 Sansom East/6106.
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