Richard R. Beeman, Ph.D., professor of history, has been named associate dean for Undergraduate Education and director of the College, effective Jan. 1. Beeman will continue as the first senior fellow of the National Constitution Center. The center, an interactive museum and center for scholarship scheduled to break ground in Philadelphia in the year 2000, is a collaboration of historians, legal and Constitution scholars, public officials and others. His role there includes planning education and programmatic components of the center and linking the center and the "intellectual talent at Penn," Beeman said at the time of his appointment there. The highly regarded teacher and scholar of early American history came to Penn in 1968. Beeman will succeed Robert A. Rescorla, who returned to the Department of Psychology in December.
Michael Wachter, Ph.D., deputy provost, William B. Johnson Professor of Law and Economics and director of the Law School's Institute for Law and Economics, was named interim provost, effective Jan. 1. As deputy provost, Wachter played leading roles in setting and implementing academic goals, improving retention of undergraduates, reviewing schools and centers of the University, and redesigning benefits. Wachter, who came to Penn in 1969, has held full professorships in three of Penn's schools - SAS, where he has been a professor of economics since 1976; Wharton, where he was a professor of management from 1980-1982; and the Law School, where is has been a professor of law and economics since 1984. Currently a consultant to the U.S. Postal Service, he has advised the Brookings Panel on Economic Activity, the Office of Naval Research, the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors and the Congressional Budget Office.
David Fox, associate director of the College of General Studies and director of Summer Session, was named associate director for Academic Programs in Residence, effective early January. Working to develop College House initiatives and strengthen academic programs, Fox will also work on building faculty presence in the dorms, said Christopher Dennis, Ph.D., director of Academic Programs and Residence Life, in announcing the appointment. A fellow of Van Pelt College House since 1996, Fox frequently teaches English and theater arts at Penn. He has designed music and sound for the stage, including productions of the Long Wharf Theater in New Haven and Room for Theater in Los Angeles, and 26 of his essays appear in the current edition of the "International Dictionary of Opera."
In Senegal, the ambitious Dakar Greenbelt project seeks to create an extensive network of ecological infrastructure in and around the city to sustainably address environmental concerns and enhance urban life. With support from David Gouverneur and Ellen Neises, Ph.D. candidate Rob Levinthal in the Weitzman School of Design led two courses that included a field trip to Dakar, that culminated in students presenting their visions for parts of the Greenbelt.
From a desert to an oasis: Penn engages in ambitious greening effort in the Sahel
Students from the Weitzman School of Design journeyed to Senegal to help with a massive ecological and infrastructural greening effort as part of their coursework. The Dakar Greenbelt aims to combat desertification and promote sustainable urban growth.
As part of an undergraduate course, Penn faculty and students curated an Arthur Ross Gallery exhibition of works from the Neumann family’s extensive collection of modern and contemporary art.
The University’s nexus for technology transfer supports researchers in their innovative efforts, from CAR T to mRNA advancements that have dramatically reshaped the world.
