Design for learning

As of Aug. 29, Penn’s Graduate School of Fine Arts has a new name: the School of Design. The name change, which the Trustees approved at their June meeting, better reflects the breadth of the school’s undergraduate and graduate programs in art, architecture, landscape architecture, city planning, visual studies and digital media. In a letter to friends of the school, Dean Gary Hack wrote, “As we thought about a new name, the faculty wanted it to signal not only the present but the future of our school.” The new name will begin appearing on letterhead, publications and the school’s web site gradually over the fall. To keep abreast of the change, visit www.design.upenn.edu.

We’re No. 5

The latest U.S. News & World Report rankings of “America’s Best Colleges” are in, and this year, Penn is tied for fifth place with Stanford, Duke and California Institute of Technology. The University topped the national universities ranking for faculty resources and scored well on class sizes, student-faculty ratio, financial resources and selectivity. MIT, with which all four were tied in fourth place last year, occupied the No. 4 slot exclusively this year, edging out Penn et al. by one point in the rankings.

HUP, HUP, hooray

The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania again made the Honor Roll in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey of “America’s Best Hospitals,” placing 13th on the list of 17. On the specialties ranked in the Honor Roll, HUP placed in the top 10 in four—ear, nose and throat; gynecology; neurology and neurosurgery, and kidney disease—and in the top 20 in an additional seven—digestive disorders, respiratory disorders, geriatrics, psychiatry, urology and eye care.