News Archives

Ambrose case keeps spotlight on Childers

When the news of historian Stephen Ambrose’s plagiarizing of History Professor Thomas Childers’ “Wings of Morning” broke on Jan. 4, Childers figured the brouhaha would die down in about a week. When we spoke with Childers in his College Hall office Jan. 25, he was still fielding calls from reporters and wading through oceans of e-mail.

Religions' wings clipped by polygamy

Mark Twain made the trip. So did P. T. Barnum. They, along with a slew of 19th century European travelers, could not resist the draw of Salt Lake City, Utah. The attraction? The Mormons and their many wives. But as Penn Professor of Law Sarah Gordon shows in her book, “The Mormon Question” (North Carolina, 2002), the Mormons’ practice of polygamy did more than just spark curiosity, jokes and gossip; it left a legacy in constitutional law and political theory that still governs religious life in America.

Chief nursing officer named

The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has appointed Victoria L. Rich chief nursing officer. Rich comes from University Community Hospital in Tampa, Fla., where she oversaw the pharmacy, laboratory, neurodiagnostics, emergency services and nursing unit. As a noted expert on patient safety, Rich will help HUP develop procedures to further clinical accuracy, professional responsiveness and compassion in all aspects of hospital service.

How to improve on excellence

A better way to recruit and retain faculty and a greater focus on graduate education—which could take the form of more stipends and benefits for graduate students—are among the academic priorities proposed for the University’s next five-year plan and unveiled by Provost Robert Barchi and Executive Vice President John Fry at a recent open forum, held at College Hall on Jan. 28. The plan, a new set of institutional, organizational and academic priorities, follows the “Agenda for Excellence,” the successful previous five-year plan.

American Youth: Religion an Important part of their Lives

PHILADELPHIA An overwhelming majority of American youth believe religion is an important part of life.Eighty-six percent of Americans aged 11 to 18 believe that religion is an important part of their lives, according to a national survey of 2,004 randomly selected households done in 2000 by the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work. Researchers Ram Cnaan and Richard Gelles say that new-millennium American youth are very much like previous generations, despite some people views that today youth are less religious than previous generations.

People's Choice: Hearts and flowers at the library

Valentine’s Day is one week away, so naturally, our thoughts turned to love. Love and books (we’re eager readers around here). So we went wandering through Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, asking any staffers we found how they plan to show their love on Valentine’s Day. Not surprisingly, we got lots of flowers, dinners and candy in response. But there were a few people who had more adventurous ideas. Dan Applegate Evening Circulation Desk“Flowers and chocolate. If anyone will take it.”

At Work With...PennCard center staff

Pulitzer Prize winners to visit Penn

Three Pulitzer Prize-winning writers will be at Kelly Writers House this spring as part of its annual Fellows Program. This year’s Writers House Fellows are fiction writer Michael Cunningham, poet John Ashbery and playwright Charles Fuller. Cunningham, winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his novel “The Hours,” will be on campus Feb. 11 to 12 (see “What’s On”). “The Hours” imagines Virginia Woolf’s last days before her suicide and a group of contemporary characters grappling with love and despair.

The master performer as a 19-year-old grad student

Mimi Stillman is all of 19 years old—the same age a Penn sophomore would be. But she’s pursuing an M.A. in history. And while she pursues her degree, she is continuing with her impressive career as a concert flutist.

How to accumulate and use paid time off

Dear Benny, I’ve been at Penn for six years, and I still don’t know how my vacation time accumulates, or when I can use it. —Needs a Break Dear Needy, According to the Human Resources Policy Manual, if you have been employed at Penn in a year-round full-time position for at least five years, you receive two days paid time off each month. Part-time employees accumulate days off based on a percentage of the full-time rate.