President Amy Gutmann today will announce that Ronald Daniels, dean of the law school at the University of Toronto, has been named the new University provost, who will replace interim Provost Peter Conn. He will formally assume the office on July 1.
Daniels has been a member of the faculty at Toronto since 1988 and was appointed dean in 1995. He earned both his bachelors and law degrees from Toronto in 1982 and 1986 respectively. He earned a master's degree in law in 1988 from Yale.
The provost serves as the chief academic officer for the University, and reports directly to Gutmann. The primary responsibilities of the office include overseeing the deans of all of Penn's 12 schools, and working with the president to guide the academic mission of the school.
The future for Conn, who was the deputy provost under former provost Robert Barchi, is unclear for the time being.
"During this past year, Peter Conn has been a terriffic Interim Provost. I am extraordinarily grateful to him for his unwavering support during my first year as President," Gutmann said in a memo to University trustees yesterday. "The entire Penn family owes Peter a debt of gratitude."
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