Trustees talk tuition and renovations

Penn’s 57-member Board of Trustees, led by chairman David Cohen, convened last week at the Inn at Penn to approve some of Penn’s large-scale efforts and decisions.

In one of three annual conferences, six trustee committees — along with Penn President Amy Gutmann and other administrators — discussed finances, academic policy and campus and neighborhood initiatives.

The Budget and Finance committee voted for tuition increase of 3.9 percent, which was approved by the full board at Friday’s Stated Meeting.

The Facilities and Campus Planning Committee, as well as the Budget and Finance Committee, discussed University construction and renovation projects.

These include a 10-year Wharton lease in San Francisco for Executive MBA Training Program, the construction and design of the Krishna P. Singh Center for Nanotechnology as well as an engineering lab in Moore 101, and renovations to Sansom East and West, Locust Walk and the Bolton Center in the School of Veterinary School.

Gutmann and Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli also gave reports on the financial aid budget, which will increase by 11 percent.

Dean of Veterinary Medicine Joan Hendricks reported on the school’s cutbacks after the reduced Commonwealth appropriation and presented a goal of reducing teaching time by 20 percent by using newer technology.

The Committee on Neighborhood Initiatives reviewed a 14-percent decrease in all types of crime at Penn since last year and a nine-percent decrease citywide. Most types of crime decreased, but sexual assault incidents increased from eight to 13, which could be attributed to an increased reporting of the crime, according to Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush.

Student representatives presented at the Student Life Committee, addressing the campus interfaith culture, H1N1 and the School of Medicine’s contributions to Haiti’s earthquake recovery.

At the Stated Meeting, the entire board approved several appointments, including extending Michael Delli Carpini’s tenure as dean of the Annenberg School of Communication for a second term.

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