The Executive Committee of Penn's Board of Trustees held its first meeting of the academic year on Thursday.
The Committee discussed the progress of several academic and campus initiatives and passed multiple resolutions, including to reappoint the deans of two of Penn's graduate schools. The meeting followed the Budget and Finance Committee's gathering earlier in the day.
Interim Penn President Larry Jameson began the meeting by saying that "Penn's 285th year is off to a great start," sharing that the administration is in the process of implementing recommendations from the University Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community. These groups were both formed last academic year in response to concerns about campus reactions to the Israel-Hamas war, and their final reports were released in May.
Jameson also discussed the establishment of the Office of Religious and Ethnic Inclusion, noting that it is the first office of its kind in the country. In a Sept. 5 email to the Penn community, he wrote that the office was established in response to trends of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other instances of religious biases that have been present on Penn's campus and to ensure that Penn can continue to abide by its responsibilities under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
He also mentioned the new temporary open expression guidelines that were announced in June, which contain updated guidance on "when, where, and how open expression can take place" on campus.
“These standards support the balance that we see," Jameson said. "At the same time, a faculty-led task force on open expression is overseeing the process for making recommendations about our current structure, standards, and processes."
He added that the administration is “working on bringing the University’s strategic framework, In Principle and Practice, to life through recruiting inaugural leaders to spearhead our work on grand challenges and opportunities."
Jameson and Provost John Jackson Jr. also discussed the new "Draw Down the Lightning" initiative, a $2 million grant to fund interdisciplinary projects within the University that was announced last week. Jackson emphasized how the initiative will “draw on Penn’s collective innovation, enthusiasm about collaboration, and creativity," noting that awardees' projects are expected to address "some of the most significant issues that challenge us," including climate change, global health, technological innovation, media’s impact on democracy, and community engagement. Recipients of the award will be announced in March.
Jackson also mentioned the current state of artificial intelligence use on campus and how Penn can support further innovation in this area, saying that the University is “cognizant of the University’s longstanding conditions of teaching and learning and how those may be impacted by new education models.”
He announced that a University-wide website featuring centralized information about Penn's AI research and teaching initiatives will be launched this semester following an assessment by a council of faculty members this summer led by Senior Vice Provost for Research Dawn Bonnell.
Perelman School of Medicine Dean Jonathan Epstein also discussed Lisa Bellini's appointment as Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at the medical school. Bellini is also serving as the co-chair of the University's Open Expression Task Force, which has been tasked with reviewing the existing Guidelines on Open Expression following the release of the temporary guidelines and recommendations from the University Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate.
Senior Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli also provided an overview of the University’s operational performance during the fiscal year of 2024, and Board of Trustees member James Dinan said that "Penn operated in a high quality and cost-effective manner" over the last year.
The Committee also passed resolutions to reappoint Andrew Hoffman for a second term as dean of Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine, to reappoint Mark Wolff as the Morton Amsterdam Dean of the School of Dental Medicine, and to amend Penn Medicine’s bylaws to include Doylestown Hospital as a Penn Medicine constituent.
A separate resolution passed at the meeting allocated $13,800,000 to replace the elevator cabs, ropes, and machinery in Harnwell and Harrison College Houses. Most of this material has not been replaced since the buildings were constructed in 1970, and students have voiced complaints about maintenance issues and faulty elevators for several years.
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