Dean Preston to Step Down in December
Samuel H. Preston, dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences since 1998, has announced his decision to step down when his seven-year term concludes on December 31, 2004. He is the longest-serving dean in the School’s history.
He communicated his intention to step down in an e-mail to faculty, saying, “It has been an extraordinary privilege to serve the faculty, students, staff, and alumni of the School. I am grateful for the wonderful support that I have received from them. The School is a remarkably successful enterprise, thanks primarily to its talented and resilient faculty. Its future is bright, and I look forward with pleasure to serving a final year as dean and returning to scholarship and teaching in the sociology department and the Population Studies Center.”
Under Dean Preston’s leadership, the School of Arts and Sciences has pursued a strategic plan focused on faculty development, undergraduate education, and selective investment in core academic programs. The School has increased its standing faculty, recruiting 183 new members and offering improved research funding for new and existing members. It has reversed a structural deficit, increased annual fundraising by 126 percent, and grown its endowment by 37 percent. It also has experienced a 47 percent increase in annual research funding from government and industry. Undergraduate applications rose 15 percent, allowing the College to be more selective than ever in its admissions, and a higher percentage of those accepted chose to enroll than at any time in the College’s history. Full fellowships were guaranteed for graduate students in the humanities and social sciences, and stipends were increased. Several new academic programs and research centers were created, and SAS began offering four additional professional master’s degrees. The School has also implemented an aggressive plan for addressing its facilities needs, announcing the construction of two new buildings and improvements to several of the existing core academic buildings.
“When Sam began his seven-year deanship, he was clear about what he wanted to achieve,” said Penn President Judith Rodin. “With the School's academic mission always at the forefront, he brought impressive discipline to the strategic and financial planning needed to support that mission. As all who know him will agree, Sam has an unusual blend of pragmatism and vision, and he has brought both those qualities into play in his quest to provide the best environment possible for both students and faculty.”
Dean Preston, the Frederick J. Warren Professor of Demography, has been a member of the sociology department since 1979. His research focuses on the causes and consequences of population change, with special attention to mortality. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and its Institute of Medicine, as well as the American Philosophical Society. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Statistical Association.
During his tenure as dean, which began on January 1, 1998, he has co-authored two books on demography and was named Laureate of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population. He served as chair of the Nominating Committee of the National Academy of Sciences and as a member of the Academy’s Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy. He also served as a member of the Population Council Board of Trustees and the U.S. President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science.
SAS board chair and University trustee Christopher H. Browne said, "It has been a great pleasure for me to work with Sam over the past seven years. He has been a superb dean for SAS. Sam has recruited world-class faculty to the School, enhancing Penn's reputation in the academic world. He has built on the strengths of SAS while balancing its budget and winning the respect of the Penn trustees. He has also assembled a great team of associate deans, which will help assure that his successor can continue to build on his excellent record of achievement at SAS."
A search committee to identify candidates to succeed Dean Preston will be appointed shortly by the president and the provost.