SAS Alumnus Named Provost
On February 1, Neuroscience Professor Robert Barchi, Gr'72, M'73, chair of the Neurology and Neuroscience departments at the medical school, became Penn's chief academic officer. Besides obtaining a doctorate in biochemistry from SAS and a medical degree from Penn Med, he has been a member of the medical faculty since 1974 and has won awards for teaching and research. Dr. Barchi is also president of Penn NeuroCare, a regional neurological network, and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science. President Rodin called Barchi an "extraordinary scholar and scientist" and a "deeply respected faculty leader."
New Board Members
Three distinguished alumni have joined the SAS Board of Overseers. Physician Mitchell J. Blutt, C'78, M'82, WG'87, is the executive partner of Chase Capital Partners, the $6 billion investment fund of Chase Manhattan Corp. Raymond Ch'ien, Gr'78, is chairman of Inchcape Pacific, Ltd., director of Inchcape PLC, and is developing a number of interests in private equity and venture capital investments in Hong Kong and China. He is also a member of the Hong Kong Executive Council. David Elliman, C'73, WG'77, is founder and chairman of the Elmrock Group of Companies, which includes Elmrock Capital, Elmrock Partners, and Stillrock Management. The BOS serves as an advisory body for Penn's trustees, the president, the provost, and the SAS dean.
Joint Master's Program in SAS and GSE
The Graduate School of Education and SAS have established a joint degree program that allows secondary school teachers to earn the MS Ed. and an MA or MS in a liberal arts discipline. The curriculum is scheduled so that full-time teachers can complete the program in 14 months. The initiative aims to train teachers in pedagogy and technique, and to provide greater depth in their subject areas as a strategy for improving the nation's schools. "SAS has recognized the growing demand for professional master's degree training and has established successful terminal master's programs aimed at various practitioners," says SAS Dean Samuel H. Preston. "Helping to train secondary school teachers fits the School's new mandate in graduate education. Moreover, the faculty welcomes the opportunity to improve secondary school education by sharing their discipline-based knowledge and expertise with future school teachers."
New Master's Degree in Medical Physics
The School of Arts and Sciences has established the Master of Medical Physics (MMP) degree program. Graduates will be prepared to aid in research, help develop new technologies, and maintain existing high tech clinical equipment. The new professional degree instills traditional problem solving skills emphasized in physics graduate education, enabling practitioners to deal with problems encountered in modern medicine and to evolve with the rapidly changing field.
New Major and Minors
Last semester, SAS began offering a new major in cognitive science. This cross-disciplinary, inter-school major draws on the departments of linguistics, mathematics, philosophy, and psychology; the Computer Science Department in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; and the Institute for Research in Cognitive Science. Several new minors in SAS broaden student options. The Film Studies minor is designed for students preparing for careers in film scholarship, journalism, criticism, arts management, or entertainment law--or those just seeking exposure to the field. The Center for Ancient Studies has established an Ancient Studies minor that engages student interests in cultures from around the world.