Academy Hosts Inaugural Retreat
Just four months after The Academy of the University of Pennsylvania was established, 106 of its 230 charter members - donors whose extraordinary generosity has helped to shape Penn through the years - gathered in Palm Beach, Florida for a two-day retreat. Invited by President Judith Rodin to "celebrate the life of the mind…and to experience the intellectual life that defines Penn today," participants joined in a full schedule of academic and social events.
Dr. Arthur Caplan, chairman of Penn's Department of Medical Ethics, led a wide-ranging breakfast discussion on the ethical issues surrounding human cloning, stem cell research, genetic screening, and biological warfare. Later, participants were able to choose from field trips to the Indian River Lagoon with Penn Veterinary School Alumnus and Director of Marine Mammal Research and Conservation at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Gregory Bossart, V'78, or Miami's famed Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, guided by Penn's renowned GSFA professors, Witold Rybczynski and Laurie Olin. Dinner included an informal conversation about national and international economic issues with Alan Greenspan. For many guests, the chance to engage the Federal Reserve Chairman in discussion was a highlight.
Academy members, each of whom has given at least $1 million to Penn in his or her lifetime, have had a lasting impact on the University. Their shared commitment to learning and to Penn not only inspired the weekend but ensured its success.
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Melvin J. Levine, W'46, and his wife, Claire;
Judith Roth Berkowitz, W'64; and President Rodin, CW'66
Andrea Mitchell, CW'67, and Federal Reserve Chairman
Alan Greenspan
James S. Riepe, W'65, WG'67, Chairman of the University Board of Trustees; Robert A. Fox, C'52; James J. Kim, W'59, G'61; and Jerry Lee
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