Around the Ivies
Brown University: Provost Vicki Colvin has announced that she is stepping down to further pursue her own research after serving as the University’s Provost for only one year, the Brown Daily Herald reported. Her successor will be Brown’s fourth provost in a six-year span. Colvin will stay at Brown as a member of the faculty.
Cornell University: Ryan Lombardi has been appointed vice president for student and campus life for the University, the Cornell Daily Sun reported. He is replacing longstanding vice president Susan Murphy, who has held the position for over 20 years. She will assist with fundraising activities and alumni affairs through June 2016 as Lombardi prepares to begin Aug. 1.
Columbia University: Columbia senior Emma Sulkowicz — the student who made headlines for carrying a mattress around campus to protest the University allowing her alleged rapist to remain on campus — brought the mattress to her Class Day ceremony, the Columbia Spectator reported. Although a new policy barred students from bringing ‘large objects’ to the festivities, Sulkowicz was allowed in with her mattress.
Harvard University: David Hunter, the associate dean and professor at the School of Public Health, will serve as the school’s acting dean pending a search for a replacement, the Harvard Crimson reported. The search will seek to replace Julio Frenk, who is leaving Harvard after serving in the position for six years and has been named president of the University of Miami. An alumnus of the School of Public Health himself, Hunter specializes in cancer prevention and has significant experience with student and academic affairs.
Princeton University: The University adjusted its yield rate from 69.4 percent to 68.6 percent after 14 students deferred admission for the incoming fall class, the Daily Princetonian reported. Due to the adjustment, Princeton’s yield rate is no longer a record for the University.
University of Pennsylvania: Former professor of the Fels Insitute of Government and longtime city councilman Jim Kenney is likely to become the next mayor of Philadelphia, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported. In the November general election, he will face Republican candidate Melissa Murray Bailey, but with Democrats comprising 78 percent of the electorate, a victory for Kenney is likely.
Yale University: Vice President Joseph Biden delivered a commencement address to the Yale Class of 2015 on May 17, the Yale Daily News reported. In his speech, Biden encouraged students to get out of their comfort zone and work to find a balance between happiness and success. Biden reportedly sported his trademark black aviator sunglasses to the event.