Egypt
The Daily Pennsylvanian
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Egypt
Financial crisis forces firing of 18 Penn Museum researchers
The Daily Pennsylvanian
The Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is the latest to be affected by the financial crisis.
Museum director Richard Hodges announced in a memo last Friday that the museum would discontinue 18 "research specialist" positions that have been part of the curatorial departments and the Museum Applied Science Center for Archaeology, in addition to disbanding the MASCA division as a whole.
"We're facing the same challenging financial issues as anyone else, and as a museum, our endowment and, in particular, donations are key parts of our financial strategy," Hodges said.
The terminations will take effect on May 31 next year which will give the employees - many of whom have worked at the museum for many years - a chance to reposition themselves or find other work at the University, according to Hodges.
The decision is a result of the Museum's ongoing "restructuring" process, which focuses on strengthening its "core mission and values, while maintaining fiscal stability," according to the memo.
Museum researchers speak out against firings
The forthcoming discontinuation of 18 research specialist positions at the Penn Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology, which was announced last Friday, may stem from reasons other than the financial crisis.
According to several researchers who declined to use their names due to the sensitive nature of the situation, the economy's downturn is simply the trigger for the changes. Rather, they say the changes are due to both poor financial planning and long-standing University and museum priorities that do not emphasize scientific and historical research.
Penn President Amy Gutmann said the discontinuations result from a "strategic planning exercise" that is unrelated to the recent economic downfall.
But museum Director Richard Hodges still maintains that the cuts were made for budgeting reasons.
- Museums And Academic Values
Inside Higher Ed Arts advocates have been outraged this week by Brandeis University’s plan to sell all of the art in its museum as a way to raise money for the university. It turns out Brandeis isn’t the only university where critics are questioning...
- Petition Opposes Upenn Layoffs
Daily Pennsylvanian (Kathy Wang) These days, finding a balance between academics and economics is crucial. That balance motivated the museum's administrators to discontinue 18 research specialist positions at the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology...
- More Re Upenn Job Losses
philly.com (Faye Flam) Faced with a worsening deficit, the venerable, research-driven University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaelogy and Anthropology is seeking to reinvent itself as an updated "tourist magnet." As an initial step, the director has laid...
- Penn Museum To Share Cultural Treasures Via Internet
Reuters Thanks to Rick Menges for kindly sendly me a link to his album of photographs from the Penn Museum collection at webshots.com. It's worth visiting! The University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, a national and...
- Exhibition: Penn In The World
huliq.com The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has built its reputation both as a sponsor of groundbreaking fieldwork, and a center for research and education. It is fitting, then, when developing an exhibition about its...