Circling the Green

• Two for One: Hans Penner, the John Phillips Professor of Religion and an authority on the religions of India, took on the job of dean of the faculty of arts and sciences in July, succeeding Leonard Rieser '44, a physicist. Rieser held the post for all but one year since 1964 and also served as provost or vice president for most of that time. The provost position was recently re-established as an independent office, and Rieser will remain in that post fulltime.

• Power of Prayer: The Distinguished Teacher Award, es- tablished in 1978 by Jerome R. Golds- tein '54, was given for the second straight year to a member of the Religion Department, associate professor Ronald M. Green, a specialist in ethics and the work of Immanuel Kant. Assistant professor Robert A. Oden Jr. was the first teacher to be honored. Half the $1,000 prize is given outright to the recipient and the remainder is to be used for teaching in the coming year.

• Departing: After eight years as dean of the Medical School and, before that, five years as associate dean, Dr. James C. Strickler '50 announced his decision to resign from the administration and return to teaching after a year's sabbatical, effective June 30, 1981. A committee appointed by President Kemeny is conducting a nationwide search for Strickler's successor, who will be appointed by Kemeny's successor because Kemeny is stepping down himself next year, taking a sabbatical, and returning to the classroom.