Thousands of attendees filled Franklin Field for Penn’s 267th Commencement, with special guest Idina Menzel, who delivered a Commencement Address about letting your voice be heard and focusing on humanity over perfection. Liz Magill, in her first Commencement as Penn president, emphasized community. “The volume of your cheers, the scope of your army, the community that helped carry you here, they illustrate my message today: Success is not solitary,” said Magill. “Our ability to do the big things, things that are great and things that are good, depends on the community around us.”
Anna Cowenhoven has been named Vice President for University Communications. She was previously Senior Executive Director and Associate Dean for Communications for Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. “Anna brings a track record of great achievement in communications, and she will be an exceptional Penn leader,” said President Liz Magill.
Penn staff, alumni, and neighbors served as volunteer poll workers at Houston Hall for election day. President Liz Magill arrived before 9 a.m. to do her civic duty on an off year that, locally, included voting for mayor, city commissioner, register of wills, sheriff, and several City Council seats.
A 150-year tradition at Penn, Ivy Day sees each graduating class install at least one new plaque and plant a sprig of ivy. “The Ivy Day Award Ceremony is a special celebration that gives us an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions and accomplishments of our graduating student leaders,” says Karu Kozuma, vice provost for University Life.
The Models of Excellence Award Ceremony, which recognizes staff leadership, service, and efficiency, was held at Irvine Auditorium and was the first in-person ceremony since 2019. Recognitions were given for the Models of Excellence Award, Model Supervisor Award, and Pillars of Excellence Award. “People work hard to make a difference here,” said President Liz Magill. “This is especially true of the people who make this University run. Every day, we all come to work at Penn and in countless ways are reminded how lucky we are for the dedication of our truly exceptional staff.” (Images by Sabina Pierce)
Three interdisciplinary teams of faculty, staff, and students were awarded Projects for Progress prizes for impact-based initiatives that aim to help address systemic racism, promote educational equity, and reduce health disparities in Philadelphia. Winning teams receive $100,000 and are required to begin work within six months of being named a recipient.
John Bence was appointed University Archivist, effective Aug. 1, 2023. He will oversee outreach initiatives and the fundraising program of the University Archives and Records Center. “As University archivist, John will play a very prominent role in both Penn Libraries leadership and the life of the University,” says Constantia Constantinou, vice provost and director of Libraries. “His depth of experience and his connections to national archival communities will be an asset as we continue working to open information and resources to the Penn community, our region, and the world.”
Michael X. Delli Carpini, who was previously dean of the Annenberg School for Communication from 2003 to 2018, was named interim dean of Annenberg after the appointment of current dean, John L. Jackson Jr., to the position of provost. “Michael embodies what it means to be a good Penn citizen,” says President Liz Magill. “Time and again, from his 15-year tenure as Annenberg dean to his inspired leadership of the SNF Paideia Program, Michael has answered the call of service.”
Alumni Daniel and Brett Sundheim gifted $10 million to create The Sundheim International Scholars Fund and The Sundheim Penn First Plus International Opportunity Fund at the School of Arts & Sciences. The largest portion of the funds, $9 million, will go toward providing scholarship aid for international students with demonstrated financial need.
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania—Cedar Avenue (HUP Cedar) will serve as a mental health hub and co-locate inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care with a new on-site crisis response center. “Providing easy access to care when people are in crisis changes—and saves—lives,” says Kevin Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. “We are committed to the investment and innovation needed to close the gaps in access to care and reverse the toll of mental health and substance use in Philadelphia.” (Image: Peggy Peterson)
Paul Offit of the Perelman School of Medicine and PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts, who has dual appointments in the School of Arts & Sciences and Penn Carey Law, were elected to membership in the American Philosophical Society. The society was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743.
Kenneth Pham and Catherine Chang were awarded a President’s Engagement Prize for Act First, a nonprofit organization that will teach Philadelphia-area high school students CPR, Narcan administration, and blood loss prevention. “The broader picture is even though these are intimidating and challenging topics for students to learn, we hope to create a new body of students able to tackle them and also be confident in tackling them,” says Pham. After its first year, Act First will be absorbed into Penn’s Medical Emergency Response Team.
Gabriella Daltoso, Tifara Boyce, Gabriela Cano, Sophie Ishiwari, and Caroline Magro, all bioengineering gradutes, received the President’s Innovation Prize to create the Sonura Beanie, which filters out harmful noises for NICU infants while supporting cognitive and socioemotional development by allowing parents to send voice messages to their newborns. “Infants are exposed to harmful frequencies for more than 12 hours a day, which is equivalent to an adult hearing a fire alarm go off for that same amount of time, and, as you could imagine, that’s quite stressful,” says Daltoso.
Seungwon “Lucy” Lee of the College of Arts and Sciences received a President’s Engagement Prize to develop a coordinated, sustainable referral system that will reduce morbidity rates and reimagine emergency maternal health care in Uganda. Lee is aiming for the Prize to support 1,600 emergency referrals during childbirth and 6,400 regular medical transport visits, encouraging pregnant women to complete at least four antenatal care visits.
The Quakers trounced the Tigers 16-3 to earn their first berth in the NCAA Tournament in 28 years. This is also the Quakers’ first undisputed regular-season conference championship since 1995.
PIK Professor Lynn Meskell spoke to NATO in February about the disconnect between how World Heritage Sites are perceived in local communities versus more broadly, and the risk that carries—even politically, as the Sites become weaponized in international conflicts. “What I’m referring to, which is now being referred to as cultural heritage exploitation, is the use of either destruction of monuments—as we saw with Daesh—to rally support or win recruits, to show power or flex that power in the international community,” Meskell explains.
Faculty supported by the Penn Global Research and Engagement Grant Program presented their projects to the Penn community at a symposium at Perry World House. Penn Global awarded $1.7 million to support 19 projects, involving faculty from all 12 schools.
At a celebration held at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, The Sachs Program announced grants totaling $170,000 in support of artists, faculty, centers, departments, students, and staff at Penn, with one category supporting community partnerships. “Every year, we reach out into new communities and see more projects come out of them, which is great because that often leads to more creative practice projects happening in that department or program—whether funded by us or not,” says Executive Director John McInerney.
Students in the Virtual Reality Lab course, taught by Professor of English and Cinema and Media Studies Peter Decherney, created three films that focus on Penn Museum conservators, curators, and a senior archivist, telling their stories of engaging with the Ancient Egypt and Nuba Galleries collections while working in their spaces. The course taught students about virtual reality filming and also captured the galleries’ transformation as part of the Museum’s Building Transformation project.
