The University announced the Quaker Commitment, designed to support families from middle-income backgrounds by increasing financial aid packages and guaranteeing full tuition scholarship to a greater number of students. “This bold new initiative expands financial aid for more families in alignment with our commitment to have Penn’s financial aid package meet 100% of families’ demonstrated need with no loans,” says Interim President J. Larry Jameson. “We are proud to launch the Quaker Commitment building on the University’s commitment to opportunity and long-standing leadership in undergraduate financial aid.”
The University outlined, in its fourth Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, new and ambitious sustainability goals for the next five years, laying out a path toward carbon neutrality for Penn by 2042. “Since Penn launched its first sustainability plan in 2009, we have made extraordinary strides across campus, in our teaching and research, and in our contributions to the world,” says Interim President J. Larry Jameson. “Penn now serves as a national sustainability leader for higher education and the world.” (Image: Tommy Leonardi)
The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) announced its Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, an ambitious strategy to halve emissions by 2030 and eliminate them by 2042. “At Penn Medicine, we seek the cures of tomorrow to help individuals enjoy longer, healthier lives. Our focus on the future drives innovative possibilities in medicine and challenges us to also consider how providing health care impacts the health of the environment,” says Kevin B. Mahoney, CEO of UPHS. “The Climate and Sustainability Plan represents our dedication to cultivating a sustainable health system so that we can build a healthier world for future generations.”
Fourth-year Om Gandhi has been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship for graduate study at the University of Oxford. Gandhi is currently pursuing a master’s degree in bioengineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and concurrently majoring in neuroscience and health and societies with a public health concentration in the College of Sciences. (Image: Courtesy of Om Gandhi)
The Penn community celebrated the Jane and David Ott Center for Track & Field with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, made possible by a gift from Jane Ott, a 1987 alumna of the Wharton School, and David Ott, a 1985 alumnus. The 73,000-square-foot facility will attract elite student-athletes and be a year-round home for Penn’s track & field and cross-country teams.
Penn Today recapped celebrations, fairs, intellectual gatherings, remembrances, and more that took place during the fall semester and together embody campus life at Penn. (Image: Sylvia Zhang)
Fritz Steiner, dean of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, had his tenure as dean extended an additional two years, through June 30, 2027. “Dean Steiner has been an exceptional leader and advocate for the Weitzman School of Design and its innovative programs,” said Interim President J. Larry Jameson. “We are delighted that he will continue to build on these successes over the next few years and prepare the School for an even brighter future.”
Squire Booker was named the Richard Perry University Professor in the Department of Chemistry in the School of Arts & Sciences and the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, beginning Jan 1. Interim President J. Larry Jameson remarked that Booker “brings the caliber of expertise, novel scientific approaches, and interdisciplinary insights necessary to advance this work” in the life sciences.
In a profile, Graduate School of Education (GSE) Dean Katharine Strunk spoke about her first year at Penn and GSE’s first strategic vision in nearly two decades, Together for Good. “Our goal with Together for Good is not just to meet the moment, but to make the moment in a spirit of togetherness,” said Strunk. “Our vision is built on deep collaboration—not only with educators, but also with policymakers, industry leaders, philanthropists, and communities around the world—because no single institution or sector can realize education’s brightest future alone.”
Nonpartisan student-run organization Penn Leads the Vote held an Election Day event near the LOVE sculpture, and members of the Penn community volunteered at the polls. “We’re trying to make sure that, at the end of a long stretch, people are making their voices heard,” said Penn Leads the Vote Director Alyssa Antonian. “We are the largest voting bloc in the U.S. We do have a ton of political power; we just need to show it.”
Penn Today organized a six-part series highlighting many University resources aimed at supporting the campus community. The series covered behavioral and mental health and well-being, financial wellness, physical health and well-being, online safety and best practices, public safety resources, and family friendly policies and resources.
School of Nursing Dean Antonia M. Villarruel and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, were named to a new task force to produce a Vision for American Science and Technology. They are among 60 leaders chosen in education, science, public policy, philanthropy, and industry.
Eight distinguished alumni and a notable faculty member were honored at the 2024 Alumni Award of Merit Gala on Nov. 15. Alumni recognized included Belinda Bentzin Buscher, Ira Hillman, Jennifer Krevitt, Sally Jutabha Michaels, and Marc H. Morial, who received the Alumni Award of Merit, and Deepak Prabhakar, who received the Young Alumni Award. Desiree Martinez received the Penn Alumni Social Impact Award, and Robert Cort accepted the Creative Spirit Award. André Dombrowski was recognized with the Faculty Award of Merit.
Penn expanded its Yellow Ribbon Program this fall to offer unlimited slots and funding for all eligible undergraduate students, and several graduate schools expanded their programs. The Yellow Ribbon Program is a voluntary matching system between private schools and the Department of Veterans that bridges the gap between college costs and the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit set by the VA annually.
Penn Today highlighted the oldest film in Penn’s University Archives & Records Center, which documents the 1915 football game featuring Penn versus Cornell. The film is four and a half minutes and was produced by the Alumni Society.
The student-managed Kite and Key Society, in partnership with Penn Admissions, leads campus tours, sharing information about the University during 10 stops. Alumni gathered for the society’s 100th year at a Homecoming brunch on Nov. 16.
More than three dozen Penn undergraduates supported NBC News by tracking voter turnout, turning granular results into usable data, and building graphics for viewers. The opportunity is part of the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES), led by PORES director and elections unit director for NBC News John Lapinski. (Image: AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
