In a message to the Penn community, Penn President J. Larry Jameson announced he will conclude his service as president as planned on June 30, 2027. “In our laboratories, classrooms, and Philadelphia neighborhoods, I have witnessed Penn people fulfill Benjamin Franklin’s vision—using knowledge for the greater good,” he wrote, adding that momentum will continue in the coming year as Penn Forward advances actionable initiatives.
Chair of Penn’s Board of Trustees Ramanan Raghavendran announced the Board will begin a comprehensive search process in the fall to identify the University’s next president, who will take office on July 1, 2027. “We will share additional information about the search process in the months ahead,” he wrote. “In the meantime, please join me in thanking Dr. Jameson and in supporting him through this important year.”
The Center for Civil Rights will bring together support, reporting, investigative, and compliance offices related to discrimination and harassment, including sexual misconduct. “This consolidated Center for Civil Rights will help Penn work better for every member of our community,” said Penn President J. Larry Jameson. “Faculty, staff, and students will benefit from greater clarity around resources, reporting, prevention, and legal compliance, with our subject-matter experts aligned and working together. I am grateful to them and our community leaders as Penn undertakes this latest self-improvement.”
Chair of Penn’s Board of Trustees Ramanan Raghavendran described significant changes to governance within the Board. Changes affect Board composition and structure, including clear term limits, a new committee framework with fewer and more focused committees, a revised schedule for Board meetings, and more. “The Board now has a cleaner, more durable structure for the years to come,” Raghavendran said.
A year into his term as dean, School of Arts & Sciences Dean Mark Trodden discussed efforts emerging from the School’s new strategic framework, SAS Horizons: Pathways for a Changing World, including the new Physical Sciences Complex, complementing part of campus that already includes the Vagelos Laboratory, Amy Gutmann Hall, the Singh Center, and Penn Engineering. “I think it will be a statement that Penn believes in science and technology in a foundational sense and is looking to the future,” Trodden said.
In a video to commemorate America 250, Penn Today highlighted the University’s service to society during the nation’s history, ranging from advances in motion pictures to the world’s first electronic computer.
From papermaking to typesetting, through a series of ongoing events which began last fall, Penn’s Common Press has been working to reproduce and print the Declaration of Independence using the same methods as in 1776. As the nation marks its semiquincentennial on July 4, the project—"Typography of Independence"—now invites members of the public to stop by the Press and print their own copy of the Declaration.
This spring, for the course Printing, Publishing & Reading in Europe & Americas, Ages of Revolution, Penn students gathered every week to examine how words have changed the world. They explored the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions of the 1700s and revolutions of other sorts, including the scientific revolution and the rise of women as writers. “We wanted to expand the definition of ‘revolution’ beyond the simply political,” says John Pollack of the Kislak Center, who co-taught the course with Professor of History Roger Chartier.
Penn Today spoke with Sarah J. Jackson, a scholar of media in the Annenberg School for Communication, about her new book, “A Second Sight.” The book provides historical and contemporary examples of how Black mediamakers have strengthened the promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
In a Q&A, Marcia Chatelain, the Presidential Penn Compact Professor of Africana Studies, and Kermit Roosevelt, the David Berger Professor for the Administration of Justice at Penn Carey Law, discussed the history of the Emancipation Proclamation and the lasting impact of Juneteenth.
Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor Michael L. Platt, who has long researched risk-taking behaviors, spoke about the biological basis of gambling and the over-proliferation of gambling-based platforms. “It turns out that your susceptibility isn’t a personal failing—it’s deeply baked in; it’s a collection of ancient survival scripts, hormonal floods, and cognitive glitches,” says Platt. (Image: Hispanolist)
Paulo Arratia, who studies how materials behave in complex, dynamic environments—and is a lifelong soccer fan—discusses what separates natural grass from synthetic turf and, ultimately, why that difference matters to players and fans. (Image: Alexandre Schneider / Stringer)
Steve Viscelli, who studies the economics of trucking, talked about the challenges facing American truckers today and the impact of freight on the cost of everyday goods. (Image: Scott Olson / Staff via Getty Images)
Penn Sustainability Consulting is a student group that provides businesses, nonprofits, and government entities with pro bono services such as market research, life cycle assessment, and policy and legal review. Penn Today spoke with two clients about how the students are helping them and how they are helping the students.
The Penn Museum welcomed neighbors and Penn community members with free admission and a daylong Juneteenth celebration on June 13. The event featured live music, a Penn Medicine Mobile Mammography Van, educational workshops, and pop-up exhibitions.
In The Atlantic, Wharton School economics professor Judd Kessler authored a piece about the ballooning ticket prices of World Cup games since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar—and the combined role of FIFA practices and ticket speculators in driving up costs.
Adam Grant of the Wharton School published a guest essay in The New York Times discussing research about why a third of American companies have forced workers back to the office full time: ego. “None of this is to say that individual leaders who reject remote work are necessarily egomaniacs,” he wrote. “Many factors influence workplace policies around flexibility. But our data does show that overall, self-centered leaders tend to struggle with the idea of employees making independent choices about where to work.”
