In a historic first, the University celebrated the 264th Commencement virtually on May 18, with speeches by Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Wendell Pritchett, along with student performances. More than 7,500 undergraduate and graduate students from 100 countries and all 50 states received degrees.
Reflecting on the extraordinary moment and the University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Penn President Amy Gutmann expanded on the “three R’s”—resourcefulness, resilience, and responsiveness—that are guiding the University right now. “It takes grit and courage to run toward challenges rather than away, to set aside how we’ve always done things in order to do the most good for others,” she said.
African-American and Latinx populations across the country have been especially hard hit by the novel coronavirus. Penn faculty discussed the structural racism and inequality behind those startling figures. “It’s difficult for people to acknowledge the extensive toll of racism and not everybody wants to talk about it,” says Bridgette M. Brawner of the School of Nursing.
As the pandemic continues, the Penn community has, in true-to-form spirit, stepped up to make a positive impact—through letter writing, fundraising, and grocery deliveries.
The University Archives and Records Center launched the COVID-19 Community Archiving Project to document the experiences of faculty, students, staff, and alumni as they respond to life during the pandemic. The project includes a website for submissions.
Despite campus buildings being closed since mid-March, faculty moved ahead with STEM instruction, with chemistry courses using photography to demonstrate lab experiments and physics courses able to recreate some experiments at home. “Everyone has done the best they can, and everyone has stepped up where the help is needed,” says Janine Maeyer, a general chemistry laboratory director. “At the end of the day, hands-on is better, but we were able to get through it together.”
Scientists and clinicians at Penn have spent months studying COVID-19 and investigating possible vaccines and treatments. This assessment is as broad as it is deep, involving scientists who typically work on everything from HIV/AIDS to Ebola, cancer to hemophilia. Researchers are finding early answers related to the novel coronavirus’ relationship with genes, gender, the immune system, lungs, and more.
Angela Duckworth of the School of Arts & Sciences, Lyle Ungar of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and PIK Professor Ezekiel J. Emanuel contributed an op-ed in The New York Times about how best to persuade people to wear protective face masks. They wrote: “It’s not too late to apply three basic principles from behavioral science: make it easy, understood, and expected.”
The shift to online classes also meant virtual defenses of dissertations for Ph.D. candidates. Though originally skeptical, Aja Carter, who earned a doctorate from the Department of Earth and Environmental Science in the School of Arts & Sciences, ultimately found a key benefit. “Now I think the way this was done is how theses should always be done,” she says. “My grandma was able to come and that was awesome. I have family in the Caribbean who were able to watch. The room I would have defended in holds 30 people.”
The Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics has worked creatively and compassionately to provide student athletes with the same level of service they received on campus. Those services range from one-on-one teleconference meetings to athletic training, nutrition counseling, and mental health support.
PIK Professor Jonathan D. Moreno and the Law School’s Stephen N. Xenakis wrote for The Hill about the lasting impact of COVID-19 on public health. “The battle against the virus presents an opportunity to recalibrate our health care system as well as advance our practices,” they said.
The University appointed Herman Beavers, professor of English and Africana Studies in the School of Arts & Sciences, as the new faculty director for Civic House. Civic House focuses on civic engagement and collaborations between Penn and Philadelphia community nonprofit organizations; the Civic Scholars Program provides undergraduates with a four-year experience in civic engagement and scholarship.
The SNF Paideia Program at Penn held the new course Can We Talk? this spring, featuring a tight-knit group of fewer than 10 students and encouraging engagement the neighboring Philadelphia community and nearby universities and schools. “One of the most amazing things about coming to Penn,” says Wharton junior Connor Gibson, of western Pennsylvania, “is just the extraordinary differences in people that it has. And this class allowed me to engage with them on a much deeper level than I might have had to have a chance to do otherwise.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Stephanie and Ariella Pierson, a mother and daughter duo who both graduated from the School of Arts & Sciences this spring. “We have never done anything conventionally, so this graduation, of course, is going to be unconventional,” said the younger Pierson. (Photo by David Maialetti)
The University moved to reschedule all in-person 2020 Alumni Weekend festivities to a later time, when events are safe and feasible. To still mark the occasion, though, Alumni Relations hosted a slew of virtual events for alumni on Zoom and Facebook Live on May 16, with a welcome message from Rev. Charles Howard, a Q&A discussion on grit with Angela Duckworth, and a virtual stroll down Locust Walk.