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Penn's Heritage

Penn traces its origins to 1740 when a trust was formed to establish the Charity School of Philadelphia. Later, in 1749, Benjamin Franklin presented his vision for a new type of learning institution, that unlike other American Colonial colleges, would not focus on education for the clergy, but would instead prepare students for lives of business and public service. The proposed program of study would become the nation's first modern liberal arts curriculum. When, in 1750, Franklin and the first Trustees purchased Penn's first campus, they also assumed responsibility for the Charity School (though it had never opened, the Trust was still alive and well). Both the Academy and the Charity School opened in 1751.

More than 250 years later, Penn continues to blaze trails in education. It is home to the nation's first medical school, which added as early as 1874, a university teaching hospital. The University is also the birthplace of technological invention. In 1946, Penn introduced ENIAC, the world's first electronic, large-scale, general-purpose digital computer.

In addition to ushering in new ideas, Penn has welcomed countless leaders through its doors. Nine signers of the Declaration of Independence and eleven signers of the Constitution are associated with the University. Eadweard James Muybridge, who pioneered motion photography, began his experiments under the University's auspices. Since 1923, fifteen Penn scholars have been awarded Nobel Prizes. In 1994 Judith Rodin became the first woman to be inaugurated President of an Ivy League institution.

Penn's heritage is likewise reflected in its environs, where its 269-acre, urban campus boasts many notable landmarks. These include Houston Hall, the nation's first student union; the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, one of the finest museums of its kind in the country; Franklin Field, the oldest collegiate football field still in use and the country's first double-decked college stadium; plus buildings by noted architects Frank Furness, Louis Kahn, Eero Saarinen, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown.

Recognized as America's first university, Penn remains today a world-renowned center for the creation and dissemination of knowledge. It serves as a model for research colleges and universities throughout the world.

For additional information on Penn's heritage visit University Archives.