Welcome Back From the President: Celebrating Civic Engagement and Penn Milestones |
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January 13, 2015, Volume 61, No. 18 |
Welcome back from winter break! As we begin the spring semester, I want to remind the Penn community that this month is the final deadline for the President’s Engagement Prizes. These Prizes will support the most promising senior undergraduate projects that benefit society locally, nationally and globally. Up to three prize recipients will receive a generous living allowance for one year after graduation and up to $100,000 in project expenses.
In choosing to publicly recognize and reward creative projects for civic engagement, we also proclaim what we value as a university in educating our students for lifelong citizenship. Here Penn stands alone. We know of no other university that offers prizes of this magnitude for student projects focused exclusively on bettering society. We are proud to be a leader in this regard. I applaud CURF representatives and mentors across campus for their help in guiding Penn students to develop their ideas for the inaugural effort for these awards. I encourage all seniors who have a promising idea to apply. The deadline is January 16.
As we empower our students to engage for the greater good, Penn continues to benefit society on many fronts. This year, we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Perelman School of Medicine and the 100th anniversary of the Graduate School of Education. Throughout the spring, both the Perelman School and GSE will be showcasing how centuries of Penn teaching and discovery have transformed care for the body and cultivation of the mind. I encourage everyone to participate in these historic anniversaries and learn more about these two amazing Penn Schools.
In light of GSE’s centennial, there couldn’t be a better time to welcome our new Graduate School of Education Dean, Pam Grossman. Pam’s professional career brilliantly blends service as both a K-12 teacher and a university scholar, giving her great insight into how schools of education can most effectively respond to the needs of diverse populations of educators and students. She is an internationally respected expert on some of the most important issues confronting primary and secondary education today. Her proven track record of collaborative leadership makes her a perfect match for GSE’s exceptional students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. I invite everyone in the Penn community to join me in giving Pam a very warm welcome as we kick off the second century of Penn’s Graduate School of Education.
Later this spring, we will celebrate another milestone for our University: the official opening of the Penn Wharton China Center. Located in the World Financial Center building in Beijing, the new Center will be a dynamic hub for the exchange of knowledge between China and Penn’s faculty, students, alumni and friends across all of Penn’s Schools and resource centers. The Penn Wharton China Center will facilitate even greater levels of bilateral collaboration and usher in a new era for Penn’s global engagement. Following the “First 100 Days” of conferences, courses and events, we will conclude the festivities in September 2015 with a formal Center Dedication and Gala Celebration.
Finally, I hope you will all join me in congratulating Penn’s newest Rhodes Scholar, Rutendo Chigora, whose work in creating economic opportunities for vulnerable communities garnered a win at the 2014 Clinton Global Initiatives University Conference. On behalf of Penn, I wish Ruti the very best as she finishes her senior year and prepares for graduate study at Oxford University.
Later this month, our community will come together to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A holiday that celebrates our commitment to justice, respect and the possibilities of positive social change is a precious thing. Each year, we join together as a mutually respectful community to recommit ourselves to the greater work of building a more perfect union.
In the spirit of Dr. King, who met and overcame brute force with soul force, now is the time to reaffirm our community’s shared commitment to freedom and social justice. Here at the start of a new year, I know that we have all the more reason, allied with our passion, to celebrate our common bonds as well as our unique differences. May the power of our ideas, the energy of our excitement and the passion of our beliefs be put to the best possible uses. Welcome back to campus and welcome to a new year at Penn.
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