Latest News
Penn receives top security ranking for third straight year
For the third consecutive year, Penn is ranked No. 1 for safety among colleges and universities in a survey by Security Magazine
Penn helps launch federal funding website
Steven J. Fluharty, Penn's vice provost for research, joined Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, other members of Congress as well as other representatives of the country's leading universities on Capitol Hill this week to announce the launch of ScienceWorksForUS.
Penn a top destination for international higher education students
In a new report from the Institute for International Education, Penn ranks fourth among doctoral institutions in the percentage of its student body that comes from outside the country.
Penn named one of the 'Best Values in Higher Education'
The University has been cited as one of the top U.S. schools that “deliver an affordable, high-quality education and keep the financial aid flowing.”
Hero police dog treated at Penn Vet's Matthew J. Ryan Hospital
A police dog shot twice in the line of duty underwent life-saving surgery at the Matthew J. Ryan Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.
Penn honors Board of Trustees Chairman James S. Riepe's decade of service
James S. Riepe (W’65, WG ’67), who has served as Chairman of Penn’s Board of Trustees since 1999, will step down this weekend after overseeing a decade of unprecedented growth and institutional accomplishment.
University breaks ground on 24-acre Penn Park project
In a ceremony held at the foot of Philadelphia's downtown skyline, Penn President Amy Gutmann joined University Trustees, community leaders, and members of the campus community to break ground on Penn Park, the centerpiece of the Penn Connects master development plan.
Penn dedicates its newest building: the Annenberg Public Policy Center
The new home of the Annenberg Public Policy Center was dedicated Nov. 4 with the designer of the building, world-renowned architect Fumihiko Maki, on campus for the ceremonies.
Penn football makes NCAA history with 1,300 games
The Penn football team takes on the Brown Bears on Oct. 30 in Providence, R.I., a contest that will mark the Quakers’ 1,300th game, the most in NCAA history.
Penn Halloween movie tradition: Alive again
On Oct. 30, Penn’s Irvine Auditorium will resurrect its traditional screening of the silent film classic “The Phantom of the Opera,” complete with live accompaniment on Irvine’s historic Curtis Organ.
President Gutmann discusses the state of education with The Wall Street Journal
Penn President Amy Gutmann provided her perspective on education reform, innovation, and U.S. students’ achievement in the sciences and math as a member of a Wall Street Journal editorial panel in New York last week.
Penn's Dean of Admissions blogs for The New York Times
Dean of Admissions Eric J. Furda, a 1987 Penn graduate, will answer questions about the college admissions process for “The Choice” education blog of The New York Times..
Penn Masala performs at the White House
The a cappella group Penn Masala performed at the White House on Wednesday, Oct. 14, to celebrate the signing of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Penn named one of the 'Best Neighbors' in the U.S.
Penn has been placed at the top of a new “Saviors of Our Cities” list, rating higher education institutions on their community engagement and good-neighbor policies.
Penn Law students participate in Supreme Court case
Eight Penn Law students and their professor were at the U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 13, watching their work in action as the case Padilla v. Kentucky went before America’s highest court.
Penn students welcome basketball season in 'The Line'
The Line is part pep rally, part slumber party, and part endurance test with the prize being the best student seats in The Palestra.
Fun, food and football at Penn’s 2009
Family Day
On Saturday, Oct. 10, the University opens its doors to all faculty and staff and their families and friends at the 17th annual Penn Family Day.
Penn earns top marks for sustainability
For the second consecutive year, Penn ranks among the top U.S. and Canadian universities for its sustainability initiatives.
George E. Smith, 1955 Penn alum, receives the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics
George E. Smith, together with Willard S. Boyle and Charles Kao, have received the prestigious Nobel Prize in Physics for two scientific achievements that have helped to shape the foundations of today’s networked societies.
Wharton professor is awarded an ‘Oscar’ of the business world
Thomas Donaldson, an outstanding Penn educator and expert on business ethics, values and leadership is one of four recipients of an award that’s been called the “Oscars of the business world.”
Penn’s Symphony Orchestra shares the stage with musicians from Shanghai
The University of Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra will perform a concert of American and Chinese music with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Symphony Orchestra on Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Penn study finds most Americans prefer online privacy
Most Americans, regardless of age, do not want online advertisements tailored to their specific interests, and object to the ways marketers follow their moves on the internet, according to a study spearheaded by Joseph Turow, professor of communication at Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication.
La Casa Latina turns diez with an exhibition honoring a decade of service
La Casa Latina, the Center for Hispanic Excellence, was formed 10 years ago, and has served as a place to meet other Latinos on campus and in the Philadelphia region.
At Penn, there's art in the air
As part of Penn’s Arts & the City Year, more than 30 Penn, Philadelphia and regional arts and cultural institutions will participate in the Locust Walk Arts Fair, on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
For one day at Penn, it’s produce instead of Pepsi
During the lunch hour on Tuesday, Sept. 29, Penn chefs will flex their culinary muscles using a wide array of locally produced meats, vegetables and dairy products as part of Bon Appétit’s Eat Local Challenge.
Penn’s Sarah A. Tishkoff receives 2009 National Institutes of Health Pioneer Award
Sarah A. Tishkoff, one of the world’s leading experts in the gathering and analysis of human genetic data, has been awarded the 2009 National Institutes of Health Director’s Pioneer Award.
Penn demographer asks if health care system keeps Americans from living longer
A sociology professor examines the longevity issue and concludes that America’s low ranking can be attributed to the unhealthy lifestyles of middle aged Americans, rather than the much maligned U.S. health care system.
Penn President Amy Gutmann honored with 2009 Carnegie Corporation Academic Leadership Award
Penn President Amy Gutmann has been recognized for her extraordinary commitment to education, research, civic engagement and global outreach.
Special 80th Birthday Concert for famed Penn composer George Crumb
"George Turns 80 and Music at Penn,” will salute Crumb’s work, including excerpts from his American Songbook series, written for Orchestra 2001. It also will feature works by three other Penn music composition faculty members.
Penn and Philadelphia Fire Department host campus safety event
Penn Public Safety and Philadelphia Fire Department officials will fan out across campus on Sept. 17 to distribute safety literature and stress the importance of having working smoke detectors.
Penn announces Climate Action Plan
Penn President Amy Gutmann unveiled the University’s groundbreaking Climate Action Plan before an enthusiastic gathering of faculty, students, staff and community partners on Wednesday, Sept. 16, urging them to embrace Penn’s pledge to put the University at the vanguard of environmental sustainability.
Penn welcomes Class of 2013 at Convocation
Convocation—held for the first time in Penn history inside the Palestra because of threatening skies—opened the academic year Tuesday evening with a program of inspiring speeches, musical performances and plenty of Penn spirit.
President Gutmann welcomes new students during Move-in
Close to 2,500 first-year students are unpacking boxes and making friends as they start a new life at Penn.
2010 Commencement will find Penn seniors sporting caps, gowns made of recycled plastic bottles
Penn will adorn its Class of 2010 seniors in gowns and caps made of 100 percent, post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.
Pre-orientation programs introduce incoming freshmen to Penn
Five pre-orientation programs are giving some incoming freshmen a jump on the University experience before the school year begins.
Penn on Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter and iTunes U
Penn’s official presence on social networking and multimedia sites is on the rise. Currently, the University has a Facebook page, a portal on iTunes, and a presence on three other popular sites: Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.
Botswana-UPenn Partnership helps country tackle national crisis
Nearly 300 University staff, faculty and students travel to Africa each year through the Botswana-UPenn Partnership—a joint effort between the African nation and Penn to address the country's HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Penn Professor Mark Devlin on “The Colbert Report”
Cosmologist Mark Devlin appeared on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” to discuss his BLAST project, a Balloon-borne Large-Aperture Sub-millimeter Telescope.
Thomas Eakins' "The Gross Clinic" selected for 2009-10 Penn Reading Project
This painting is the first visual text selection in the Reading Project's 19-year history.
Penn doctoral candidate part of first-place software contest team
A student is part of the software-engineering team currently in first place for The Netflix Prize, a $1 million contest to improve the company’s movie recommendation software.
Pre-freshmen students attend Center for Africana Studies Summer Institute
Students in this summer program participate in an intensive one-week course of study about major intellectual themes in 19th, 20th and 21st century African, African-American and other African Diaspora studies.
Penn Nursing students provide more than 1,000 hours of care in Botswana
Students in the “Nursing in the Community” course will spend five weeks caring for patients in clinics, orphanages and schools in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana.
Penn GEMS molds women engineers of the future
Penn GEMS is designed to inspire young women to pursue careers in engineering by giving them a chance to try hands-on activities in bioengineering, nanotechnology, materials science, graphics and computing.
Penn Vet challenged by a 24 percent reduction in state funding
Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine faces a cut in state funding of more than $10 million.
Penn VIPS honors high school seniors for community work
Penn Volunteers In Public Service and the Penn Business Services Division recently awarded six high schools students from West Philadelphia with $1,000 non-tuition scholarships.
Penn scholar is named a White House Fellow
Penn physician and anthropologist Mehret Mandefro is part of the 2009-2010 class of White House Fellows.
Penn students help develop virtual West Philadelphia history museum
An academically based community service course has given Penn students the opportunity to help tell the story of the West Philadelphia neighborhood.
New tree exhibit set to open at Morris Arboretum
“Tree Adventure," a new Arboretum exhibit, explores the relationship between plants and people through a central theme: We need trees, and trees need us.
Exhibit showcases student photos of China
A dozen PennDesign undergraduate and MFA students traveled to China to explore, through photography, the contradictions and significance of that country's radically shifting contemporary cultural climate.
Shelley L. Berger is appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor
Shelley L. Berger, a world-renowned genetics researcher, will have a shared appointment between the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology in the School of Medicine and the Department of Biology in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Penn is only university to earn ranking in EPA’s list of nation’s top 25 green-energy leaders
Penn has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as one of the nation’s top 25 companies, universities and municipalities that have found creative ways to run on renewable power.
Social moms make better moms, at least in baboons, according to Penn study
Female baboons who have strong social relationships with other females give birth to offspring who are one-and-a-half times more likely to survive to adulthood than baboons reared by less social mothers.
Karen Glanz is appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor
Karen Glanz, a globally influential public health scholar, will lead a new Penn center focused on research and training in health behaviors, and will hold a joint appointment in the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing.
Penn Law students work in public service internships around the world
Students participating in the Human Rights Fellowship Program are working in public service internships around the world, studying human rights, rule of law development and international criminal tribunals.
Vincent Price named 29th Provost of Penn
Vincent Price, interm provost and a professor with appointments in Penn's Annenberg School of Communication and the School of Arts and Sciences, has been named the University's new provost.
Penn MERT provides emergency care to campus community
Members of the campus community in need of urgent medical services can rely on Penn’s first-responders--the student-run Medical Emergency Response Team.
Penn center helps design technology to improve child welfare
The Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice and Research is launching a groundbreaking program to improve the safety of abused and neglected children.
Obama nominates Penn alum to be U.S. Ambassador to China
Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. C’87 has been nominated by President Barack Obama for a diplomatic post.
Penn honors Class of 2009 with 253rd Commencement
Penn held its 253rd Commencement in which roughly 6,000 students in the Class of 2009 proudly received their degrees.
U.S. Attorney General speaks to Penn Criminology grads
Eric Holder will deliver a talk to students graduating from the University's Criminology program.
Penn student performs his poetry for the President and First Lady
On May 12, Joshua Bennett, a rising College senior, performed in the East Room of the White House for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at an evening celebrating poetry, music and spoken word.
PennMOVES program gives unwanted items a second life
The PennMOVES program collects and redistributes useable clothes, furniture, kitchen supplies and non-perishable food items that students leave behind when they move out--items that would otherwise be destined for the landfill.
Cecil Balmond, Designer of Penn’s Weave Bridge, Tours his Completed Vision ‘Coiling in Space’
Balmond, a renowned structural engineer and designer, was thrilled to tour his newest creation, Penn's Weave Bridge, on May 8 with University officials. “It’s got a modern rigor which I like,” he said.
NIR Diagnostics wins Wharton Business Plan Competition
The winner of the 2008-2009 competition created a device that identifies complex wound healing problems faster and more precisely than other products currently on the market.
Penn Professor Richard Beeman on ‘The Daily Show’
History Professor Richard Beeman sat down with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” to discuss his new book, “Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution.”
“Squirrels on Locust” show celebrates diversity at Penn
This show is the first large-scale, student-initiated public art installation on campus.
Students travel the world to give back
The exhibit, “Snapshots of Service: Penn Students Give Back,” chronicles the work of University volunteers who spent spring break doing community service across the country and around the world.
Dining with distinction
Tim Spinner of the Mexican restaurant, Distrito, was the latest chef to participate in Penn Dining's Guest Chef series.
Obama taps Penn scientist for number-two drug job
A. Thomas McLellan, a Penn adjunct professor of psychology, has been nominated as the Deputy Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
University President gives accepted students a ‘Penn Preview’
President Amy Gutmann made a surprise appearance at a Penn Preview Day for accepted students and their families.
Middle schoolers get an inside look at Penn
At College Day, eighth graders from a local school experienced a simulated day-in-the-life of a Penn undergraduate.
Wharton undergrads pass up Spring Break for service
Sixteen Wharton undergraduates passed up the usual Spring Break trips to participate in a for-credit service and learning project in Costa Rica.
Penn Director joins 'all-star team' to work on behalf of Philadelphia’s children
The Director of La Casa Latina, Penn's center for Hispanic excellence, has been appointed to the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, the governing body of the School District of Philadelphia.
University comes together to fight cancer
The annual Relay for Life event raised about $150,000 for the American Cancer Society.
Public discussion delves into many aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict
In a public discussion, two Middle East experts examined the major conflict between Israelis and Arabs.
Wharton Sophomore Ankur Jain Appears on CNN
Ankur Jain, a sophomore in the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, appeared on CNN to discuss the Kairos Society, an organization he founded to encourage entrepreneurship among college students.
Innovation Fund provides financial support to Penn student entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs at Penn with a promising idea may acquire important early-stage assistance from the Weiss Tech House Innovation Fund.
