At Convocation, which kicked off the 286th academic year, Penn President J. Larry Jameson proposed that the Class of 2029 embody three guiding principles—illumination, connection, and purpose—drawing inspiration from fireflies’ brilliance, synchronized glow, and intentionality. “We solve problems not by working alone, but by syncing up—across disciplines, backgrounds, and ideas,” Jameson said. “Collaboration is not just encouraged—it’s our superpower.”
Penn President J. Larry Jameson and Provost John L. Jackson Jr. welcomed new students and their families inside Irvine Auditorium, as part of New Student Orientation. Jameson reflected on the idea of scaffolding in his remarks, in a nod to the scaffolding on Fisher Fine Arts Library, recognizing the faculty, peers, and parents who will support new students in the years to come. “This is a moment of pride, and scaffolding only comes down when the structure that it supports is ready to stand on its own. But even then, no one stands alone at Penn.”
Benjamin Nathans, who received the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction for “To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement,” spoke about his reaction to the win and the deep archival work for his book. “Penn gave me the freedom to pursue this very labor-intensive project that couldn't be done in just a couple of years,” he says. “I’m very grateful for that.”
Leigh N. Whitaker, who recently served as principal at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, where she launched and leads the firm’s Philadelphia Government Relations practice, will return to Penn as vice president for government and community affairs, effective Oct. 1. She previously served as Penn’s director of city relations. “Leigh is a trusted and principled leader who brings exceptional expertise, a commitment to service, and deep understanding of Penn’s missions, our city, the Commonwealth, and the legislative and political landscape,” says Penn President J. Larry Jameson.
A year into his role as Vice President of Business Services, Michael Scales spoke about strategic initiatives for the division, his “genuine passion” for campus environments, and getting to know the Penn community through face-to-face interactions with students and meetings with staff. “I really believe and breathe this,” he says.
Supported by a Draw Down the Lightning grant, the AI Principles & Practices series of interactive sessions will take place this fall for faculty and staff, introducing them to platforms and technologies supported by Penn. “We feel generative AI tools are poised to impact everything at Penn and we want to make sure there are equitable training options for everyone, because there are dozens of schools and centers around campus with different needs and functions,” says Jaron Rhodes of Information Systems and Computing.
As part of a Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program project, undergraduate students Wendy Hernandez Higarede, Veronica Baladi, and Faith Amolo Owino conducted field research this summer about climate and health education needs on campus. The research is co-led by Sarah Kagan of the School of Nursing, who leads Penn’s interdisciplinary Climate and Health Education Working Group.
This summer, third-year Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics student Ngaatendwe Manyika built small wind turbines that generate clean power, documenting each step. The project has helped to inform the launch of a new class by Assistant Professor Lorena Grundy, Renewable Energy Technologies Lab, offered this fall in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
As part of a five-year program that is a partnership between the nonprofit Foundations, Penn’s Graduate School of Education, and the School District of Philadelphia, The Academy at Penn kicked off this summer at Penn GSE with programming that empowered incoming Philadelphia high school students to weave together academic preparation, career exploration, and personal growth—while identifying and strengthening students’ existing skillsets.
High school students from around the globe were on Penn’s campus participating in the summertime Economics Academy, one of eight Summer Academies programs offered by the School of Arts & Sciences. A primary goal of the academy is to help students apply economic theory to stories and cases from current events and media, all while becoming accustomed to learning while living on campus.
In a profile, Penn Libraries’ Head of Conservation Sarah Reidell talked about leading a team of five conservators and technicians who preserve, treat, house, exhibit, and monitor the Libraries’ vast physical collections. Reidell manages the lab but “she never forgets for a moment that it’s really that whole team that makes the magic happen; they’re incredibly skilled and talented,” says Andy Hart, director of preservation at the Libraries.
James Rogers, who was most recently executive director at the Spring Valley YMCA and spent three years as the director of university recreation at Drexel, was named director of Campus Recreation at Penn. “He has a record of advancement within institutions and serving the needs of members,” says Alanna Wren, director of Athletics and Recreation. “We look forward to welcoming James back to University City and joining the Penn community.”
The Class of 2025 SNF Paideia Program at Penn fellows capped a three-year fellowship with a trip to Greece, where they toured the Agora and the Acropolis, visited a library and cultural center, and spent time in conversation with SNF interns. “Our fellows have had a couple of years with multiple opportunities to think intentionally about their conditions that cultivate meaningful dialogues across differences,” says Executive Director Leah Seppanen Anderson. “They’ve had time to reflect and practice listening.”
Anthropology professor Mallika Sarma of the School of Arts & Sciences studies how humans adapt to extreme and novel environments. She’s especially interested in how the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulates the body’s response to stress—and how the environment of space affects physiological and behavioral outcomes. “There is a huge range of variation in how people are responding to an environment, and it’s important to understand what exactly is driving it,” she says.
During Move-In week, 2,429 members of the Class of 2029 and 3,416 returning students moved into Penn’s 13 College Houses. Penn President J. Larry Jameson greeted incoming and current students as well as parents and Move-In volunteers amidst the efforts. (Video)
Penn Today captured happenings all throughout New Student Orientation for the Class of 2029, as students moved into College Houses and attended the President and Provost Welcome, a Libraries showcase, New Student Orientation for international students, a welcome event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the iconic Class of 2029 photo on Franklin Field, and more. (Photos)
Nine Penn undergraduates spent the summer interning for New Student Orientation & Academic Initiatives, helping to shape the design of the NSO experience for the Class of 2029. “NSO really gave [me] that footing to meet new people and get integrated within campus,” intern Kyle Chen says of his own NSO experience. “Being a rising second-year student and having the opportunity to work for NSOAI, I definitely wanted to give back to the program that really got me integrated into Penn.”
Penn’s Facilities & Real Estate Services continued to manage construction projects around campus this summer. Penn Today surveyed progress on the Penn Museum’s renovations, Stuart Weitzman Hall, the Student Performing Arts Center, phase two of The Quadrangle, and other facilities related to athletics, hospitality, and research.
