Penn's Way, our annual workplace giving campaign (October 1-November 20) is making strides toward supporting critical programs that benefit those in need. This year, double your donation with a 100% match for every dollar up to $2,500 and a 50% match on gifts of $2,501, up to $20,000. Visit pennsway.upenn.edu to help our communities go the distance.
A landmark gift from alumnus Gabriel Gilinski and Stephanie Gilinski will establish an endowed scholarship and professorships supporting history, political science, and economics in the School of Arts & Sciences. “Gabriel and Stephanie’s generous commitment expands access to a Penn education while investing in the scholars whose outstanding teaching and research enrich our academic community,” said Penn President J. Larry Jameson.
Community College of Philadelphia and Penn announced the Penn-CCP Entrepreneurship Academy. The Penn-CCP Entrepreneurship Academy is a no-cost, 10-session learning experience for West Philly business owners. Participants will learn from Penn faculty, experienced entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts, while exchanging ideas with their cohorts. (Image: Elizabeth Field)
A gift from Stanley C. Middleman will establish the Middleman Center at Penn Medicine at 3600 Civic Center Blvd. The facility was recently reimagined with seven additional floors, including wet lab, office, and research space. Seven floors beneath it were newly refurbished. “Anchoring the western edge of Penn Medicine’s campus, the Middleman Center is uniquely positioned to bring together biomedical researchers, physicians, medical students, patients, and experts from engineering, business, and other areas of the University of Pennsylvania,” said Penn President J. Larry Jameson.
Erika James, dean of the Wharton School, was reappointed for a second term of five years, through June 30, 2032. “Erika James—a brilliant scholar of leadership and management—has been an equally brilliant leader of the Wharton community over the past six years,” said Provost John L. Jackson Jr. “Under her leadership, Wharton is shaping the future of business research and practice around the world, especially in guiding a new era of AI and other transformational technologies.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education at New Bolton Center celebrated the Kennett Square campus’ first dedicated classroom space and first new building since 2010. Dean Andrew Hoffman noted Benjamin Franklin’s “strong views on learning spaces” that have natural environments for learning practical skills. “You need only experience the Riepe Center, inside and out, on such a beautiful day as today, to recognize that all of these elements have come together to Ben Franklin’s specifications,” Hoffman said.
The Penn Lifesaver Initiative provides students, faculty, and staff with free, interactive trainings in emergency response skills—from hands-only CPR and bleeding control to choking response and naloxone (Narcan) administration—helping prepare the Penn community to act when seconds matter. Said Associate Provost and Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé: “By giving students practical skills to care for one another, we’re not only preparing them to respond in an emergency, we’re building a stronger culture of health, safety, and shared responsibility across campus.”
The new Center, combining three offices combating discrimination and harassment, will sponsor multiple events this fall, with the first—on religious pluralism in America—hosted in September. “We’ve got to really protect religious freedom and respect it and honor it by deepening our understanding of what that means,” says Majid Alsayegh, co-director of the Office of Religious and Ethnic Interests. (Image: Matt Rourke via AP Images)
The School of Dental Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, and the Perelman School of Medicine marked the start of the 2026-27 academic year with an annual ritual: the White Coat Ceremony. Penn Today showcased the joyous occasion in photos. (Images: Daniel Burke & Mark Garvin)
Nursing professor Jie Deng has built a reputation for challenging, supporting, and inspiring her students. On Sept. 29, she delivered the 2026 Evan C. Thompson Chair Lecture on Excellence in Teaching, an honor recognizing her thoughtful approach to teaching and mentorship. “You can tell she genuinely wanted to learn about what was making me excited in research,” says doctoral candidate Lauren Fisher.
Deirdre Gray is a senior digital communications and support coordinator, the first full-time employee hired by Penn Medicine to answer messages on social media. Patient Jimmy Iturrino, after recovering from a brain bleed, remembers writing a thank-you note to the health system in 2021 and assuming his message went to a team of staff. It actually went to Gray. “I never want people to look at me and say that lady treated me like I was just another patient. I want them to feel special,” Gray said.
John Kerry, a former U.S. secretary of state, senator, and presidential climate envoy was honored with the Carnot Prize in a ceremony held by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy. The Carnot Prize is awarded to individuals who have contributed significantly to energy policy through scholarship or practice. Kerry remarked that he was honored to be “associated with a remarkable community of leaders who have dedicated their lives to advancing good energy policy.” (Image: Kevin Birch)
The inaugural investments from the University’s newly launched $10 million StartUP Fund will support three separate Penn faculty-founded companies spanning the fields of maternal health, advanced radio-frequency filtering technology, and AI-powered drug discovery. “I am thrilled that the StartUP Fund is able to provide the critical early-stage capital needed to support Penn spinout companies as they translate these types of innovations into products with real world impact,” said Chief Innovation Officer John Swartley.
In a recent article, Rachel Werner of the Perelman School of Medicine, Allison Hoffman of Carey Law, and R. Tamara Konetzka of the University of Chicago reviewed the evolution of long-term care policy in the U.S. and offered core principles for policy reforms and possible paths forward, including expanding Medicaid coverage, incorporating long-term care into Medicare, and creating a new social insurance program. (Image: The Good Brigade via Getty Images)
School of Arts & Sciences professor of psychology Martin Seligman’s new book, “Agency: The Psychological History of Human Progress,” is a global history of agency from the ancient world to the present. Seligman calls the book the culmination of his life’s work at Penn.
Madison McTier is a master’s student at Penn’s Graduate School of Education who serves on the Netter Center for Community Partnerships’ school-based mental health and supportive services team, providing counseling support—particularly around social and emotional learning—to local third and fourth grade students. After graduating in the spring, she plans to pursue a combined J.D.-Ph.D. in law and psychology, with aims to address systemic factors that adversely affect how children experience school.
In the New York Times, Angela Duckworth, a professor of psychology in the School of Arts & Sciences and author of the new book “Situated,” published an opinion piece about asking for help. “Without exception, every high performer I’ve studied credits a host of supporters for success,” wrote Duckworth. “Research has found that a willingness to ask for help is crucial to achievement.”
In USA Today, Carl June was quoted in a story about long-shot ideas. His own has resulted in seven CAR T-cell therapies approved for blood cancers. Using a basketball analogy, June said: “To have a big impact you need to go for the three-pointers.”
