Penn Global

Doubling down on Penn’s engagement with the world.

Penn’s ambition is to be of and for the world, not just present in it—building relationships with depth and purpose, engaging in global challenges where Penn’s expertise is most relevant, welcoming and supporting talent from every corner of the globe, and ensuring that students, faculty, and alumni experience Penn as an institution whose reach extends far beyond Philadelphia. The Penn Forward Penn Global initiative reflects the University’s commitment to pursue this ambition with clarity and purpose.

The Opportunity

Penn is already a globally engaged university, with students from roughly 140 jurisdictions, globally active faculty, research and student programming in more than 170 countries and territories and alumni leadership across continents. The problems Penn is best positioned to help solve—pandemic preparedness, sustainable development, and the governance of transformative technologies, to name just a few—require global collaboration.

Penn’s global activities have historically been distributed across schools and initiatives, limiting coordination and strategic focus. In an era where leading institutions are differentiating themselves through intentional global engagement, Penn must move from a collection of strong activities to a cohesive, strategically aligned global enterprise.

Globally leading universities demonstrate that sustained investment in international talent, mobility, partnerships, and reputation-building is essential. Institutions that succeed attract top talent regardless of origin, build enduring global relationships, and position themselves as trusted partners in addressing global challenges. Penn’s opportunity is to do this with greater intentionality, coordination, and visibility.

Vision

The Penn Forward Penn Global initiative seeks to position Penn as a university whose intellectual life is shaped by and accountable to the world. This requires:

  • Attracting and supporting exceptional students and scholars from across the globe
  • Expanding meaningful opportunities for global learning, research, and engagement
  • Building sustained, high-value partnerships in key regions
  • Projecting Penn’s intellectual leadership through visible global engagement

To achieve this, the initiative will balance expansion from Philadelphia with selective deepening of international engagement through partnerships, convenings, and talent investment.

We envision five complementary and integrated elements:

  • Deeper international partnerships and strategic presence. Penn will cultivate sustained relationships with peer institutions and organizations in regions aligned with its academic strengths, building toward long-term collaboration and presence.
  • A more prominent global convening and engagement model. Penn will elevate its global profile and relationships through high-impact convenings and coordinated leadership engagement.
  • Investment in global talent and institutional reputation. Through initiatives such as Penn-driven professorships and expanded international programming, Penn will signal and realize its commitment to being a destination for the world’s best scholars and students.
  • Strengthened global infrastructure and expanded activity on campus. Effective global engagement requires coordination, visibility, and support systems that enable faculty and students to operate globally at scale.
  • Resilience in a shifting global landscape. Penn will maintain its commitment to international engagement despite geopolitical, policy, and mobility challenges, ensuring continuity in attracting talent and sustaining partnerships.

Emerging Design

Penn is exploring a set of specific initiatives aligned to the vision—some underway, others under consideration. We will pursue these selectively, with realistic expectations about the time and commitment required given current international headwinds.

Deeper international partnerships and strategic presence

  • Invest in and activate existing hubs (e.g., Beijing, New Delhi) to enable meaningful academic, research, and alumni engagement.
  • Develop a structured approach to identifying and cultivating new partnerships and regional opportunities.
  • Recognize that deep institutional relationships require sustained commitment over time, supported by appropriate infrastructure and resources.

Global convening and engagement model

  • Integrate and elevate existing convenings (e.g., Silfen Forum, Wharton Global Forum, Penn Global Engagement Forums).
  • Launch a flagship rotating global convening model (“Moveable Feast”) aligned with Penn’s strategic priorities, bringing together leadership, faculty, alumni, and regional partners for multi-day engagement.
  • Align leadership travel with these convenings to maximize institutional impact and relationship-building.
  • Use convenings as platforms for intellectual exchange, partnership formation, and global brand elevation.

Investment in global talent and institutional excellence

  • Establish Penn World Professorships to recruit even more leading scholars from around the world, strengthening faculty excellence and global representation.
  • Support mobility and exchange for both faculty and students.
  • Reinforce Penn’s position as a destination for the most talented individuals globally, regardless of discipline or geography.

Strengthened global infrastructure and expanded activity in and from Philadelphia

  • Expand global student programs (e.g., GRIP, Penn Global Seminars, study abroad) to meet demonstrated demand and extend access, including for graduate students.
  • Increase support for faculty global research, restoring and scaling grant funding to seed international collaboration and signal institutional priority.
  • Strengthen the international student experience from pre-arrival through post-graduation pathways.
  • Build a coordinated, data-informed platform to track and align global activity across schools.
  • Enhance global communications and storytelling to improve visibility and institutional coherence.

Existing Foundation

Penn has a strong foundation to build on:

Leads

  • Amy Gadsden, Associate Vice Provost for Global Initiatives
  • Glen Gaulton, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Vice Dean and Director of the Center for Global Health