Campus & Community

The 35 World House Student Fellows have weekly seminars with expert faculty and policymakers who visit Perry World House, and work on a yearlong client-driven policy project with an external partner like a nongovernmental organization or government office.

Penn’s 286th academic year formally began at Convocation, where President J. Larry Jameson drew lessons from nature by invoking fireflies—recognizing students’ brilliance, prescribing them to ‘“embrace the unexpected,” and reminding them, “Fireflies do not glow alone.”

The Ivy League released the 2025 Ivy League men’s soccer preseason poll with the University of Pennsylvania men’s soccer team landing the top spot. Penn earned the favored spot with 120 points and ten first-place votes after ending last season as the Ivy League regular-season champions.

The Penn Commonwealth-Engaged Scholars (PCES) Program is a new initiative aimed at deepening the university’s connection with communities across Pennsylvania. Funding for PCES comes from the University’s inaugural Draw Down the Lightning Grants program. The first cohort of PCES Scholars is made up of faculty and staff members interested in applying their expertise to local Pennsylvania issues.

New and returning undergraduates arrived on campus last week, attending welcome events and receptions, including an introduction to the Libraries, the Class Photo on Franklin Field, and an evening at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

President J. Larry Jameson offered a message of encouragement, comparing the scaffolding on Fisher Fine Arts Library to the support Penn will provide the Class of 2029, and Provost John L. Jackson Jr. told students they will be challenged both with new ideas and to embrace differences.

The Academy at Penn, a five-year program in partnership with nonprofit Foundations, Penn Graduate School of Education, and the School District of Philadelphia, kicked off this summer with programming that empowered adolescents to assess their skills and imagine what’s possible for their careers.

Carol Muller, faculty director of Riepe College House, discusses what makes a first-year house special and how to create community.

Thousands of new and returning students move into campus housing this week.

With students arriving on Penn’s campus this week to move into the College Houses, Penn Today has compiled links to resources and statistics about the Move-In experience.