In a message to the University, President J. Larry Jameson reflects on the Declaration of Independence and its profound opening words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” He outlines Penn’s efforts to advance equality through educational access, amplifying different perspectives and fostering dynamic networks of learning.
The next piece in Penn Today’s 2025 President’s Prize winner series recognizes two recent Penn graduates who are leveraging the President’s Engagement Prize to provide West Philadelphia-based high school students with equitable access to art mentorship, creative skill-building workshops, and professional networking opportunities.
2025 President’s Prize recipient: Nourish to Flourish
The second installment of Penn Today’s 2025 President’s Prize winner roundup highlights three recent Penn graduates who are using their 2025 President’s Engagement Prize of $100,000 to tackle health and nutrition inequities in a West Philadelphia elementary school.
The fourth-year guard on the women’s basketball team discusses playing basketball with her best friends, the responsibilities of a team captain, her most memorable game, and supporting well-being.
A topical cream may prevent or slow growth of some common skin cancers
An experimental cream developed at Penn Medicine that blocks a specific enzyme may offer a precise, better‑tolerated path to prevent and treat cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
Where economic modeling meets real-world legislation
The Penn Wharton Budget Model is the only non-governmental group analyzing how public policy simultaneously affects the federal budget, macroeconomic growth, and human welfare.
Penn announces new partnership with Service to School to support veteran and military-affiliated applicants
The University joins a select group of schools that are committed to expanding access to higher education for veterans and service members and supporting their academic and professional aspirations.
A look inside the political economy of early America
Penn economist Fernando Arteaga shares insights into the factors that led to the American Revolution and the later institutions that created the strong U.S. national economy.
This program will mark the opening celebration for “in case of fire, speak,” a companion exhibition for the collaborative performance of the Martha Graham Dance Company and PHILADANCO! The exhibit frames the making of the performance alongside rarely seen images from Martha Graham’s 1938 work “American Document.” The exhibit is free and open to the public. Register to attend.
Celebrating the spring season, the Morris Arboretum & Gardens will stay open late—until 7 p.m. Visitors are invited to wander the garden, chase the daylight, and welcome the new season in community. Free with general admission.
Penn’s guiding principles are the University’s enduring values and distinctive strengths: anchored, inventive, interwoven, and engaged. The practices support and strengthen Penn’s core educational mission.
At Penn Today, we focus on some of the ways the University is putting this framework into action. From student, faculty, and staff profiles to research updates and event coverage, Penn Today highlights the latest examples of the University’s principled approach to excellence.
Students test one way to combat extreme heat in Philadelphia
Third-year students Nafisa Bangura and Angelica Dadda expanded upon a multidisciplinary research endeavor to evaluate a reflective pavement coating as a tool to mitigate extreme heat. Their work may inform policy efforts to improve urban heat resilience.
Penn Forward’s Access, Affordability, and Value co-chairs on creating opportunity
As co-chairs of Penn Forward’s Access, Affordability, and Value working group, Sara Bachman, dean of the School of Social Policy & Practice, and Patrick Harker, a professor and dean emeritus of the Wharton School, discuss breaking down barriers and opening pathways.
A conversation with Penn Forward’s Global Opportunity and New Markets co-chairs
In a Q&A with Ezekiel Emanuel and Megan Ryerson, co-chairs of the Global Opportunity and New Markets working group for Penn Forward, the duo discuss the charge of their group, where they are in the process, and leaning into global engagement.
Through Penn First Plus, students unlock potential and purpose
Providing first-generation and limited-income students with a comprehensive array of support, Penn First Plus equips undergraduates for success during and after their time at Penn.
188-year-old NYC pharmacy has been ‘packed like sardines’—all because of $40 headbands and FX’s ‘Love Story’
Jonah Berger of the Wharton School discusses established brands or products that go viral when a new demographic sees them as offering something they haven’t discovered yet.
Schools in this Philly suburb are approaching AI with a patchwork of pilots, training and policies for the classroom
Michael Golden of the Graduate School of Education says that AI “extends the creativity of teachers and students. It gives them tools to try and undertake new types of approaches to problem-solving and critical thinking and creation of materials.”
