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Students walk beneath The Covenant on Locust Walk at dusk

In Principle and Practice

Penn’s strategic framework

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.

Keeping it local: Penn’s partnerships with Philadelphia-based vendors boost local economy, neighborhood impact
Nikisha Bailey and Matthew Nam, co-founders of Win Win Coffee, a Philadelphia-based coffee supplier and Penn vendor.

Keeping it local: Penn’s partnerships with Philadelphia-based vendors boost local economy, neighborhood impact

According to the University’s latest Economic Impact Report, Penn helps power Philadelphia’s economy by procuring goods and services from neighboring businesses. Local CEOs discuss the meaningful impact that Penn has on their bottom line and in the community.

7 min. read

Nourish to Flourish
Inaya Zaman, Rashmi Acharya, and Imani Nkrumah Ardayfio.

Nourish to Flourish

Using behavioral economics-based interventions, a 2025 President’s Engagement Prize-winning project will address health and nutrition inequities in a West Philadelphia elementary school.

7 min. read

Penn lends support to Rebuilding Together Philadelphia effort repairing 11 local homes in two days
Volunteers smiling and carrying tools and supplies during the block build event.

Penn lends support to Rebuilding Together Philadelphia effort repairing 11 local homes in two days

Marking a milestone block build, 70 Penn volunteers combined forces with Rebuilding Together Philadelphia, a nonprofit with roots at the University, to revitalize owner-occupied houses in the West Philadelphia community. The momentous two-day event involved a block build and speaking program—with a local homeowner sharing a heartfelt message.

2 min. read

Penn in the News

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  • America’s fastest-growing suburbs are about to get very expensive
    Vox.com

    America’s fastest-growing suburbs are about to get very expensive

    A paper co-authored by Jospeh Gyourko of the Wharton School finds that housing supply growth in Sun Belt metropolitan areas has decreased since the 2000s to rates almost as low as in hyper-expensive coastal cities.

    Composting and feeding food waste to animals have big climate benefits, study finds
    WHYY (Philadelphia)

    Composting and feeding food waste to animals have big climate benefits, study finds

    A study by Zhengxia Dou of the School of Veterinary Medicine and colleagues found that diverting all food waste away from landfills in the U.S. would avoid about 10% of the planet-warming carbon emissions that come from the country’s agriculture sector.

    Skills you need to protect your child from drowning
    Philadelphia Inquirer

    Skills you need to protect your child from drowning

    In an opinion essay, Michael J. Stephen of the Perelman School of Medicine says that simple swimming ability, close supervision, and knowledge of CPR specific to a drowning victim would help reduce drowning deaths among children nationwide.

    Do you need a measles vaccine booster? Here’s what to know
    The Washington Post

    Do you need a measles vaccine booster? Here’s what to know

    Joseph Teel of the Perelman School of Medicine says that people can get a blood test to see whether they already have antibodies against certain viral infections.