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Move-In primer 2025
Students, families, and Move-In volunteers along Locust Walk during Move-In.

Move-In primer 2025

Penn Today offers a practical guide to undergraduates moving into College Houses between Aug. 18 and 24 and participating in orientation between Aug. 20 and 25.

3 min. read

How children learn a foreign language

How children learn a foreign language

Yuko Goto Butler’s latest book gathers research on language development and pedagogy among children learning a foreign language and presents it in a manner that bridges research and practice.

2 min. read

Building babyGPTs
Morales-Navarro assists a student who holds a computer tablet

Building babyGPTs

How Penn’s Graduate School of Education and the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia are redefining AI literacy for youth.

2 min. read

https://in-principle-and-practice.upenn.edu/
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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  • Does sleeping on a problem really work?
    Time

    Does sleeping on a problem really work?

    Alyssa Sinclair of the Annenberg School for Communication says sleeping on a difficult task can help people make more level-headed decisions the next day.

    The Internet is turning you into someone you’d hate IRL
    WebMD

    The Internet is turning you into someone you’d hate IRL

    A study co-authored by Stefano Puntoni of the Wharton School suggested that chatbots could curb loneliness as good as or more effectively than humans could.