Mary Kinney dropping off knitwear for donation.

Penn staff make the Philadelphia area a better place through side gigs

The 12th piece in Penn Today’s Side Gigs for Good series highlights staff who mentor and empower Latino professionals, lead Girl Scout troops, donate hand-knitted items to people in need, and connect Philadelphia children with music opportunities.

Judith Schaechter and Anjan Chatterjee looking at her stained glass installation.

Your brain on beauty

Journey to Joy

Generic platinum chemotherapy shortages did not increase deaths

Lisa Servon wins award for community partnership

Researchers to advance imaging of Parkinson’s diseases

Power and possibility at the U.S. Supreme Court

Eric Anglero at the LGBT Center

Wharton MBA student is out of this world

How information spread on Facebook during and after the 2020 election

EVENTS → NEWS ARCHIVES →

The Philly Eagles mascot pushing the Penn Quaker mascot in a Move-In cart on Penn’s campus.

A look back at 2024 through Penn Today stories

Revisit some of the stories that highlighted the events, breakthroughs, people, and research across the University this year.

Tina Rodia ・December 18, 2024

Picture of a drone flying lit nighttime cityscape

Q&A: Dean Kumar and the ‘drone’ sightings

Penn Engineering Dean Vijay Kumar discusses the mysterious flying objects, or “drones,” hovering around parts of the East Coast.

Nathi Magubane ・December 18, 2024

Campus overhead view featuring foliage and various campus buildings

Introducing the Office of Religious and Ethnic Inclusion (Title VI)

The office, which is now open, is co-led by Steve Ginsburg and Majid Alsayegh. Deborah Frey will serve as chief investigator.

Brandon K. Baker ・December 17, 2024

The Heisman Trophy in the office of football coach Ray Priore.

What’s That?: The Heisman Trophy

In the office of Ray Priore, head coach of the football team, rests the Heisman Trophy, the most prestigious award in college sports.

Greg Johnson ・December 17, 2024

A classroom of students sitting behind desks. One student is at the front of the classroom delivering a presentation.

Vietnamese language program expansion builds cultural community

The expansion into the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations has been partly driven by heritage speakers seeking to connect with their families and cultures.

Dan Shortridge ・December 12, 2024

In Principle and Practice →

Penn’s principles are the essence of who we are.

Anchored
Engaged
Interwoven
Inventive

Penn students and Sayre high school students wading in a river in Cobbs Creek.

Campus & Community

Rivers in a changing world

A new Academically Based Community Service class brings Penn and William L. Sayre High School students together to learn environmental science and engineering.

Jovian Patterson looks at some raspberry bushes growing in a community garden.

Health Sciences

‘Deeply Rooted’ community partnerships

Deeply Rooted is a community partnership that plants trees, greens vacant lots, and funds grassroots programs. The goal: health justice in action.

West Philadelphia students cheer on Penn Women's Basketball, waving pompoms

Campus & Community

‘Dance checks every box’

The Quaker Girls Dance Team partners with the Netter Center for Community Partnerships to mentor West Philadelphia dance and cheer teams.

Students at the registration table for the Responsible Computing Challenge.

Education, Business, & Law

Supporting the next generation of ethical technologists

The Responsible Computing for Just Futures Initiative, an initiative of the Responsible Computing Challenge at Penn Carey Law, has ambitious plans for the mindset with which the next generation of Penn students will engage careers at the intersection of law and technology.

Campus & Community

Introducing the Office of Religious and Ethnic Inclusion (Title VI)

The office, which is now open, is co-led by Steve Ginsburg and Majid Alsayegh. Deborah Frey will serve as chief investigator.

Dean Katharine Strunk looking ahead in front of the GSE building.

Education, Business, & Law

Penn GSE dean on leading for impact, working to ‘meet and make the moment’ for education

Katharine Strunk, dean of the Graduate School of Education, began her tenure in July 2023. This week, she announced the School’s strategic vision, Together for Good.

Three panelists on stage and the seated crowd at Penn’s Silfen Forum.

Campus & Community

On ‘waging peace’

At the 2024 Silfen Forum, former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Salam Fayyad and former Israeli Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich spoke about dialogue and diplomacy in the Middle East.

The interior main room of Perry World House, where conference attendees listen to a presentation

Campus & Community

Penn in Latin America and the Caribbean group showcases University scholarship throughout the region

The seventh Penn in Latin America and the Caribbean conference centered on the theme of “Public and Community Engaged Scholarship in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Its Diaspora.”

Campus & Community

Collaborating on agricultural climate solutions, from plants to animals

The new Penn Plant Adaptability and Resilience Center brought together faculty speakers from five schools for its Climate Solutions for the Living World symposium.

Campus & Community

Who, What, Why: Cice Chen’s first-of-its-kind research conference for undergraduates

Cice Chen, a fourth-year chemistry, biochemistry, and neurobiology major in the College of Arts and Sciences, played a leading role in organizing the student-run National Research Conference at Penn.

Ramón Méndez Galain at Carnot Prize ceremony.

Campus & Community

Ten years in, the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy is ‘just getting started’

Through grants, awards, events, publications, a podcast, and more, the Center provides resources and a central hub for researchers across Penn tackling the energy transition.

Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

Timothy Rommen appointed vice provost for the arts at Penn

The Davidson Kennedy Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of music and Africana studies in the School of Arts & Sciences, Rommen will begin the new appointment on Jan. 1.

The exterior of the Vagelos building lit up with dramatic lighting.

Science & Technology

An illuminating celebration to a brighter, greener future

Members of the Penn community celebrated an energy research milestone: the unveiling of the new Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology.

Four people in front of National AIDS Memorial Quilt.

Health Sciences

A Q&A with the director of the Penn Center for AIDS Research

Ronald G. Collman talks about the current state of AIDS care, work with the City of Philadelphia, and how the Center is supporting collaborations across campus.

A group of Penn students pose for a selfie.

Campus & Community

A semester of community on campus

Penn’s fall semester officially began in August, as many students returned to campus. While staff, faculty, and postdocs are largely in West Philadelphia year-round, the fall marks a reset and starting point for many. The late summer and mild fall weather brings the natural beauty of campus to life.

Campus & Community

Collaborating on agricultural climate solutions, from plants to animals

The new Penn Plant Adaptability and Resilience Center brought together faculty speakers from five schools for its Climate Solutions for the Living World symposium.

12/2

Virtual Study Break

Penn Libraries hosts a Virtual Study Break Canvas site for students who need a rest from studying and writing. The site includes stress-relieving activities like games and puzzles, as well as resources to help with research, studying, and time management.

12:00 a.m.

Virtual

12/2

Days of Deals 2024

Shop Penn features 12 days of deals for the holiday season, with discounts at the Penn Bookstore, Louie Louie, Goldie, and more.

12:00 a.m.

Various locations

penn students and sayre students prep to evaluate water quality — Gallery
Rivers in a changing world

A new Academically Based Community Service class brings Penn and William L. Sayre High School students together to learn environmental science and engineering.
SEE MORE →
01/07

sayre students walking through nature — Gallery
Rivers in a changing world

A new Academically Based Community Service class brings Penn and William L. Sayre High School students together to learn environmental science and engineering.
SEE MORE →
01/07

Penn Interim President J. Larry Jameson at the podium with P. Roy and Diana T. Vagelos, Ramanan Raghavendran and Vijay Kumar.n

Science & Technology

An illuminating celebration to a brighter, greener future

A member of Kite and Key addresses people outside a dorm in Penn’s Quadrangle.

Campus & Community

Kite and Key Society celebrates a century

Campus & Community

A series on wellness and well-being

People plant pollinator flowers on Penn’s campus.

Campus & Community

Penn lays out ambitious new roadmap for climate and sustainability action

Penn’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 4.0 outlines sustainability goals for fiscal year 2025-29 and lays out Penn’s path toward carbon neutrality by 2042.

The New York Times

Europe has a leadership vacuum. How will it handle Trump?

Amy Gutmann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that Germany is front and center in the economic problems currently afflicting Europe.

FULL STORY →

CNBC

Wharton’s Jeremy Siegel says stock sell-off is ‘healthy’ as cautious Fed gives investors a ‘reality check’

Jeremy Siegel of the Wharton School expects the Federal Reserve to pare back the number of rate cuts next year, with just one or two reductions.

FULL STORY →

The Irish Times (Dublin)

Bosses struggle to police workers’ use of AI

Ethan Mollick of the Wharton School says that workers who privately use generative AI to accelerate their work might not be willing to admit it.

FULL STORY →

Forbes

Philadelphia schools to embrace AI in 2025

The Graduate School of Education has partnered with the Philadelphia School District to launch the Pioneering AI in School Systems program, representing a structured and forward-looking approach to AI implementation.

FULL STORY →

The New York Times

A rift in Trump world over how to make America healthier

Kevin Volpp of the Wharton School says that the U.S. needs to consider alternate solutions to handing out weight-loss drugs for everyone who qualifies, such as marketing restrictions and taxes on sugary beverages.

FULL STORY →

Fortune

California declares a state of emergency as a new severe bird flu case was discovered. What it means for the rest of the country

Scott Hensley of the Perelman School of Medicine says the latest H5N1 bird flu strain might have a greater potential to adapt and cause severe disease in humans.

FULL STORY →

The New York Times

Think you’re high class? How do you feel about twice-baked potatoes?

The Food Social Class Test, an online survey that links food and class, is based on a 2020 report co-authored by Jonah Berger of the Wharton School.

FULL STORY →

Bloomberg

Supreme Court will hear TikTok’s challenge to looming U.S. ban

Justin (Gus) Hurwitz of Penn Carey Law says that the heart of the TikTok ban case is balancing the First Amendment against both national security concerns and the court’s deference to Congress and the executive branch.

FULL STORY →

CNET

Will we see more tax breaks next year? Who benefits under Trump’s tax plan

The Penn Wharton Budget Model finds that households of different income spectrums across the U.S. would largely benefit from Trump’s tax changes in the short term.

FULL STORY →

The New York Times

‘A sword and a shield’: How the Supreme Court supercharged Trump’s power

Kate Shaw of Penn Carey Law appears on the “Ezra Klein Show” to discuss how the Supreme Court has fundamentally reshaped the federal government and strengthened presidential power.

FULL STORY →

Virtual Study Break

Days of Deals 2024

Le Patin Libre

Kwanzaa Celebration

The Latest

A look back at 2024 through Penn Today stories

Q&A: Dean Kumar and the ‘drone’ sightings

Introducing the Office of Religious and Ethnic Inclusion (Title VI)

What’s That?: The Heisman Trophy

Vietnamese language program expansion builds cultural community

Inside Penn

Rivers in a changing world

‘Deeply Rooted’ community partnerships

‘Dance checks every box’

Supporting the next generation of ethical technologists

Introducing the Office of Religious and Ethnic Inclusion (Title VI)

Penn GSE dean on leading for impact, working to ‘meet and make the moment’ for education

On ‘waging peace’

Penn in Latin America and the Caribbean group showcases University scholarship throughout the region

Collaborating on agricultural climate solutions, from plants to animals

Who, What, Why: Cice Chen’s first-of-its-kind research conference for undergraduates

Ten years in, the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy is ‘just getting started’

Timothy Rommen appointed vice provost for the arts at Penn

An illuminating celebration to a brighter, greener future

A Q&A with the director of the Penn Center for AIDS Research

A semester of community on campus

Collaborating on agricultural climate solutions, from plants to animals

Upcoming Events See all →

Multimedia

Rivers in a changing world

Featured

Campus & Community

Penn lays out ambitious new roadmap for climate and sustainability action

Penn’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 4.0 outlines sustainability goals for fiscal year 2025-29 and lays out Penn’s path toward carbon neutrality by 2042.

Penn in the NewsSee all →

Europe has a leadership vacuum. How will it handle Trump?

Wharton’s Jeremy Siegel says stock sell-off is ‘healthy’ as cautious Fed gives investors a ‘reality check’

Bosses struggle to police workers’ use of AI

Philadelphia schools to embrace AI in 2025

A rift in Trump world over how to make America healthier

California declares a state of emergency as a new severe bird flu case was discovered. What it means for the rest of the country

Think you’re high class? How do you feel about twice-baked potatoes?

Supreme Court will hear TikTok’s challenge to looming U.S. ban

Will we see more tax breaks next year? Who benefits under Trump’s tax plan

‘A sword and a shield’: How the Supreme Court supercharged Trump’s power