News from
New Student Orientation: A week in photos
Class of 2029 spelled out by the student body on Franklin Field.

New Student Orientation: A week in photos

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.

2 min. read

Penn leaders welcome first-years and families
Penn President J. Larry Jameson shaking hands with a new student at the NSO event.

Penn leaders welcome first-years and families

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.

2 min. read

Penn’s Benjamin Nathans reflects on his work and Pulitzer Prize win
Benjamin Nathans sits at a table in his office.

Penn’s Benjamin Nathans reflects on his work and Pulitzer Prize win

Historian Benjamin Nathans’ huge volume on the stories and lives of Soviet dissidents has gotten renewed attention after winning the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction. Nathans' research and insights span a four-decade-long career studying Russia and the USSR, modern Jewish history, and the history of human rights.

5 min. read

Featured Events

  • View All
    • E-Waste Collection & Disposal
    Aug 28

    E-Waste Collection & Disposal

    This “E-Waste Event” offers a chance for the Penn community to reduce electronic waste responsibly. Visitors can bring personal, office, and tabletop lab items—so long as they don’t contain data or hazardous materials. All hard drives must be processed by Penn Medicine Academic Computing Services before they can be recycled. Freezers and refrigerators will not be accepted.

    Smilow Center for Translational Research, 3400 Civic Center Blvd.

    11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

    Kelly Writers House Activities Fair
    Aug 29

    Kelly Writers House Activities Fair

    The Kelly Writers House Activities Fair offers an opportunity to learn about student-led Writers House activities and initiatives, including magazines, writing groups, film production, and more. Attendees will have a chance to meet student leaders and representatives from numerous campus groups.

    Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk

    11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

    Exterior of the Kelly Writers House with a path to the front door.
    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

  • Some publications require a subscription to view full articles.
  • View All
    • Tips for how to manage lending money
    NPR

    Tips for how to manage lending money

    Wendy De La Rosa from the Wharton School discusses having emergency savings to take care of yourself before you offer to help others.