Announcements

To the University Community:With Penn Forward, we asked our community to think ambitiously and practically about how Penn can evolve for continued excellence—in the near term, through the next decade, and beyond. I am pleased to provide an update on our progress and the actions we are taking to build momentum.

This evening, the Penn community will come together for Take Back the Night. Held each spring during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, this event reaffirms an enduring principle: everyone has the right to be safe, respected, and heard.

We remain committed to confronting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and have taken multiple steps to prevent and address these despicable events. While we acknowledge the important role of the EEOC to investigate discrimination, we also have an obligation to protect the rights of our employees. We continue to believe that requiring Penn to create lists of Jewish faculty and staff, and to provide personal contact information, raises serious privacy and First Amendment concerns. The University does not maintain employee lists by religion. We intend to appeal.

After reviewing more than 61,000 applications, today we are delighted to welcome our newest group of Quakers admitted through Regular Decision.Every year, we have the privilege of getting to know an extraordinary range of students through the stories they share with us. And every year we’re reminded that a Penn class is shaped not only by achievement, but also by the perspectives, curiosity, and sense of purpose students bring to our community.

Penn’s commitment to open expression is a bedrock principle of our campus community and central to our institutional mission.

As our nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, I have been reflecting on its profound opening words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Our history reminds us that the promise of those words has not always been fully realized. For many, the starting line is set back and the path forward is uphill.

We want to share an update on the University’s financial position, and the key considerations guiding our approach, as we begin budget planning for the coming fiscal and academic years.

A reminder of University policies and procedures regarding weather-related campus operation suspension or modification and resulting class cancellations.

As we return to classes, you will notice new blue banners featuring Benjamin Franklin on display around campus. These commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary and Penn’s significant ties to that revolutionary era. Throughout 2026, the Penn community and Philadelphia will mark the anniversary in a variety of ways, like interactive programming on 52 Weeks of Firsts that prominently features Penn and our founder.

To the University Community:I was devastated to learn of the tragic shooting on the Brown University campus last night. While details are still evolving, our hearts go out to their entire community during this profoundly difficult time.Our Penn leadership team is following this closely and we remind you that support and wellness resources are available, if needed.