Announcements

Vijay Kumar, the Nemirovsky Family Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, has been reappointed for a second term, to run through June 30, 2027.

With the academic year and Commencement now successfully concluded, and with continued positive progress being made within our community in controlling COVID-19, Penn will be easing restrictions during the summer relating to both on-campus activities and University travel. These are important steps as we continue to transition toward the fall semester, and our expectation of a more normal, on-campus experience for our students, faculty, staff, and researchers. 

I am writing to share with you the news that our dear friend and colleague, Provost Wendell Pritchett, will be taking a medical leave of absence from his responsibilities here at Penn, beginning July 1, 2021 through the end of the fall 2021 semester. Wendell has been dealing with some health issues that, while not life-threatening, require greater attention over the coming months.  

Dear Undergraduate students, We are so very sorry to share the news that your classmate, Matthew Y. Wang, died suddenly. Matthew was in the seven-year Biology-Dental program, occupying a unique position as both a member of the College Class of 2021 and School of Dental Medicine Class of 2024. We grieve for him, with all of you. Matthew, 22, was from Princeton Junction, New Jersey. He lived off campus in the Radian. Matthew’s family is in our thoughts and prayers. Please help us respect their privacy as they mourn the loss of their loved one.

(Content Warning: contains discussion of human remains.) The Penn Museum and the University of Pennsylvania apologize to the Africa family and the members of our community for allowing human remains recovered from the MOVE house to be used for research and teaching, and for retaining the remains for far too long.

Dear LPS Post-Baccalaureate Studies Pre-Health Program Community: We are deeply saddened to deliver the difficult news that your classmate, Christina Goessman, passed away Sunday in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) after suffering a brain aneurysm. We know this loss weighs heavily on your close-knit community. We share the grief of all who knew and loved Christina.

The Penn Museum and the University of Pennsylvania apologize to the Africa family and to our community for allowing human remains recovered from the MOVE house to be used for research and teaching, and for retaining the remains for far too long. The Philadelphia community has experienced profound emotional distress as a result of the recent news that the remains from the horrific 1985 bombing of the MOVE house had been given by the City Medical Examiner’s Office to the Penn Museum for purposes of identification, and that the remains have continued to be kept at the Museum.

We were profoundly disturbed to learn this past week that human remains, provided to a faculty member by the medical examiner many decades ago in an effort to identify a victim from the 1985 bombing of the MOVE house, had been kept at the Penn Museum for much of that time. Simply said, this was insensitive, unprofessional and unacceptable.

With the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines now well-established, Penn plans for a return to a more normal campus experience.

Today’s verdict is an important step towards justice in this case, but we as a campus community and a country have much more to do in our work toward racial justice and healing. Our thoughts are with Mr. Floyd’s family and we hope that the jury’s verdict brings them some measure of comfort. We must and we will continue to work with renewed resolve to ensure that the University and our nation move ever closer to fulfilling our pledge of liberty and justice for all.