While a new administration transitions into office, the past four years have left the country asking, “How strong is our democratic foundation?”
The state of U.S. democracy
On the eve of a presidential inauguration following a historic election and its aftermath, experts from across the University weigh in on where we stand as a country.
Penn students in a Writing and Politics fall course taught by Lorene Cary focused on civic engagement during the 2020 election, working with her nonprofit Vote That Jawn. The students created new ways to share nonpartisan information with other young voters: Senior Jay Falk came up with the idea of Vote That Jawn stencils to decorate sidewalks with spray chalk before Election Day.
Engaging in the election
In a collaborative English course taught by Lorene Cary in the fall, students shared their experiences with civic engagement by writing for publication, partnering with nonprofits like Vote That Jawn to share non-partisan information with other young first-time voters.
Penn undergraduates start arriving on campus to move into College Houses during an extended eight-day period in keeping with pandemic health and safety protocols.
Amid pandemic restrictions, student performing arts groups continued to find innovative ways this fall to create new theater, dance, comedy, a capella, and instrumental productions to share on virtual platforms.
The front entrance to the Penn Museum with a view of the Sphinx that was moved to the main entrance in 2019 as part of the major Building Transformation project. The Museum was just awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to support the transformation’s next phase, renovation of the Egyptian Wing.
Penn Museum awarded National Endowment for the Humanities grant
The Penn Museum has been awarded a $750,000 Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.The grant will help catalyze fundraising for the renovation of the Museum’s Egyptian Wing, part of its major Building Transformation project.
Several dining locations, like this cafe at Class of 1920 Commons, will be open for grab-and-go meals when students return to live on campus for the spring semester. Tisa Scott (right), a unit leader who has worked at Penn for 28 years, assists Debanjan Haldar, a third year student at the Perelman School of Medicine.
Housing and dining protocols and safety standards are in place for spring semester
With the spring semester fast approaching and protocols and safety standards in place, housing and dining is ready for undergraduate students to return to campus in January.
Graduate student artists persevere during pandemic and find new inspiration
Penn Master of Fine Arts students are not only adapting to this year’s challenges, but are pushing their work in different directions, as they continue to paint, draw, sculpt, photograph, and film during the pandemic.
Poet Simone White is an assistant professor of English in Penn's School of Arts & Sciences.
Two Penn English faculty receive Creative Capital Award for writing projects
Faculty Simone White and Marc Anthony Richardson each won a 2021 Creative Capital Award, and will receive as much as $50,000 for creative writing projects now in progress.
Penn seniors (clockwise from top left) Cristina Pogorevici, Paulina Ruta, Yixi (Cecilia) Wang and 2019 graduate Annie Sun were chosen to receive the Schwarzman Scholarship.
Penn has four new Schwarzman Scholars
Penn seniors Cristina Pogorevici, Paulina Ruta, and Yixi (Cecilia) Wang and 2019 graduate Annie Sun have received the Schwarzman Scholarship, which funds a one-year master’s degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Kim uses a lightboard to draw and paint illustrations using pencil and watercolor.
