5/18
Alumni
Penn honors seven alumni including Creative Spirit awardee, composer Jennifer Higdon
The University of Pennsylvania will honor seven distinguished alumni at the 2019 Alumni Award of Merit Gala on Friday, Nov. 8., including Higdon and Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw.
Rarefied air
One of only a few female members of a college men’s basketball staff, Penn’s Sarah Parks has jumped into her new gig.
Penn Athletics launches the Track & Field and Cross Country Campaign for Excellence
The centerpiece of the new Campaign is a planned indoor track & field facility, named for Jane and David Ott, Wharton alumni and former track athletes.
‘Power of design’
In a ceremony Thursday afternoon, President Amy Gutmann celebrated the naming of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design and Stuart Weitzman Plaza. Weitzman, the designer and footwear industry icon, graduated from the Wharton School in 1963.
Lauder College House named
The new name was revealed at a ceremony celebrating the house’s first cohort of fourth-year residents, along with incoming Class of 2023 and second- and third-year residents.
Views from the top of the world
Members of the Penn community give accounts of their expeditions to Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world.
Wharton alum is new coach of NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies
Taylor Jenkins has been hired to lead the Grizzlies, who finished 33-49 this season and currently have the No. 2 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Penn’s 263rd Commencement
The Class of 2019 took to Franklin Field on Monday, May 20, for Penn’s 263rd Commencement ceremony, where President Amy Gutmann urged graduates to “weave together a world better, freer, and more inclusive.”
Class of 2019 Ivy Day Ceremony and awardees
On Saturday, May 18, the Class of 2019 celebrated its Ivy Day Ceremony during Alumni Weekend, continuing the 146-year tradition by honoring students for their achievements and contributions to the Penn community.
Through new eyes: Tours reacquaint alumni with campus
Campus tours hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations give visiting former students a chance to see the campus in a new light during Alumni Weekend, which takes place May 17-20.
In the News
A collector donated 75,000 comic books to Penn Libraries, valued at more than $500,000
Alumnus Gary Prebula and his wife, Dawn, have donated a $500,000 collection of more than 75,000 comic books and graphic novels to Penn Libraries, featuring remarks from Sean Quimly of the Kislak Center and Jean-Christophe Cloutier of the School of Arts & Sciences.
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She graduated from Penn in 2023. Now, she’s the Quakers’ director of football operations
Jordyn Hall is Penn’s director of football operations, a role she’s had since last spring when she was a fourth-year student.
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How did a white woman come to write the newest definitive text on Philadelphia’s Black history?
Penn alum Amy Jane Cohen is profiled for her new book “Black History in the Philadelphia Landscape,” which examines Black history through the lens of events, institutions, and individuals across the city. The book includes a reflection from Penn chaplain Charles Howard.
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Herniated discs could be repaired with biologic patch one day, researchers say
Preclinical research by Robert Mauck of the Perelman School of Medicine, Thomas Schaer of the School of Veterinary Medicine, and Ana Peredo, a Ph.D. graduate of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, reveals how a biologic patch activated by natural motion could become a key tool for repairing herniated discs in the back and relieving pain.
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Penn alum looks to raise $750K, tap into AI to scale social impact investing analytics platform
Penn alum Catherine Griffin has created ImpactableX, an analytics platform to help social impact startups quantify their impact.
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Penn alums changing grocery game for Philadelphians in food deserts with Community Grocer program
Penn alums Alex Imbot and Eli Moraru have co-founded the Community Grocer to supply grab-and-go meal kits and hot, fresh meals for Philadelphia residents.
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