News Archives

Georgia Higher Education Policies Hurt Blacks, Hispanics and Poor, Penn Study Finds

PHILADELPHIA — Georgia’s higher education policies are making it harder for black, Hispanic and poor Georgians to get a college education, according to a new report released by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Research on Higher Education.

Virtual Penn

Penn is partnering with Princeton University, Stanford University, and the University of Michigan as part of a new online education platform called Coursera, designed to make web-based courses available for free and improve teaching on campuses. Coursera is the first education platform to host content from multiple world-renowned universities at one destination. The courses include video lectures with quizzes, interactive assignments, and collaborative online forums.

PIK professor

Dorothy Roberts, an acclaimed scholar of race, gender, and the law, has been named the 14th Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor, effective July 1. Roberts will be the George A.

Staff Q&A with Marcia MartÍnez-Helfman

The Office of the Ombudsman, housed in an annex to the Arthur Ross Gallery at 113 Duhring Wing, offers members of the Penn community a place to discuss, manage, and resolve conflicts and disagreements.

Take sustainability home with greening program

Bolstering the University’s commitment to sustainability, Penn has launched the Greening Penn at Home program, an initiative designed to educate faculty and staff about best practices for energy efficiency at home and to make it easier for the University community to implement energy efficient home improvements.

A Push From the Mississippi Kept Deepwater Horizon Oil Slick Off Shore, Penn Research Shows

PHILADELPHIA — When the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded April 20, 2010, residents feared that their Gulf of Mexico shores would be inundated with oil. And while many wetland habitats and wildlife were oiled during the three-month leak, the environmental damage to coastal Louisiana was less than many expected, in part because much of the crude never made it to the coast.

Jump start

Out & About: Chez Yasmine

Q&A with Amy Gutmann

In mid-summer of 2011, the rhetoric between Democrats and Republicans over raising the federal debt ceiling—which Congress had done without fanfare 70 times before—was heating up. Newsweek and Daily Beast senior columnist John Avlon described it this way: “A cataclysmic game of chicken. Negotiating with a gun to your head. A ‘Thelma & Louise’-style full throttle off a cliff.”

Honored scholar

On May 16, Columbia University will present Penn President Amy Gutmann with an honorary laws degree during its 258th commencement exercises in New York City. In announcing Gutmann as a 2012 honorary degree recipient, Columbia lauded her as “a national leader in facilitating greater access to higher education.”