News Archives

At Work With...Jose Colom & Jeff Yannarella

Museum researcher digs up ancient Olympic facts

When David Gilman Romano Gr’81 attends this summer’s Olympic Games in Athens, he’ll watch the track and field events with particular interest. A track coach and runner who competed at the University of Oregon with legend Steve Prefontane, Romano is also a leading expert on ancient athletics and the Olympic Games.

Bookquick/“Charles Brockden Brown’s Revolution and the Birth of American Gothic”

In 1798, a decade after the Founding Fathers created a nation based on the principles of liberty and equality, Charles Brockden Brown, then an unknown Philadelphia writer, invented the American Gothic novel. His first book, “Wieland,” is the story of a religious fanatic haunted by demonic voices instructing him to murder his wife and children.

Provost Barchi to step down

Provost and Professor of Neurology Robert L. Barchi Gr’72 M’73 will be leaving Penn to pursue a new opportunity as president of Thomas Jefferson University beginning in September. He will also serve on the board of Thomas Jefferson Hospital and the Jefferson Health System and oversee nearly 2,300 future physicians, scientists and health-care professionals.

House-hunting? Penn can help

Penn faculty and staff who want to call West Philadelphia home can still rely on their friendly neighborhood employer for a helping hand. Thanks to the Enhanced Mortgage Program—open to all Penn and Health System employees—buyers who purchase homes within a defined area of West Philly can obtain a forgivable loan of $7,500 from the Office of Community Housing.

The art of constructing deals

When Paul Sehnert visits 40th and Walnut with his young sons, Ben (9) and Josh (12), they invariably comment on the “cool parking lot” next to the Fresh Grocer. Sehnert, 48, takes in the whole scene—the busy grocery store, the lines for tickets across the street at the Bridge, the “moving and grooving” along 40th Street—with a sense of personal satisfaction. That’s because he’s the man responsible for structuring Penn’s real estate deals and coordinating the University’s partnerships with outside developers.

Penn Hosts National Conference on Domestic Violence

PHILADELPHIA -- In partnership with the Philadelphia Mayor's domestic violence task force, The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work is hosting its second conference on domestic violence, "Finding New Directions for Responding to Intimate Violence," June 25-26, at Jon M. Huntsman Hall, 3730 Walnut St.The conference is part of the mayor's initiative to address the issue after a 20 percent increase in domestic violence calls to 911 last year and the murders last summer of eight Philadelphia women, including a police officer, by their partners.

New Website Tracks National Polls to Predict 2004 U.S. Presidential Race Winner and Call Other Elections

PHILADELPHIA-- Politicalforecasting.com is a virtual one-stop-shop for tracking major national public opinion polls and getting an unbiased prediction of who will win the U.S. presidential election and other races.The hallmark of the site, the "Pollyvote," currently forecasts President George W. Bush's re-election by a slim margin.

Homeland Security and Civil Liberties Conference at Penn Law School

Homeland Security and Civil Liberties Conference at University of Pennsylvania Law School WHO: Eyal Benvenisti, Tel Aviv UniversityMarion Spike Bowman, FBIDavid Cole, Georgetown University Law CenterFrank Dunham, federal public defender, attorney for suspected terrorists Yaser Hamdi and Zacarias MoussaouiMarwan Kreidie, director, Philadelphia Arab American Development CorporationSeth Kreimer, Penn LawKenneth Lassus, Fort Sam HoustonTom McShane, U.S. Army War College

Philly and Athens: sister cities?

This summer, as the world watches the Summer Olympics in Athens, Philadelphians can ponder the unique bond between their city and that paragon of the ancient world. Professor of the History of Art, Lothar Haselberger explored this connection May 1 during the annual Hellenic University Club of Philadelphia Symposium at the Penn Museum.