News Archives

Campus Buzz

Congratulations, neighbor: Your Buzz correspondent would like to salute Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for being honored as the nation’s best pediatric hospital in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey of “America’s Best Hospitals.” CHOP—where Penn’s pediatric faculty practice—took the top honors from archrival Children’s Hospital of Boston for the first time in the survey’s 14-year history. It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of the CHOP family.

Service at Penn: A way of life

Service runs deep in Penn’s blood. The notion that service is an important part of education was part of founder Ben Franklin’s original vision, which saw “an Inclination joined with an Ability to serve Mankind” as “the great Aim and End of all Learning.” In the past two decades, Penn has embraced this vision enthusiastically. Community service is now an integral part of life at Penn, and both the institution and the community are better for it.

See the world for a few dollars more

With the return of fall comes a change in the admission charge for the University of Pennsylvania Museum. As of Sept. 2, the Museum’s admission donation is now $8. Children ages 6 to 17, students with ID and seniors over 62 pay $5. And as always, admission is free for children under 6, Museum members, PennCard holders and all visitors on Sundays. Sunday hours have also resumed for the academic year. The Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Another summer of work

It has become a rite of summer at Penn: The students depart and the construction crews get busy. Over the summer, a number of construction projects ranging from the modest to the major were either completed or begun all over campus, including: - Steinhardt Hall. The new home for Penn Hillel at 215 S. 39th St. opened at the end of August. The building includes meeting rooms, worship space and a kosher dining facility.

Reheated blues: The thrill is gone

Sociologists call it “commodification.” But the musicians David Grazian met in the tourist-oriented blues clubs in Chicago just call it “the set list from hell.” Night after night they play a carefully packaged, unchanging repertoire of blues standards mandated by club owners. “Mustang Sally” by Wilson Pickett is always on the set. So is “Got My Mojo Working’” by Muddy Waters, “The Thrill is Gone” by B.B. King and, of course “Sweet Home Chicago” by Robert Johnson.

Center helps big dreamers start small businesses

Darnell Thomas has always had a knack for selling things. During his days as a college undergraduate, the entrepreneur would travel from dorm to dorm, enticing others to purchase accessories, from scarves to gloves to costume jewelry. “I was always the guy asking people to buy something,” said Thomas. “It helped pay for books and tuition.”

Secure your bike

Talkin' justice at the NCC

This fall, “Justice Talking,” the Constitutional talk show produced by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, moves to a new, highly appropriate home—the National Constitution Center on Independence Mall. You can be part of the live audience at the tapings of the award-winning National Public Radio program, hosted by Margot Adler and featuring the country’s finest legal minds hashing out Constitutional issues in the news. Here’s what’s on the agenda at this fall’s tapings:

News briefs

Design for learning As of Aug. 29, Penn’s Graduate School of Fine Arts has a new name: the School of Design. The name change, which the Trustees approved at their June meeting, better reflects the breadth of the school’s undergraduate and graduate programs in art, architecture, landscape architecture, city planning, visual studies and digital media.

Get out of line on payday

With direct deposit, your money’s in the bank first thing on payday—no waiting for your paycheck or standing in line at the bank. And by stopping by the Direct Deposit Fair in the Hall of Flags, Houston Hall, on Sept. 10 or Oct. 1, you can save yourself another trip to the bank. Representatives from many local banks will be on hand to help you open an account, and some will even toss in free gifts for your trouble. You can also register to win a free lunch or a Bookstore gift certificate. For more information, call 215-898-7258 or 215-898-9844.