News Archives

STAFF Q&A/Meet Joanne Spigonardo, who gives the term “legacy” new meaning.

Move over, Tracy Samantha Lord. Meet the leading lady of a real “Philadelphia Story.” Her name is Joanne Natale Spigonardo (CGS’81). This is a tale that is short on Main Line mannerisms, long on hard-working immigrant ethos, and made possible by a network of Ivy League connections that intersect on Locust Walk. While human-resources types may like to talk about the workplace as “community” and it’s great to walk across campus and stop to chat with people you know, for Spigonardo, whose father, sister, brother, son and nephew have worked and studied at Penn, it’s all relative.

BOOKQUICK/New from the University Press

“Public Discourse in America: Conversation and Community in the Twenty-First Century”   Edited by Judith Rodin and Stephen P. Steinberg304 Pages, $29.95 cloth Public Discourse in America, edited by President Judith Rodin and Stephen P. Steinberg, executive director of the Penn National Commission on Society, Culture and Community, brings together a group of scholars and prominent figures in American public life to offer new perspectives on the tenor and conduct of public life in contemporary America.

Four decades out front

Andy Warhol got his first 15 minutes at the Institute of Contemporary Art. The now-celebrated 1965 exhibition/happening put Penn’s contemporary art gallery on the cultural map as well.

Admissions demystified

The college admissions process can be daunting. So many choices, so many requirements, so many questions. The Undergraduate Admissions Office’s annual seminar for Penn families with college-bound children makes the process less intimidating. Admissions officers discuss what it takes to get into the college of your choice, whether it’s large or small, private or public. The seminar takes place Thursday, Sept. 4, at 5:15 p.m. in Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall, 3417 Spruce St. RSVP: sherrimw@admissions.upenn.edu or 215-898-8587.

Francine Rascoe

Penn programs fill local needs

One of the key principles behind the Center for Community Partnerships’ approach to community service is letting the community determine what problems need solving. This bottom-up approach has paid off both for Penn and for the people who have taken advantage of CCP programs. But don’t take our word for it. Instead, take it from the West Philadelphians who have gotten things done with assistance from Penn.

Seeds of better health grow in U-City

New cafes, retail options debut this fall

The menu of campus dining options is getting a makeover this fall, with new facilities and options both on campus and off. On campus, two new cafés offer light fare and a place to relax.

Penn VIPS harnesses the impulse to do good

Spiral notebooks and three-ring binders fight for space in a small corner of Isabel Mapp’s office. One might think that the director of Penn Volunteers in Public Service was overly fond of office supplies. But the materials are not meant for her; they will soon be claimed by school children in the surrounding neighborhood.

These days, it’s all about Benjamin

Did you see the July 4 cover of Time with Ben Franklin looking like an aging rock star? Or the recent two-part PBS documentary? Did you know that in Barnes and Noble and Borders bookstores across the country, books on Ben are getting the prominent entryway display? Would you be surprised if Dr. Franklin turned out to be “The Sexist Man Not Alive” according to People magazine?