News Archives

Ask Benny: Flexible work lets mom be with her son

Dear Benny, I’ve just given birth to a beautiful baby boy, and I feel strongly that my child will need my presence at home as he grows up. Is there any way I can be there for him once I have used up my paid time off and other leave options without having to give up my Penn job, which I love, completely?—Another Proud Penn Parent

New building keeps horses in form

Cramped quarters and outdated equipment made a quick exit with the summer debut of the New Bolton Center’s Scott Equine Sports Medicine Building—the University’s new hub for equine sports medicine research, teaching and service. With the facility’s opening, Penn’s veterinary cardiology practice finally got a space befitting its roster of patients, which includes horses who have gone on to win medals in international competitions like the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics.

People's Choice: Museum treasures

How do you pick a favorite when you have nearly 1 million to chose from? These University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology staff members had no problems telling us which artifact from the museum’s collection they prize the most. Read on to see if your sentiments match. GLORIA COLLINS Receptionist “The Sphinx is my favorite because he holds as a dominant figure; he sustains lower Egypt.”

At Work With...Margaret Mary Thomas and Barbara Woodford

Lessons on leadership from Mayor Giuliani

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani showed the country what leadership is in the wake of the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center. On Oct. 29, he shared his thoughts on the subject with a capacity crowd in Irvine Auditorium that greeted his arrival with a standing ovation.

Faculty Feature: Ben Franklin 101, a new twist on an old guy

No, Benjamin Franklin was not a stuffy advocate of bourgeois values. And no, he did not want to be a model for the superb businessman. If there’s one thing you can say about Franklin, at least according to Michael Zuckerman, it’s that he has been sorely misunderstood.

The moviegoers

A spooky night at the Speakeasy

Some came in plain clothes. Some came in costume. They occupied the dimly lit front room of the Kelly Writers House on Halloween to read and sing in the second annual Halloween Speakeasy Extravaganza. A mellow but alert crowd of about 40 people that mixed young and old, town and gown, attended the event. Although the audience sat relatively silently before the show began, it stirred in response to humorous remarks made by the performers.

Nursing Visionary

Afaf Meleis, dean of the School of Nursing since January, cannot be pinned down. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, the scholar has made her mark all over the world—from the Middle East to Latin America to Southeast Asia—and rightly earned the title of citizen of the world.

News briefs

Tutu to speak Archbishop Desmond Tutu will speak at the University’s 247th Commencement in May. The first black secretary general of the South African Council of Churches, Tutu won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his work against apartheid. He is the author of several books, including “No Future Without Forgiveness” and “The Rainbow People of God.”