News Archives

Royal Society elects Ewens

Warren J. Ewens, Ph.D., professor of biology, is among 49 scientists worldwide elected Fellows of the Royal Society this month. Election to the Society is recognized internationally as a sign of the scientific community’s highest regard.

Gray skies, sunny spirits

How to get to the top

Reformed workaholic John Fry, executive vice president of the University, now keeps his work life and his family life strictly separated, and he thinks everyone else should be able to as well. “Those who are the most successful [on the job] are … those with the best balance between work and family,” Fry told a lunchtime audience of about 50 aspiring go-getters May 15.

Decoration day

Did the rain dampen the enthusiasm of this year’s graduates? No, but according to our photographer, it may have dampened the creative impulse: it seemed that more people this year kept their mortarboard decorations to modest “Thanks, Mom” messages and things like that. But among those who did go for showier fare, there were some outstanding efforts, including a great group project by the graduating class of the School of Veterinary Medicine.

From bad luck to bright future

Edain Velazquez (EAS’00) is only 21 years old and yet his life has already had more twists and turns, deeper sorrows, greater success, than you can find in a Dickens novel. A mysterious birth, poverty, a catastrophic gunshot wound, a guardian angel with a life-changing gift, a journey cross-country to a private, privileged world. An Ivy League degree.

Seamus Heaney

The rain began shortly after Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney began speaking Monday, May 22, at Commencement. But Heaney, whose best-selling new translation of “Beowulf” has put him atop best-seller lists and on the front pages of newspapers throughout the English-speaking world, spoke words no rain could wash away. Here are excerpts from the text of his speech.

Gadfly slams the conventional wisdom

Perhaps documentary filmmaker/television producer/professional gadfly Michael Moore was unaware that he was not speaking to a group of journalists-to-be. No matter. The latest graduating class of the Annenberg School for Communication nearly split its collective seams laughing at Moore’s graduation address May 22, in which he lit into the news media, the American education system and the conventional wisdom about the current state of the economy.

Penn finds a better way to do business

The Business Enterprise Network — BEN to its friends — will soon open on a Web site near you. Designed to streamline Penn’s elaborate financial management information systems program (FinMIS), BEN is an adaptation of a ready-made database system that includes specific features for Penn’s needs.

More time for fun this summer

With the less hectic pace of summer at Penn, there’s more time for you to take advantage of the Penn Recreation Department’s many facilities and classes.

A summer sampler

“World Cafe” regulars know they can expect everything from big names to undiscovered gems on the show. With that in mind, we’re not even going to try to pigeonhole the coming month’s featured performers — besides, it’s not in the spirit of the Cafe. Have a great summer! Thursday, June 1 Ween visit the studio to perform music from their latest album, “White Pepper”