The Center for Civil Rights will bring together three existing offices into a single team designed to strengthen Penn’s reporting, prevention, education, and response efforts related to civil rights.
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Key Takeaways
The Center for Civil Rights will bring together three existing offices into a single team designed to strengthen Penn’s reporting, prevention, education, and response efforts related to civil rights.
The Center reflects Penn’s commitment to ensuring that all members of the University community are treated fairly, with dignity and respect, and have access to clear information, resources, and consistent processes.
The University of Pennsylvania is launching the Center for Civil Rights (CCR), a newly united Center that will bring together support, reporting, investigative, and compliance offices related to discrimination and harassment, including sexual misconduct.
“This consolidated Center for Civil Rights will help Penn work better for every member of our community,” says Penn President J. Larry Jameson. “Faculty, staff, and students will benefit from greater clarity around resources, reporting, prevention, and legal compliance, with our subject-matter experts aligned and working together. I am grateful to them and our community leaders as Penn undertakes this latest self-improvement.”
This comes at a time when civil rights responsibilities in higher education are increasingly complex. Federal, state, and local laws require universities to work to prevent and address unlawful discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct. As regulatory expectations continue to evolve, the CCR will allow Penn to ensure its systems are fair, consistent, and responsive.
CCR’s leadership will be announced this fall and will report to vice president of Human Resources Felicia Washington, as well as serve as special advisor to the president on civil rights issues. The new office will be in the Franklin Building and will partner closely with the Office of the General Counsel to ensure alignment with all legal and regulatory requirements.
“We are committed to this transformational journey with humility and openness, embedding civil rights protections into the core of our institutional culture, policies, and practices,” says Washington. “Our new united Center will advance Penn’s commitment to fostering the campus environment we all deserve—one where all community members can live, learn, work, thrive, and know that they matter and belong.”
The Center will have three subject-matter areas of responsibility, each led by an executive director and guided by supporting pillars of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as other federal, state, and local civil rights laws and policies. As a dedicated resource for the Penn community, the Center represents a significant investment in protecting the civil rights of every member of the Penn community, building on established best practices, deepening shared commitments, and ensuring these principles are not only preserved but actively strengthened.
Equal opportunity will address matters of employment discrimination relating to employment and educational opportunities with respect to race and color, age, disability, veteran status, and other related protections, including disability related accommodations. The office will be responsible for compliance with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, and the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance. The work will include providing available supportive measures; receiving, investigating, mediating, and resolving reports; and providing education and outreach.
Sex and gender-based discrimination and harassment will address matters related to Title IX, sex and gender-based discrimination and harassment, sexual misconduct, and pregnancy discrimination, as well as pregnancy and childbirth-related accommodations. This area will also administer Penn’s Consensual Relationships Policy. This includes addressing matters involving quid pro quo sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, stalking, and pregnancy discrimination.
Religious and ethnic interests will build upon and advance the work of the Office of Religious and Ethnic Interests (Title VI) by focusing on harassment and discrimination based on religion and national origin, including shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics, citizenship, and religious accommodations and related protections to uphold the University’s obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This includes addressing concerns involving antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other religious or ethnic concerns; and discrimination or harassment based on national origin.
The Center reflects Penn’s deep commitment to fairness, respect, and institutional trust, supporting a community where everyone can learn, work, teach, and participate in an environment of dignity and mutual respect.
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