Penn Forward’s Access, Affordability, and Value co-chairs on creating opportunity
As co-chairs of Penn Forward’s Access, Affordability, and Value working group, Sara Bachman, dean of the School of Social Policy & Practice, and Patrick Harker, a professor and dean emeritus of the Wharton School, discuss breaking down barriers and opening pathways.
7 min. read
Patrick Harker and Sara Bachman, co-chairs of Penn Forward's Access, Affordability, and Value working group, on Locust Walk.
Key Takeaways
On the charge of the working group: “[It is] is to consider how Penn can better communicate our commitment to access, affordability, and value, which I believe are central to Penn’s ethos,” says Bachman.
The group is also evaluating new ways to make Penn “even more accessible to students who strive to make an impact in the world,” says Harker.
“I think we have the basis of what we need to put in place to achieve access, affordability, and value,” says Harker, noting existing initiatives like the Quaker Commitment and Penn First Plus.
Penn has made great strides in recent decades to expand access to its education, most recently through the Quaker Commitment, which guarantees full undergraduate tuition scholarships for families earning $200,000 or less, removing primary home equity from the financial aid assessment.
But Penn is not done expanding access and affordability to talented students.
As part of Penn Forward, Penn is exploring opportunities to make the cost and value of a Penn education more transparent and to ensure the University is welcoming to students of all socioeconomic groups.
Sara Bachman, dean of the School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) and Patrick Harker, a professor of operations, information, and decisions at the Wharton School and dean emeritus, co-chair the Access, Affordability, and Value working group. Bachman has served as dean of SP2 since 2019 and Harker first came to Penn as an engineering student and a defensive tackle Quakers football player in 1977.
What attracted you both to this group in particular?
Harker: For me, it’s personal. My dad died when I was a young kid and I came here on basically his Social Security, because at the time you were able to get Social Security from your parent when they were deceased. So, Penn changed my life.
I also understand some of the struggles as a first-generation college kid here. The context has changed, but the struggles are the same. Not feeling like you fit in, not feeling like you’re well-prepared—that whole anxiety around ‘Can I make it here?’ when you first show up, or can you make friends. I was lucky that I had a ready-made group of people, guys on my football team, that I could bond with. But I could really see students who struggled because they just felt alone.
And honestly, nobody from my school [in Gloucester City] went to schools like Penn. What I’m impassioned about, is who else are we missing who’s a talented person who has the drive and determination to make a difference but doesn’t even think about us? Who doesn’t even think about coming to an institution like Penn because they think it’s unattainable?
Bachman: I grew up in an extended family that did not have much exposure to higher education. For example, my dad’s family was financially insecure, and he was the first person in his family to go to college. Like many young men in this situation, he earned a college degree through the ROTC program—at Drexel—and then was a career Army officer. My family did not have adequate financial resources and as a result, my access to higher education was only made possible because of financial aid of one type or another.
How would you, broadly, describe the charge of this Penn Forward working group?
Bachman: The charge of our working group is to consider how Penn can better communicate our commitment to access, affordability, and value, which I believe are central to Penn’s ethos. We also have focused on how Penn can realize those values more fully, making it possible for every student to feel welcome at Penn and access the amazing opportunities that are available here.
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Harker: And it starts even before students come to Penn. If students are at an under-resourced school, if they have a little outreach, they could be ready for a school like Penn even if they don’t come to Penn. It’s about making sure that talent enters the pipeline, that they don’t get turned off from even going to college because of the perception, and in some cases the reality, of the barriers they face.
So, what we’re trying to do is break down communications and financial barriers. Penn is very generous with initiatives like the Quaker Commitment, but we also have some challenge at the graduate level with certain programs where it’s difficult for people to get a graduate degree and take on that financial burden.
People might think of access and think of a financial aid package, but it sounds like you’re viewing it as much more than that.
Harker: It’s much more than that.
If they’re not thinking about us, not even checking our website, we’ve already lost that talent. The goal isn’t to increase [enrollment] numbers; the goal is to make sure that we’re accessible to the widest array of talent we can get to come here.
Bachman: We’ve had an incredible group of people in the working group who remind us constantly that when we’re talking about access, affordability, and value, we’re talking about tangible as well as intangible attributes.
What is an example of what Penn does well already?
Harker: I think of the Quaker Commitment and Penn First Plus at the undergraduate level, But we need to go beyond that. Part of the role of the working group is to stretch those ideas and say, ‘What are we missing?’ That’s where the group has been phenomenal.
How has reported distrust of universities in recent years played into how you think about these conversations?
Harker: To overcome that distrust that higher ed broadly is facing, we need to deliver. We need to deliver on our promises and then tell people we delivered on our promises. I think both of those things come into play: One aspect of this is to better communicate what we do, but we also need to consider new ways to make Penn even more accessible to students who strive to make an impact in the world.
What excites you about Penn Forward?
Harker: For change to stick it has to come from the University writ-large, and what’s great about this process is you look at our working group and you have people from all around the University, with students on the working group.
I think this is a moment, given all the criticism that’s hit higher education, to understand this is a time for change and a time to double down on what we do well and tell the world about it.
Bachman: I’ve done quite a bit of work on implementation of new health programs. Implementation challenges are not to be minimized! One of the most important drivers for implementation success is for the community to be committed to it. Here at Penn, our community and the leadership at Penn are clearly committed to advancing our impact.
Do you have an ask of the Penn community as this continues?
Harker: I think, in any period of change like this, we’re not going to get it all right the first time around. These initiatives will evolve, and that’s natural.
And so, I think for those who think the working groups—not just ours—come with these fully baked ideas with a full implementation plan in place, that’s not what this was about. I think people need to realize this is still a work in progress. We’re laying out the broad outlines of what we’re trying to accomplish and where we’re trying to go with these initiatives, but those initiatives will evolve. Input from the community will continue to be important.
Bachman: My ask would be to lean in and really honor the authenticity of the intention and the work that has been done. And it’s going to require, as Pat said, all of us to bring the Penn Forward recommendations to life. It will make Penn a better place for all of us if we can do this together.
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