President Jameson provides a ‘snapshot of Penn’s momentum’

Inside the Zellerbach Theatre at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on May 17, Penn President J. Larry Jameson delivered an annual “University Update” presentation to a crowd of alumni—some of whom gathered to celebrate their 75th reunion, and all of whom gathered to celebrate their shared Penn pride. 

Jameson previewed “a snapshot of Penn’s momentum” in introductory remarks and touched on recent challenges to higher education and Penn’s response. 

He acknowledged dramatic shifts in research funding policies that challenge the life-changing and -saving work of Penn’s community; visa disruptions for international students and scholars; and proposals to tax university endowments at a far greater rate, which would severely affect Penn’s ability to provide financial aid to students. 

“There’s also a larger, long-running shift in public opinion about higher education,” he continued. “In the face of these headwinds, Penn is listening carefully to the critiques and adapting in ways that remain true to our mission and values.”

Jameson highlighted the sustained focus on combating antisemitism and building community, guided by recommendations from the Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community. Those forward-focused implementations are ongoing and led by Deputy Provost Beth Winkelstein. An early and key component of these efforts was the establishment of the first-in-the-nation Office of Religious and Ethnic Interests (Title VI), which launched in December and made progress this spring as a new reporting resource on campus, while also engaging the campus community by hosting educational programming.

Following a video demonstrating Penn’s values in action, Jameson spoke of Penn’s recent articulation of a values statement, created in consultation with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and trustees, and talked about Penn’s momentum through that lens. He noted that he hopes the values are something everyone shares.

“The faster things change,” Jameson said, “the more important it is for us to revisit, refresh, and reinforce what makes our University truly excellent.”

Jameson went on to cite some of Penn’s accomplishments from the past year:

• Penn had more than 72,000 applicants this year—a number that keeps rising and speaks to the fact that Penn is a place where students want to be.

• Penn’s most recent Rhodes Scholar, Om Gandhi of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the College of Arts and Sciences, who is Penn’s 12th in the past decade, and Penn as a “top producing institution” in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

• The Quaker Commitment, which guarantees full tuition scholarships for families earning up to $200,000 per year. The net cost to attend Penn for an aided undergraduate today is 29% less than it was 20 years ago.

• The many and varied honors bestowed upon Penn faculty, ranging from PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts who was named a 2024 MacArthur Fellow to Benjamin Nathans, who recently won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction.

• Penn’s role as a locus of important conversations on global issues, with the Silfen Forum as just one prominent example. In October, the event was open to the Penn community and welcomed former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Itamar Rabinovich and Salam Fayyad, former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority. NPR diplomatic correspondent and 1989 College graduate Michele Kelemen moderated the event. 

• The creation of two new vice provost roles: Timothy Rommen, who was named the inaugural Vice Provost for the Arts; and Michael Mann, who was named the inaugural Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action, important steps in implementing In Principle and Practice, the University’s strategic framework.

• The opening of Amy Gutmann Hall, a hub for all 12 of Penn’s schools in the area of data and artificial intelligence, and the Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology, a hub for energy research. 

• The creation of the Penn AI Initiative, which included the launch of the Penn Advanced Research Computing Center (PARCC) and the Penn AI Council.

• The awarding of the inaugural Draw Down the Lightning grants, which invoke the collaborative spirit of the In Principle and Practice strategic framework by supporting interdisciplinary projects that address the great challenges of our time. The 2025 President’s Innovation, Engagement, and Sustainability Prizes were also awarded, undertaking post-graduation projects that make a positive, lasting difference in the world.

• The Nobel prize for Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman of the Perelman School of Medicine and how the mRNA platform was the basis for the CRISPR technology that just saved the life of a newborn diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. This came to fruition in six months thanks to work that happened at Penn. CAR T cell therapy has been the backbone for the launch of 500 companies.

• A transformative gift from Anthony and Catherine Clifton to advance cutting-edge health care for all. The Pavilion at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is now known as The Clifton Center for Medical Breakthroughs.

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Jameson highlighted Penn & Philly, a place to learn about the stories and projects between Penn and Philadelphia. He spoke of Penn’s continued impact as an institution anchored in the city, creating 1 in 7 jobs in Philadelphia and 155,000 jobs in Pennsylvania. He also noted Penn’s continued engagement with alumni around the world, with Penn leadership traveling to five continents in the past year and meeting thousands of alumni. 

Penn’s success is possible because of longstanding connections and relationships between Penn and alumni, Jameson said in closing, who are Penn’s best ambassadors and champions.

Hannah Campbell contributed to this story.