Penn in the News

Ezekiel Emanuel of the Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School shares his thoughts about how the inexpensive price of antibiotics has led to their overuse.

Nancy L. Zimpher, credited with bringing stability and a higher profile to the State University of New York during her seven years as chancellor, said Tuesday she would step down at the end of June 2017. Dr. Zimpher, 69 years old, steered the sprawling institution through difficult economic times following the recession, sought to cap tuition increases and put a priority on helping students graduate. Now, 47% of students in SUNY’s four-year programs finish their degrees on time, which exceeds the average rate for national public universities but trails private ones.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says, “Trump has crafted his own image before his opponents have been able to do it.”

Dennis Culhane of the School Social Policy & Practice says, “There is a sense out there that some communities are seeing a new visible homeless problem that they have not seen in many years.”

Alamo Colleges Chancellor Bruce Leslie got people talking — not in a good way — last week when he spent a reported 40 minutes scrolling on his smartphone onstage during graduation. And while Leslie’s history leading the San Antonio-area college system makes him red meat for faculty criticism in particular, he’s not the only person in academe guilty of faux pas on or off a phone — even if his is the most egregious in recent memory.  First, a little bit of background on Leslie.

Michael Mullen of the Perelman School of Medicine comments on the limited amount of expertise in strokes.

Rob Nelson of the Provost’s Office is quoted about Penn’s efforts to accommodate the needs of transgender students.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center comments on the assumptions Donald Trump appeared to be making about journalism.

A couple of years ago, the leaders of Vanderbilt University faced a difficult decision: Their academic medical center was successful, a hub of research and life-saving treatment. But the health industry was in turmoil, and the changes presented new risks to the university, whose vast medical operation approached four-fifths of Vanderbilt’s entire budget. And that number was projected to grow. The Affordable Care Act, passed in 2010, was accelerating changes already underway. Research financing was tight. Mergers were rampant among hospitals, insurers, and drug companies.

Angela Duckworth of the School of Arts & Sciences is highlighted for her research on the impact of “grit” on becoming successful.