Penn in the News

For nearly two-thirds of my 30-year career in higher education, I have served as a middle manager of one sort or another: department chair, dean, program director. For the other third, I have been middle-managed. Of course, even as a low-level administrator, I had plenty of people above me telling me what to do. I also had people below me who, given the chance, gladly told me what to do. The point is: I know what it’s like to be on both sides of that transaction.

Jack Guttentag of the Wharton School writes about three decisions that need to be made when taking out a HECM reverse mortgage.

Undergraduate Sona Dadhania is highlighted as the first recipient of the Science Ambassador Scholarship, which is funded by Cards Against Humanity.

Adam Grant of the Wharton School is cited about researching ambiverts.

Paul Rozin of the School of Arts & Sciences is cited for studying the cultural evolution and psychological impact of foods.

During her first semester as a graduate teaching assistant at Ohio University, Noora Mahboubeh was terrified. The Iranian doctoral student in chemical and biomolecular engineering often struggled to understand her students’ questions, and they weren’t always sympathetic to her difficulties with English. She started to gain confidence after enrolling in an English-language-improvement program, one of many services the university provides to international graduate students who want to communicate better as instructors. "I learned to not pretend that I can understand something," Ms.

Some college lectures aren't just dull, they're ineffective. Discuss, people. You did. Our recent stories on the Nobel Prize winning Stanford physicist who's pushing for big changes in how large universities teach science to undergraduates generated lots of interest, comments, questions, shares and listens — online and on NPR One. Professor Carl Wieman is a huge proponent of ditching the large lecture in favor of evidence-based, active learning techniques.

Massachusetts officials on Thursday announced a new program to encourage students attending community colleges to finish their programs and move on to four-year institutions. "We have to get more students in so they're completing at rates that will assist us in filling gaps in job openings across the commonwealth," said Carlos Santiago, the state's commissioner of higher education.

The Department of Education is calling on accreditation agencies to step up their review of colleges and universities, just as lawmakers are calling on the department to strengthen its review of accreditors. Education Undersecretary Ted Mitchell sent a letter Friday to all accrediting agencies recognized by the department encouraging them to use the full extent of the law to monitor student achievement and troubled institutions.

Eric Orts of the Wharton School pens an op-ed about fighting climate change.