Penn in the News

The annual Public Policy Challenge hosted by the Fels Institute of Government is mentioned.

Arizona State University, one of the nation’s largest universities, is joining with edX, a nonprofit online venture founded by M.I.T. and Harvard, to offer an online freshman year that will be available worldwide with no admissions process and full university credit.

Matt Blaze of the School of Engineering and Applied Science talks about encouraging better security practices rather than focusing on data sharing.

A Philadelphia native and mathematician was named president of St. Joseph’s University on Wednesday, the first lay leader in the Jesuit school’s 164-year history. And at 40, Mark C. Reed also is the youngest president, at least since St. Joe’s moved to its City Line Avenue location in 1927, according to the college.

When Rutgers University invited Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. secretary of state, to speak at its commencement ceremony last year, a group of students protested the choice by staging a sit-in on campus. Rutgers's faculty council passed a resolution urging the university to rescind its invitation to Rice, calling her a "war criminal." The university stood by its decision, but Rice withdrew from the ceremony.

A million-dollar full-ride scholarship endowment to an Ivy League school is a good deed. But it doesn’t just earn you karma—it nets you fawning emails from the school’s development officials, customized campus tours for your kids, and private meetings with the school’s president, leaked Sony emails show.

Rexford Ahima of the Perelman School of Medicine examines obesity in America.

Jeremy Siegel of the Wharton School talks about the outlook for U.S. stocks and the economy.

Martha Farah of the School of Arts & Sciences pens an op-ed detailing the risks associated with “productivity pills,” such as Adderall.

Martin Seligman of the School of Arts & Sciences is cited for conducting a study about the effects of writing and hand delivering thank-you notes to people.