11/15
Alumni
Red and blue pride to last a lifetime
President Liz Magill’s inauguration on Friday coincided with Penn’s Homecoming festivities, making for an extra-spirited weekend on campus.
Penn honors eight distinguished alumni with Awards of Merit and The Creative Spirit Award
In addition to the alumni awards, Laura W. Perna of the Graduate School of Education will accept the Faculty Award of Merit.
Mask and Wig makes history with its first gender-inclusive show
The 133-year-old comedy troupe becomes gender-inclusive, opening auditions to all undergraduates this fall, recruiting 20 new members, 14 of them female-identifying.
Penn’s Student Federal Credit Union celebrates its 35th anniversary
The Student Federal Credit Union, the only student-run credit union in the Ivy League, serves the Penn community—students, alumni, and their immediate family members.
$50M gift to accelerate Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Penn Medicine
The center for autoimmune research brings together star faculty, powering the next generation of autoimmune disease advances.
Second Penn affiliate named a 2022 Gates Cambridge Scholar
Sara Merican, a 2020 graduate, has been awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in film and screen studies at the University of Cambridge in England.
$55M gift creates new ‘Cancer Interception’ Institute at Penn’s Basser Center for BRCA to stop hereditary cancers at the earliest stages
Funding for the Institute from Mindy and Jon Gray will propel early detection and prevention of breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancers.
Van Roten, Watson open NFL season with Bills, Chiefs
Two Penn alums will be playing for NFL teams this season: Greg Van Roten of the Buffalo Bills and Justin Watson of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Catching up with Justin Watson
The 2018 alumnus, currently in training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs, discusses learning a new offense, playing with Patrick Mahomes, similarities between Mahomes and Tom Brady, and why he is excited for the Penn football season.
James J. Husson named head of Development and Alumni Relations at Penn
Starting in October, Husson will head a division devoted to fundraising and to nurturing relationships with the University’s alumni.
In the News
A Penn doctoral student created a tool to measure the financial health of universities. Here’s how it works
While earning her doctorate at the Graduate School of Education, Julee Gard developed a financial viability index to assess the financial health of smaller and medium-sized, mostly tuition-dependent private colleges.
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What to know about fluoride in drinking water, and whether RFK Jr. could really have it removed
In the early 1900s, Penn alumnus Frederick Sumner McKay collected evidence that fluoride in water helped prevent tooth decay. Dean Mark Wolff of the School of Dental Medicine says that fluoridated water is a great safety net provision for adults who don’t see the dentist regularly or can’t afford to routinely buy toothpaste.
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Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, and Barack Obama team up on a spirit-raising rally for Harris
In Philadelphia for a political rally, alumnus and musician John Legend said his time at Penn were “some of the best years of my life.”
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Penn unveils statue of Bert Bell, the first owner of the Philadelphia Eagles
Penn alumnus and Philadelphia Eagles founder Bert Bell was honored with a statue and ceremony at Franklin Field.
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Penn baseball inspired by Yankees’ Jake Cousins, who will be the first Quaker since 1912 to play in a World Series
Alumnus Jake Cousins is pitching in the World Series for the New York Yankees, featuring remarks from Penn baseball coach John Yurkow and other Penn players.
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The 150 most influential people in Philly
Interim President J. Larry Jameson, Penn Medicine CEO Kevin Mahoney, Dean Vijay Kumar of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Carl June of the Perelman School of Medicine, and Olympic discus thrower and alumnus Sam Mattis are noted as some of the most influential people in Philadelphia.
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