City of Philadelphia

For more than 40 years at Penn, Walter Licht has crafted a career of equal parts renowned historian, teacher, and community activist, including creating the Penn Civic Scholars Program. Licht recently announced he is stepping down from his positions at Civic House.

Kristen de Groot ・April 2, 2020

History professor Alex Chase-Levenson explores pandemics and quarantines in his upcoming book, and shares lessons that citizens and politicians can take from the past.

Kristen de Groot ・March 18, 2020

English faculty Lorene Cary’s first play features a time traveling Harriet Tubman who toggles between her 19th-century life and a present-day Philadelphia prison where she recruits soldiers to fight with her in the Civil War. Playing to sold-out audiences, “My General Tubman” is on stage through mid-March at Arden Theatre Company.

Louisa Shepard ・February 19, 2020

A conference bringing academics and policy makers together looks at how behavioral science can benefit local government.

Kristen de Groot ・January 30, 2020

Now in two Philadelphia public schools, master’s students at the Graduate School of Education are focused on helping the young teens imagine and take steps to realize their futures, while gaining real-world experience in education.

Louisa Shepard ・January 29, 2020

Grad students get a close-up view of artwork and materials from museum collections—including a 500-year-old painting and two sets of armor from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Louisa Shepard ・January 21, 2020

With his President’s Engagement Prize, May graduate Brendan Taliaferro is creating a nonprofit to provide housing and assistance for homeless LGBTQ youth in Philadelphia.

Louisa Shepard ・November 18, 2019

The main level reopens after a historic renovation featuring the relocated sphinx and completely reimagined Africa and Mexico/Central America galleries.

Louisa Shepard ・November 14, 2019

Last fall, a team of undergraduates developed a high-tech solution to help the city target one of its persistent problems: the illegal dumping of construction and trash debris.

Kristen de Groot ・November 6, 2019

The City of Philadelphia and Actions Not Words have selected Penn’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships to develop and implement a new entrepreneurial program, Project Elevate, offering financial literacy education at public high schools.

Kristina García ・October 22, 2019