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Campus & Community
Cultivating beauty
Cultivating beauty
Essential horticultural staff at the Morris Arboretum have been tending to the land to ensure that the sweeping property and its plants are ready for visitors when the time is right.
Bridging the communication divide for Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities
Bridging the communication divide for Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities
Clear-fronted face masks, better and more frequent interpreters, and amped up involvement from local organizations have made a big difference during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The joys and trials of defending a dissertation virtually
The joys and trials of defending a dissertation virtually
When most aspects of university life moved online because of COVID-19, so, too, did the thesis defense for Ph.D. candidates. Despite some challenges, the shift had unexpected benefits.
High-impact giving during a global crisis
High-impact giving during a global crisis
Penn Today talks with Kat Rosqueta and Kelly Andrews of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy to discuss how to give when the need is great
Side gigs for good during COVID-19
Side gigs for good during COVID-19
Whether making masks, writing letters, raising funds, or shopping for neighbors, members of the Penn community have stepped up during the pandemic to support those in need.
Herman Beavers named faculty director of Civic House and the Civic Scholars Program
Herman Beavers named faculty director of Civic House and the Civic Scholars Program
Beavers has taught at Penn since 1989 and is a professor of English and Africana studies, a distinguished poet, and a widely published scholar of 20th-century, and is a leader in the Penn community.
The human side of history
The human side of history
Penn’s COVID-19 Community Archiving Project aims to collect diverse voices and experiences from students, faculty, staff, and alumni as they respond and adapt to the pandemic.
When Malcolm X came to Penn
When Malcolm X came to Penn
On this Malcolm X Day, his 95th birthday, Penn Today reflects on his visit to the University in January of 1963, and his life and legacy.
Howard and Nancy Marks endow the Marks Family Center for Excellence in Writing
Howard and Nancy Marks endow the Marks Family Center for Excellence in Writing
The Marks Family Center for Excellence in Writing at Penn Arts & Sciences is the second gift in support of writing education at Penn by Wharton alum Howard Marks and Nancy Marks.
A tribute to the extraordinary Class of 2020
A tribute to the extraordinary Class of 2020
As in-person festivities have been postponed, Penn live-streamed its “first” 264th Commencement for graduates and their families across the city, nation, and world.
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
Ivy League won’t have any fall semester sports
Athletics Director M. Grace Calhoun, who also serves as chair of the Ivy League’s committee on administration, commented on the League’s recently announced policies for fall semester sports. “The only way this really works is if everyone works together,” she said.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
As Steve Donahue plans for a new era of Penn basketball, his mind is on more than sports
Basketball Coach Steve Donahue spoke about the Quakers’ year ahead and his support for student activism. “I’m learning so much more about my life than I even thought I knew all the years I’ve coached people of color,” he said. “Our country, I’m hoping and praying that this is a tipping point—that we all learn that this has to stop, all the injustice that’s been done.”
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Generocity
Former and current Penn students launch ‘I Lost My Job To Coronavirus’ website
Rising senior Rachel Brenner and May grad Sigal Spitzer launched an online job platform to help people find work during the pandemic. “I think like a lot of people right now, we felt really hopeless,” Brenner said. “This was a way to feel like there was a tangible impact we could make.”
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Philadelphia Tribune
Penn chaplain named vice president for social equity and community
Charles “Chaz” Howard has been appointed Penn’s first vice president for social equity and Community. “I view history through critical race theory and a Black liberationist perspective,” he said. “That coupled with being familiar with Penn for decades will help me work with colleagues to tell our truth and stories. I want this new journey at Penn to leave an imprint of both love and justice.”
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
‘We don’t see the refinery starting’: PES site’s new owner envisions an ‘environmentally conscious’ commercial hub
Mark Allan Hughes of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design and Kleinman Center for Energy Policy spoke about new plans for the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery complex in Southwest Philadelphia. “Not having a refinery there ends a long environmental justice travesty and puts Philadelphia on the right side of energy history,” he said.
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