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Campus & Community
Nature as a refuge in unsettling times
Nature as a refuge in unsettling times
Even before the pandemic, campus initiatives like NatureRx@Penn and the 30x30 Challenge encouraged time outside. These efforts are continuing, now that restorative outlets are more important than ever.
Career Services in the pandemic: ‘We’re all in this together’
Career Services in the pandemic: ‘We’re all in this together’
Career Services moves online to help students navigate employment, internships, and even mock interviews during uncertain times.
New changes for Open Enrollment for 2020-21
New changes for Open Enrollment for 2020-21
There are new changes for the Open Enrollment 2020-21 plan year. Sue Sproat, executive director of benefits in the Division of Human Resources, outlines the changes to benefits for eligible Penn employees.
Class of 2020 President’s Engagement and Innovation Prize winners announced
Class of 2020 President’s Engagement and Innovation Prize winners announced
Awarded annually, the Prizes empower Penn students to design and undertake post-graduation projects that make a positive, lasting difference in the world, and are the largest of their kind in higher education.
An online celebration to mark a very special day
An online celebration to mark a very special day
Penn will host an online University-wide graduation event at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 18. In-person ceremonies for Penn’s 264th Commencement will still take place on campus at a later date.
Penn alum Shadrack Frimpong awarded Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Penn alum Shadrack Frimpong awarded Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Shadrack Frimpong, Penn graduate and 2015 Presidents Engagement Prize winner, has been awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in public health and primary care at the University of Cambridge in England.
Penn’s wellness goals reach far and wide, together or apart
Penn’s wellness goals reach far and wide, together or apart
In just a few weeks, Student Health Service, Counseling and Psychological Services, and Campus Health revamped almost entirely, providing a full array of support for students on and off campus.
Penn signs Power Purchase Agreement for largest solar project in Pennsylvania
Penn signs Power Purchase Agreement for largest solar project in Pennsylvania
The agreement will result in the construction in central Pennsylvania of two new solar energy facilities that combined can generate 220 megawatts of electricity.
Finding meaning amid misfortune
Finding meaning amid misfortune
In an audio message, President Amy Gutmann urges the Penn community—from Camden to California, Canada to Kuala Lumpur—to make the very best of this new way of life.
Meet the Penn students recreating campus in Minecraft
Meet the Penn students recreating campus in Minecraft
In a matter of weeks, Penn students have organized a volunteer effort to recreate campus in the popular crafting video game Minecraft.
In the News
Business Insider
4 big questions you may have about college admissions during the pandemic, answered by an Ivy League dean and a former NYT education writer
Dean of Admissions Eric Furda and Jacques Steinberg, co-authors of “The College Conversation,” shared an excerpt from their guide to navigating college admissions and freshman year amid the pandemic.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
How to conduct an engaging lab experiment in the time of COVID: Brew beer
Biology instructors at Penn assembled and mailed hundreds of lab kits to students to aid virtual learning. “It’s important to get students off of their computers and using some of the tools and techniques that are used by scientists,” said Linda Robinson of the School of Arts & Sciences.
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The Wall Street Journal
U.S. medical school applications soar in COVID-19 era
Admissions Dean Neha Vapiwala of the Perelman School of Medicine said some medical schools are waving prerequisites to accommodate students who may have been unable to participate in extracurricular activities earlier this year.
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The Washington Post
College applicants will make the pandemic a focus of their admissions essays. Should they?
Dean of Admissions Eric Furda and Jacques Steinberg, authors of “The College Conversation,” wrote about how students should address the pandemic and other current events when writing college-application essays.
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The Wall Street Journal
College admissions in a COVID year: SATs are out, personal stories are in
Dean of Admissions Eric Furda offered advice about writing college admissions essays amid the pandemic. “Students should explain as well as they can the context of their lives during COVID,” he said. “That means hunting deep for insight about how COVID affected them, how they were able to derive meaning from it, how it will impact them moving forward.”
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