Over the past 25 years, Penn has undergone numerous advancements, including new undergraduate majors, campus development projects, and the emergence of Nobel Prize-winning research.
Academic programs
In 2001, Penn launched the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships as a resource for undergraduate students seeking fellowships, scholarships, and research opportunities. Five years later, CURF launched the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program, which provides summer research and mentorship opportunities to first-year and sophomore students in their fields of interest.
In 2005, Penn launched the Penn Integrates Knowledge program to recruit faculty members with experience in multiple academic disciplines, encouraging interaction between people in diverse fields of work. Known as PIK professors, these faculty members teach in more than one of Penn’s schools, sharing their interdisciplinary expertise with undergraduate and graduate students.
Scientific research on campus
Penn Medicine has pioneered significant research in the face of many health conditions and global crises.
mRNA research eventually used in the COVID-19 vaccine was developed throughout the early 2000s by Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman at the Perelman School of Medicine. The team’s research served as a structural element of both Pfizer/BioNTech’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines, earning Kariko and Weissman the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine.
Advanced biomedical research on numerous diseases have similarly progressed at Penn. In recent years, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing research at Penn has succeeded in identifying genetic sources of sickle cell disease and HIV. CAR-T cell immunotherapy was invented and developed by Penn researchers, allowing scientists to target numerous types of cancer, including lymphoma and glioblastoma.
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In 2021, the Pavilion opened at Penn Medicine, a 17-story hospital dedicated to neurology, oncology, transplant surgery, and emergency medicine. The Pavilion marked the first hospital in the country of over 1 million square feet to achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Healthcare certification in sustainability.
Student life at Penn
The undergraduate experience also developed significantly — from increased health and wellness opportunities to expanded cultural spaces.
Many new undergraduate majors were introduced in the last 25 years, including the joint design major launched in 2019 between the College of Arts and Sciences and the Stuart Weitzman School of Design. The visual studies major — launched in 2003 — combines philosophy, fine arts, and psychology.
Penn also introduced a program on the cultures and societies of the Middle East and North Africa in 2023, and most recently launched the artificial intelligence major in the School of Engineering and Applied Science last year.
Penn First Plus began in 2018 as an opportunity for financial, academic, and social support for first-generation or low-income college students. P1P served more than a quarter of the Class of 2028.
Makuu: The Black Cultural Center at Penn, was founded in 2000 as a home for Black students and alumni. The center provides academic, social, and cultural support to students. It also features inclusive programs such as the Robeson Cooper Scholars Program.
The Perry World House began fostering education and conversation about global politics and challenges in 2016. The center consistently hosts experts from around the world to lead workshops and lectures that help students engage with global issues.
Pennovation Works was also launched in 2016 to offer an intellectual workspace for creative minds on Penn’s campus. Over 70 companies share the entrepreneurial workspace today.
Gutmann College House was founded on the west end of Locust Walk in honor of former Penn President Amy Gutmann. Today, the building serves as a dormitory, study space, and dining hall.
