As the fall 2025 semester approaches, here’s what you missed on and around campus this summer at Penn.
Penn in the political spotlight
On July 1, Penn reached a long-awaited resolution agreement with the Department of Education to settle a federal investigation into Title IX violations by the University.
In compliance with federal demands, the University removed 2022 College graduate and former Penn swimmer Lia Thomas’ individual records and issued a public statement specifying that Penn Athletics “will adopt biology-based definitions for the words ‘male’ and ‘female’ pursuant to Title IX and consistent with President Trump’s Executive Orders.”
Following the agreement, the White House released $175 million in frozen federal funding to Penn. The University is still facing an ongoing lawsuit from three former swimmers who argue that Thomas’ participation in the 2022 Ivy League Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship violated Title IX.
A variety of other policies out of Washington has affected the Penn community over the summer, including a federal halt on student visa interviews in May and a June travel ban that included over a dozen countries, many of which Penn students hail from. In response, Penn International Student and Scholar Services wrote a note to students located in countries affected by the travel ban, urging them to return to the United States.
Administrative and academic changes
In June, Provost John Jackson Jr. announced two new vice provost positions for undergraduate and graduate education. The inaugural roles were filled in July by Russell Composto, the former Bozza Family Faculty Co-Director of Penn First Plus, and Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, the former associate dean for graduate education, respectively.
RELATED:
'A nightmare': Penn community criticizes proposed cuts to SEPTA services
NIH restores Penn research grants following federal court order, termination appeal
In August, Solomon R. Pollack Professor of Bioengineering David Meaney began his tenure as Penn’s new vice provost for research, following another announcement from Jackson.
In June, Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie donated $50 million to Penn Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to launch the Lurie Autism Institute, a medical research hub. LAI will also provide opportunities for new involvement in autism-related research, such as the Next-Generation Program in Autism Bioscience, a certificate program for Ph.D. trainees and postdoctoral students.
Penn also announced major changes to the College of Arts and Sciences’ curriculum.
Beginning this fall, Penn is piloting a new curriculum for first-year students in the College. The program — titled College Foundations — will be offered to 120 incoming first years and consists of four courses: a “Kite” course, a “Key” course, a writing seminar, and a first-year seminar. The curriculum will allow participating students to fulfill six College general education requirements over the course of the year.
Negotiations on campus
Unions at Penn were also very active this summer: In mid-July, Penn’s research assistants and postdocs voted to unionize by an overwhelming margin of 703-38. The vote makes the union the sixth to join Penn’s campus in the last five years.
Earlier in July, unionized Penn Museum staff members staged an informational picket outside the building to protest low wages and call for major contract improvements. During negotiations with Graduate Employees Together — University of Pennsylvania, a union representing graduate student workers, the University struck provisions related to international and immigrant workers and job recognition.
Life in West Philadelphia
University City experienced continued changes to its restaurant scene and transportation policies over the summer.
In May, Corio, an Italian-themed restaurant offering lunch, dinner, and a full bar with takeaway bottles of wine, opened at 3675 Market St.
In late June, the SEPTA Board approved extensive budget cuts to mass transit services to fill a $213 million recurring budget deficit. SEPTA will reduce service by 45% on Aug. 24 and raise fares by 21.5% on Sept. 1 to offset the deficit, impacting many members of the Penn community who use public transportation daily.
During the 2024-25 academic year, Penn’s Division of Public Safety Homeless Outreach Ambassador Program connected with unhoused individuals over 650 times in the University City area. According to DPS, the program also operates in partnership with the University City District Homeless Outreach Service Team and other municipal entities within Philadelphia to provide education, shelter, and resources for support.
Construction at Penn
Fisher Hassenfeld College House — one of the three college houses that make up the Quad — will be closed for construction during the 2025-26 academic year. Ware College House, also part of the Quad, has been newly renovated and will house first-year students this year.
