The School of Arts and Sciences received major leadership gifts from 1979 College graduates Julie Beren Platt and Marc Platt to fund a new endowed professorship and graduate support program that will expand Jewish studies at Penn.
The gifts — announced on Sept. 29 — aim to deepen academic inquiry, foster student collaboration, and broaden Penn’s impact in Jewish studies both across the country and within the international community. The initiative aims to enhance graduate student engagement through a biannual conference that brings students together to share ideas, advance their training, and showcase their research through seminars and workshops.
The gifts will also provide resources for graduate projects, including international archival work and collaborative exchange programs in Jewish studies.
“Julie and Marc have been extraordinarily thoughtful and dedicated alumni leaders for decades,” Penn President Larry Jameson told Penn Today. “We are grateful for their commitment and vision to advance Jewish Studies at Penn for the benefit of all. Their support will have an immediate and sustained impact on the field, enhancing education and scholarship at Penn and around the world.”
Julie Platt serves as the vice chair of the University Board of Trustees and on the National Board of Governors at Penn Hillel. Marc Platt serves on the Director’s Advisory Council for Penn Live Arts.
The couple has contributed towards several initiatives on campus, including the Platt Student Performing Arts House, the Julie Beren Platt and Marc Platt Rehearsal Room in Houston Hall, and initiatives at the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies. In 2012, the Platts funded the establishment of a joint summer program with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Penn’s Katz Center.
“Jewish Studies are an integral part of Penn’s scholarship,” SAS Dean Mark Trodden told Penn Today. “The creation of an endowed chair will fortify that historic strength, allowing us to recruit and retain scholars who will continue to grow the program.”
The Jewish Studies Program at Penn was formally recognized as an interdisciplinary program in 1982. Today, the Jewish Studies Program encompasses fields including literature, religious studies, history, sociology, and archaeology.
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“These gifts are an exciting contribution that will place Jewish Studies on firm footing for future generations,” Joshua Teplitsky, the Joseph Meyerhoff Associate Professor of Modern Jewish History and director of the Jewish Studies Program, told Penn Today. “They will allow Penn to not only continue its tradition of scholarly excellence, but to be a leader for the field in shaping meaningful conversations and deeper understandings of Jewish life, culture, and history.”
