Penn President Larry Jameson welcomed students, faculty, and staff back to campus for the spring 2026 semester in a University-wide message on Wednesday morning.
The Jan 14. announcement described how the University will celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary and highlighted Penn's contributions to the country's history. Jameson also emphasized an administrative focus on the future and new actionable initiatives created within the Penn Forward strategic framework.
“I am proud of our historic firsts and many contributions to the world,” Jameson wrote. “For centuries, this University has served society with brilliance, character, and impact.”
Penn's community and the greater Philadelphia region will mark the semiquincentennial with interactive programming during 52 Weeks of Firsts, a yearlong series highlighting historical milestones that began in Philadelphia “before anywhere else,” including many that feature the University.
The message listed a Penn Libraries page of resources dedicated to the 250th anniversary, including a calendar of events throughout 2026.
Jameson shared that “new blue banners” featuring Benjamin Franklin are on display across campus to “commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary and Penn’s significant ties to that revolutionary era.”
“I am confident that Penn would earn the admiration of our founder,” Jameson wrote.
Looking to the future, Jameson explained that Penn Forward is a “salient example of bold planning.” He, along with Provost John Jackson Jr. and Executive Vice President Mark Dingfield, is debriefing the insights and recommendations from the initiative's six working groups. University administrators will be in touch with updates as the proposals become actionable, Jameson added.
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“These groups have worked diligently to canvas for ideas, garner relevant data, and generate tangible proposals that will position Penn to lead and be even more impactful over the next decade,” Jameson wrote. “A forward-facing stance empowers us with agility, resilience, and hope.”
In Jameson’s fall 2025 welcome message to the Penn community, he addressed ongoing challenges to higher education and highlighted the University’s previous triumphs in the face of institutional strain. Following a summer marked by an increasingly tense relationship with the federal government, the message emphasized the need to “listen to concerns and adapt” to new perspectives.
“Rather than being resigned to a future that happens to us, we will take a hand in shaping it,” Jameson wrote in the Jan 14. message. “I cannot think of a more inspiring Penn resolution for the new year.”
