Welcome, Quakers, to the official start of the 2026-27 academic year.
Locust Walk is once again full, and the back-to-school energy is contagious. I have enjoyed meeting many of you during Move In, at Convocation, and other welcome events, and I look forward to all we will accomplish together in the months ahead.
Our strategic planning initiative, Penn Forward, is gaining momentum, and we will be sharing updates later this semester on how Penn is building trust, enabling bold discovery, and expanding the University’s reach. We continue to mark America’s 250th anniversary by exploring themes rooted in Benjamin Franklin’s example and ideals. The Penn community is also observing an incredible range of University anniversaries, including 150 years of women at Penn.
As this exciting year gets underway, I encourage you and everyone at Penn to be energetically engaged.
If you are eligible to vote in the general election on Nov. 3, be sure to register and make a voting plan. Penn Leads the Vote, a phenomenal student-led nonpartisan campus organization, is a great place to begin. Stop by the PLTV table on Locust Walk on National Voter Registration Day, Sep. 15, where volunteers will be answering questions and helping members of the Penn community navigate the voting process.
In addition to your civic engagement, our new students will be invited to participate in a new, first-of-its-kind campus lifesaving initiative: the Penn Lifesaver program. Penn Lifesaver will help make first aid training and skills a core part of campus culture, and each September, every incoming first-year student will have the opportunity to learn in their College Houses. Our goal is to make Penn a national model for campus education and preparedness.
As returning students know and new students quickly discover, learning and growth here happen everywhere: in classrooms and labs and libraries, College Houses and performing arts centers, on the fields and courts, and out in Philadelphia’s vibrant neighborhoods. Penn students and faculty push the boundaries of exploration and experimentation, regularly tackling interesting problems and pursuing ambitious ideas that never fail to inspire me.
The energy of a new academic year is powerful. What matters most is how you channel it. Here are a few more suggestions: Meet new people with backgrounds and perspectives different from yours. Take a class that is outside your intended course of study. Visit the Palestra in its centennial year, sign up for an arts program that challenges you, or volunteer for a cause you are passionate about.
I know you will value your time at Penn for what it is: a priceless asset that will compound the more you invest in yourself and your academic community. Even more valuable are the lifelong friendships you make along the way.
We have much to look forward to, and your vigorous engagement will deepen the experience of our entire University community. Together, let’s have an exceptional year.
LARRY JAMESON is the 10th president of the University of Pennsylvania. His email is president@upenn.edu.
