In a letter published on Wednesday, Penn President Amy Gutmann and 185 other university presidents urged the government to reconsider higher education funding cuts.

The Daily Pennsylvanian sat down with Eve Troutt Powell, whose appointment as the School of Arts & Sciences Associate Dean for Graduate Studies went into effect on July 1.

A former employee is suing the University of Pennsylvania Health System for allegedly discriminating against her on the basis of disability, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court last Friday.

Wharton is partnering with the Zurich Insurance Group to study risk reduction methods that could help reduce the flood damage brought about by hurricanes and tsunamis, among other causes.

The Center for High Impact Philanthropy released a free online guide this week that should help patrons decide where to put their charitable donations. Environment and Vibrant Communities are impact areas identified by the Food Funder Compass.

After two days of negotiations, and 18 months of organizing, workers in Falk Dining Commons in Penn’s Hillel unanimously voted to accept a three-year contract with Bon Appétit Management Company last Friday.

Following the outcry over the not-guilty verdict of George Zimmerman, Penn professor Anthea Butler has created outcry herself over comments calling god “a white racist.”

William L. and Phyllis Mack have presented the Wharton School a major gift to permanently endow the Mack Institute for Innovation Management.

“Social Entrepreneurs’ Playbook” will focus on “[doing] more with less” and maximizing the impact of available funds. “The key aspect of this book and social entrepreneurship is to apply the business discipline in the social enterprise,” said co-author James Thompson.

From July 21-23 , Provost Vincent Price will represent Penn at a discussion with other universities’ administrators about the future of online education, including massive online open courses. Penn has seen enrollment of over a million in its Coursera MOOCs.

The University’s funding from the state of Pennsylvania will increase slightly for fiscal year 2014, which includes the coming school year. The School of Veterinary Medicine and the Center for Infectious Disease will receive the majority of the funds.

Trustee Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Applied Science and Director of the University of Pennsylvania Nano/Bio Interface Center Dawn Bonnell was appointed Vice Provost for Research today.

The University announced Wednesday that Anita Allen, a professor in the Law School, will succeed Lynn Hollen Lees as vice provost for faculty starting July 1.

Daniel Mindiola has been appointed the fourth Presidential Term Professor of Chemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences.

The Wharton School announced on June 5 that Georgette Phillips was stepping down from her position as vice dean of Wharton undergraduate programs. Simon and Midge Palley Professor of Management Lori Rosenkopf will take Phillips’ office on July 1.

Katie Bonner, former associate director of student affairs in the Office of Student Affairs, will succeed Hikaru Kozuma as director of the OSA.

A petition from the UniteHere union asked that Wharton’s San Francisco campus stop patronizing le Méridien hotel—the site of a lengthy labor dispute and economic boycott.