Following nationwide coverage and uproar, the University committed to a "respectful, consultative resolution" with the goal of reuniting the remains with the Africa family, according to an email sent Wednesday afternoon to undergraduates from Provost Wendell Pritchett and Penn Museum Director Christopher Woods.

Penn Museum apologized for using the remains for research and teaching purposes, rather than returning the remains to the Africa family.

Penn's chapter of the American Association of University Professors urged the administration to refrain from encouraging professors to teach through the 10-minute passing time at the end of class meetings.

Some students said that the timing of the announcement, which was made less than two weeks before the end of spring classes, blindsided them, given how hard they worked to receive the award.

Penn attributed the increase to the addition of an international development department to The Power of Penn, the University’s most ambitious fundraising campaign which ran for the first time in the fiscal year 2019.

Forty-five members of University leadership — including Penn President Amy Gutmann, Board of Trustees Chair David L. Cohen, and Division of Public Safety Vice President Maureen Rush — signed the email affirming Penn's commitment to advancing racial equity. 

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University suspended dean's list awards to keep academic policies consistent with the previous year, in which Penn also adopted an extended pass/fail grading system.

Several faculty members reported unclear communication from administrators about whether they would be required to teach for extra time, and if so, whether they would be compensated.

Pam Grossman, dean of the Graduate School of Education, and Ted Ruger, dean of Penn Law School, will now hold their positions until June 30, 2023.

Penn Museum and the University issued an apology for their "unethical possession of human remains" in a Monday evening statement.

The seminar took place just hours after Penn announced its new plan to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from endowment investments by 2050.

While Penn announced it plans to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions associated with underlying investments in its endowment, it will not be completely divesting from fossil fuels.

Some students were optimistic that a return to traditional learning will be beneficial for their social and mental health. 

A petition garnered over 1,500 signatures urging the University to move the date of the 2021 Commencement ceremony.

The protest, called #PhillySchoolsDeserve: A March for PILOTs, was co-sponsored by Penn Community for Justice, Drexel Community for Justice, Penn for PILOTs, and other community organizations.

The search will occur during the 2021-2022 academic year in an effort to have the new faculty join SAS in the 2022-2023 academic year, according to an announcement by School of Arts and Sciences Dean Steven Fluharty.

A primary concern shared by students was feeling a lack of community while taking virtual classes. Some students also said that grappling with feelings of inadequacy and impostor syndrome as FGLI students has been a struggle.