Academics
There’s always something new going on at Penn’s four undergraduate schools and 12 graduate schools. Look here for information on upcoming academic initiatives, new classes and research conducted by professors and students.
From Percy Jackson to college presidents, five fun classes to take in spring 2025
The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with five professors who are teaching new or interesting courses in spring 2025, exploring topics that range from city soundscapes to "Percy Jackson."
Inside Penn’s largely unknown process of assigning sector tags to College courses
Multiple faculty members told The Daily Pennsylvanian that they were not aware of how the sector tag assignment process worked or what committees were involved.
Drexel University adopts “academic transformation” initiative amid low enrollment, budget struggles
The consolidation of Drexel's schools and colleges follows other recent changes to the university's academic structure.
Wolf Humanities Center hosts linguist, columnist Ben Zimmer for lecture on “keywords”
Zimmer — who was a research associate at Penn’s former Institute for Research in Cognitive Science from 2005 to 2006 — gave a presentation on lexicology and linguistics followed by a question and answer session with roughly 40 attendees.
Penn Dental announces memorandum of understanding with faculty at Yeditepe University in Turkey
Yeditepe University is an institution in Istanbul, Turkey that engages in patient care, research, and dental education, offering instruction in both English and Turkish.
Penn quietly discontinues Bio-Dental program, sparking confusion over student statuses
Three students who spoke with the DP described feeling confusion and concern over whether current students in the program were still provided their conditional acceptance into the Dental School.
Paul Farber, Penn alum and head of Rosengarten Reserve at Van Pelt Library, dies at 78
Farber graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Penn and was hired at Van Pelt in 1974.
Professor emerita Barbara Savage receives two awards for book on scholar Merze Tate
Savage’s book won the 2024 American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation and was a finalist for the Museum of African American History Stone Book Award.
SCUE hosts 2024 Education Week to promote community engagement, academic development
Throughout the week, SCUE hosted several events open to undergraduate students, offering opportunities to explore civic engagement and academic success initiatives at the University.
Why Penn dropped to No. 10 in the 2024-25 U.S. News & World Report rankings
Penn's average cost of attendance increased from last year, the most notable change from the 2023-2024 rankings.
Penn Engineering signs memorandum of understanding with Plaksha University to advance joint research
This agreement will enable faculty, researchers and students to engage in cross-cultural exchanges and advance research in both institutions, according to the Penn Engineering Blog.
Penn first year competed as one of 30 semifinalists in global science video competition
Aguilar, who made his video about a mathematical concept called the Fourier transform, advanced to the semifinalist round.
Penn's Biology Department removes concentrations, prompting mixed reactions from students
While the decision to remove the concentrations does not impact already-declared students, prospective students are no longer able to declare a concentration.
Wharton names inaugural Bantwal Family Goldman Sachs professor
Penn President Larry Jameson and Wharton Dean Erika James announced McDonnell's appointment in a June 4, 2024 press release.
Penn falls to lowest U.S. News ranking since 1997 while Princeton, MIT notch top spots
Princeton University claimed the No. 1 spot, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in No. 2 and Harvard University in No. 3.
Steven Fluharty to step down as School of Arts and Sciences dean after 12 years
Fluharty’s 12 years leading the school make him the longest serving dean in SAS history.
Penn student government leaders lead campaign to ease transfer course credit application process
The XCAT Working Group was formed in October 2023 with the goal of addressing the challenges faced by transfer students in the process of receiving transfer credit.
Several Penn classes explore presidential election amid tumultuous campaign
Here are four courses highlighting how Penn is approaching teaching about the election.
New College dean defends liberal arts, talks protests and curriculum changes in DP interview
In a conversation with the DP, Struck discussed the value of the liberal arts in managing political discourse and heightened tensions on campus.