Ben-Ghiat is “a historian of authoritarianism" and testified before the House Jan. 6 Committee on alleged attempts made by the administration of 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump to stifle freedom in the country. 

The dismissals come as part of a large-scale reduction of the federal workforce by the Department of Government Efficiency. 

The letter expressed concerns about the negative effects of reducing graduate program class sizes, and argued that the cuts may inflict "reputational harms" on Penn.

The University spent a total of $640,000 on lobbying in 2024 — a 37.5% increase from the year prior.

One lawmaker said that Penn “has made a cowardly move” in “rushing to heed dog-whistle demands from a feckless federal leadership.”

In a Feb. 24 email, Jameson wrote that Penn is closely monitoring changes to federal actions and reaffirmed the University's commitment to academic freedom, inclusion, and legal compliance.

Attendees of the vigil included Penn students, faculty, and Temple University students — some who had a personal connection to the war, and others who showed up in support.

“In this moment, it is imperative that university leadership offer unequivocal reassurance and a concrete commitment to protecting those most vulnerable,” the letter read. 

Penn notified department chairs that it will cut admissions across graduate programs — a decision faculty members say will force them to rescind offers from newly-accepted students.

Gauthier introduced the resolution at the Feb. 20 city council meeting in a response to a Feb. 19 Truth Social post in which Trump wrote, “Long live the king!”

The committee's database cited 15 grants awarded to Penn faculty by the National Science Foundation, identifying them as “woke” and “questionable” for advancing DEI and “neo-Marxist class warfare propaganda.” 

Several activist groups on campus and from the greater Philadelphia area co-hosted the march, which moved down Walnut Street on Monday evening.

Shapiro's proposal emphasized increased funding for education, transportation, and life sciences research while introducing new revenue sources through the legalization of recreational marijuana and taxation of skill games.

The letter stated that educational institutions have 14 days to comply with the new requirements in order to continue receiving federal funding.

The scrubbed website contains only a brief three-sentence statement about Penn’s “commitment to equal opportunity.”

Senior Associate Vice President for Research Elizabeth Peloso wrote in an affidavit that Penn has 1,803 active NIH awards — amounting to a total of $2.6 billion — across its research system.

The DEI page for the Wharton School of Business has been scrubbed, and the Penn Libraries DEI website is no longer active. These modifications and removals are the latest signs of the University backpedaling on its DEI initiatives from recent years.