Kathryn Ye

In a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, School of Arts and Sciences Dean Mark Trodden wrote that the initiative “epitomizes” the school’s strategic goals.

The annual program — dubbed “Quaker Days” — welcomes visiting students and their families with a lineup of activities designed to help them learn more about Penn.

The event also facilitated a discussion of the University's operating budget.

After circulating the document, Penn will solicit feedback from faculty, staff, and students to shape the final set of policies.

Both the tuition increase and the financial aid budget are pending final approval by the Board of Trustees at its stated meeting on Friday. 

Trodden, who was appointed in June 2025, previously told the DP his primary goal for his first six months in office was to construct the new framework.

Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Mark Trodden announced the framework — titled “SAS Horizons: Pathways for a Changing World” — in a Feb. 25 email.

The students described uncertainty among members of the Penn community and called on administrators to take additional steps to share information and provide support.

The six working groups have submitted their recommendations to the plan’s steering committee ahead of a public release in “early 2026.” 

The training included a series of videos describing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as Penn’s policies on equal opportunity, open expression, and non-discrimination.