Through
9/15
Campus & Community
Staff Q&A: Michael Ketner
STAFF Q&A/Trombonist Michael Ketner is the man behind the curtain at Penn’s Music Department. “These are student groups, but they’re good, and they play at a high level.”
The Oscar goes to ...
Q&A/This film scholar and author of a book about Hollywood culture talks about the past and present of the Oscars—and what the future holds for the movie industry. “I think people still like the experience of going to movies. It’s ... a communal experience.”
Cover story: An experimental era
Q&A/This spring the 6th floor of Van Pelt is celebrating Ben Franklin with an exhibit on Colonial education in the Delaware Valley. We talk to the library staff who brought “Educating the Youth of Pennsylvania” from a rough idea to a fully realized exhibit. “Charter schools today remind me a lot of what was going on during the Colonial period.”
Remains of the day
Q&A/Penn Museum’s keeper of physical anthropology talks about scanning mummies, making molds of Neanderthals and why human babies are born so small and helpless. “I’m one of those people who have crazy loves and I have a love for everything about evolution.”
Staff Q&A: Maria Tessa Sciarrino
STAFF Q&A/A booster for the local music scene, Maria Tessa Sciarrino can’t get enough of the Philadelphia sound. “I think it’s great that everybody’s getting the attention.” Maria Tessa Sciarrino studied photography in college, but admits she wasn’t the best student: “I was too busy going to concerts.”
Doctor of dialects
Q&A/After decades of groundbreaking work, linguist William Labov remains at the forefront of his field. His most far-reaching research, a comprehensive atlas of North American English, has just been published. “In almost every language change, there’s something going on underneath the hood.”
Staff Q&A: Parker Snowe
STAFF Q&A/Parker Snowe helps Wharton MBAs get immersed in global business. He also helps them park their bikes on campus. “It’s my way of saying, ‘This is the difference I can make.’” A year ago, after 15 years of bike commuting, Parker Snowe treated himself to a Brompton folding bicycle.
Food for Thought: "Café Nothing" at Penn's Arthur Ross Gallery
PHILADELPHIA -- In the tradition of the cafe as a place where ideas are raised and discussed, the Arthur Ross Gallery presents "Cafe Nothing," an open forum for visitors to interact with and respond to intangibles and nonexistent objects.
Penn Hosts "Effective Philanthropy in Challenging Times," A Week with Non-Profit Legend Richard Marker
PHILADELPHIA — The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice is hosting a week-long seminar on “Effective Philanthropy in Challenging Times,” featuring Richard Marker, a leader in the non-profit sector, from June 15 to 19.
In the News
Chronicle of Higher Education
Colleges created task forces to address reports of antisemitism and islamophobia. What have they done?
The University Task Force on Antisemitism recommends investment in faculty and staff, academic experiences, and outreach while also clarifying Penn’s open-expression policies, featuring remarks from Interim President J. Larry Jameson.
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Grown & Flown
Dean of admissions tells parents this is how you can really help your teen
Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule shares her own daughter’s journey as a high school senior during the college application process.
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CNBC
The 7 most important phrases, says veteran advice columnist Ask Amy: Use them when you need ‘the right words’
Class of 2024 Commencement speaker Siddhartha Mukherjee says that many people don’t tell others that they love and forgive them until they're on their deathbeds.
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Forbes
How NOT to write your college essay
Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule says that well-meaning editorial interference to polish the writing in a college application essay can take the personal “shine” out of the message.
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Inc.
An oncologist just revealed the most common last words of the dying—and what they say about how to live without regrets
During his Commencement address at Penn, author and oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee said that love and forgiveness are the things most spoken about on death beds.
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