The University of Pennsylvania Podcast

Good afternoon, Penn community! It's Monday, September 1, 2025, and here's your latest campus news. Currently in Philadelphia, it's mostly sunny with a temperature of 71°F (22°C). This afternoon, expect partly sunny skies with temperatures reaching up to 80°F (27°C). This evening, temperatures will gradually cool down to around 62°F (17°C). In university news, J. Larry Jameson has been appointed as the 10th president of the University of Pennsylvania, effective March 13, 2025. Jameson previously served as interim president since December 2023 and brings extensive experience from his tenure as Executive Vice President for the Health System and Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine. The University has received an $8 million gift from the Robert K. Johnson Foundation for its School of Arts and Sciences. This generous donation will fund the Integrated Studies Program, a first-year residential academic program that fosters interdisciplinary learning among students. Looking ahead, the AI Research Mixer 2025 is scheduled for Friday, September 9, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. This full-day event will feature faculty talks, poster presentations, and networking opportunities with members of ASSET, IDEAS, Warren, DDDI, and Penn AI. All Penn community members interested in AI are welcome to attend. The Penn Quakers football team is gearing up for the 2025 season under the leadership of Head Coach Ray Priore. The Quakers will open their season on Saturday, September 20, at 1:00 pm against Stonehill. Their home opener and first Ivy League game is set for Saturday, October 4, against Dartmouth at Franklin Field. Single-game tickets, season tickets, group tickets, and Quaker Quick Pick Mini-Plans are available for purchase. The University is in the final phase of a $238 million renovation of the Quadrangle, which includes Fisher Hassenfeld, Ware, and Riepe College Houses. This renovation is happening over three summers between 2023 and 2025, requiring the closure of one College House each year to allow for construction. The University has leased The Radian and The Axis apartment buildings to ensure that enough beds will be available to house all the first- and second-year students during the closures in the Quad. That's all for today's update. Stay safe, and we'll see you next time!

Good afternoon, Penn community! It's Monday, August 25, 2025, and here's your latest campus news. Currently in Philadelphia, it's mostly cloudy with a temperature of 72°F (22°C). This afternoon, expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching up to 85°F (30°C). This evening, temperatures will gradually cool down to around 73°F (23°C). J. Larry Jameson has been appointed as the 10th president of the University of Pennsylvania, effective March 13, 2025. Jameson previously served as interim president since December 2023 and brings extensive experience from his tenure as Executive Vice President for the Health System and Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine. The University has received an $8 million gift from the Robert K. Johnson Foundation for its School of Arts and Sciences. This generous donation will fund the Integrated Studies Program, a first-year residential academic program that fosters interdisciplinary learning among students. Today, August 25, from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm, the Pan-Asian American Community House (PAACH) and the Pan-Asian Graduate Student Association (PAGSA) are hosting "The Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Graduate/Professional Student Community at Penn Preceptorial." This event aims to welcome AAPI graduate and professional students to the Penn community. It will be held in ARCH Room 208 at 3601 Locust Walk. Looking ahead, the AI Research Mixer 2025 is scheduled for Friday, September 9, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. This full-day event will feature faculty talks, poster presentations, and networking opportunities with members of ASSET, IDEAS, Warren, DDDI, and Penn AI. All Penn community members interested in AI are welcome to attend. The Penn Quakers football team is gearing up for the 2025 season under the leadership of Head Coach Ray Priore. The Quakers will open their season on Saturday, September 20, at 1:00 pm against Stonehill. Their home opener and first Ivy League game is set for Saturday, October 4, against Dartmouth at Franklin Field. Single-game tickets, season tickets, group tickets, and Quaker Quick Pick Mini-Plans are available for purchase. The University is in the final phase of a $238 million renovation of the Quadrangle, which includes Fisher Hassenfeld, Ware, and Riepe College Houses. This extensive project, spanning three summers from 2023 to 2025, aims to enhance student living spaces. To accommodate students during the renovations, the University has leased The Radian and The Axis apartment buildings. That's all for today's update. Stay tuned for more news and events happening around campus.

Good afternoon, Penn community! It's Monday, August 18, 2025, and here's your latest campus news. Currently in Philadelphia, it's cloudy with a temperature of 67°F (20°C). Expect cloudy skies throughout the day, with temperatures reaching a high of 73°F (23°C) by mid-afternoon. There's a chance of showers later this morning, so keep an umbrella handy. In a significant development, the University of Pennsylvania has announced an expansion of its financial aid program. Starting this fall, students from families earning up to $200,000 annually will be eligible for full-tuition scholarships. Additionally, the university will no longer consider home equity when calculating financial aid, making a Penn education more accessible to a broader range of students. In leadership news, J. Larry Jameson has been appointed as the 10th president of the University of Pennsylvania, effective March 13, 2025. Jameson previously served as interim president since December 2023 and brings extensive experience from his tenure as Executive Vice President for the Health System and Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine. Penn is set to lead the NSF Artificial Intelligence-driven RNA Foundry, known as NSF AIRFoundry, supported by an $18 million grant over six years. This initiative aims to accelerate RNA research using AI and educate the next generation of RNA researchers. The BioFoundry will focus on creating molecules and nanoparticles, with facilities in West Philadelphia and at the University of Puerto Rico–Mayagüez. The Penn Museum is hosting the "Ancient Alcohol Tour and Tasting" on Wednesday, August 28, at 5:30 p.m. This 45-minute tour explores ancient drinking games, hieroglyphs related to alcohol, and vessels from King Midas's feast. The event concludes with a tasting of Dogfish Head Brewery’s Midas Touch beer, brewed in collaboration with the Penn Museum. The Penn Quakers football team participated in the Ivy League Football Media Day on August 11. Head Coach Ray Priore, along with senior defensive lineman Paul Jennings and quarterback Liam O'Brien, shared their insights on the upcoming season. The Quakers will kick off their 2025 season on Saturday, September 20, at 1 p.m. against Stonehill. They'll begin Ivy League play at Franklin Field on Saturday, October 4, against Dartmouth. Tickets are available now. The Wharton School invites business journalists to apply for the Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists, scheduled for October 20-22, 2025, on Penn's Philadelphia campus. Led by prominent Wharton professors, the program offers intensive lectures and hands-on exercises to enhance understanding of key business and economic issues. Applications are open until September 3, with several funding opportunities available. That's all for today's update. Stay informed and engaged, and we'll be back with more news soon.

Good morning, Penn community! It's Monday, August 11, 2025, and here's your latest campus news. Today in Philadelphia, expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching a high of 92°F (33°C) this afternoon. Stay hydrated and take precautions against the heat. J. Larry Jameson has been appointed as the 10th president of the University of Pennsylvania, effective March 13, 2025. Previously serving as interim president since December 2023, Jameson brings a wealth of experience from his tenure as Executive Vice President for the Health System and Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine. Russell Composto and Kelly Jordan-Sciutto have been named vice provosts for undergraduate and graduate education, respectively, starting July 1. Both are first-generation college graduates and longtime educators at Penn, recognized for their leadership and commitment to student success. A collaborative effort between the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine has led to the world's first treatment of a patient with a personalized CRISPR gene-editing therapy. An infant named KJ, diagnosed with a rare metabolic disorder, showed significant improvement post-treatment, potentially avoiding the need for a liver transplant. The University is in the final phase of a $238 million renovation of the Quadrangle, set to conclude this summer. The project includes modernized facilities and enhanced living spaces for students. To accommodate students during the renovations, Penn has leased The Radian and The Axis apartment buildings. The Penn Quakers football team, under the leadership of head coach Ray Priore, is gearing up for the 2025 season. In the Ivy League preseason poll announced on August 4, the Quakers were selected to finish sixth. The team is focused on exceeding expectations and making a strong showing this season. The Institute of Contemporary Art is hosting "Mavis Pusey: Mobile Images," the first major museum survey dedicated to the work of the Jamaican-born artist. The exhibition features over 60 artworks from her prolific 50-year career and runs through December 7. That's all for today's update. Stay cool, stay informed, and have a great day, Penn!

Good afternoon, Penn community. It's Monday, August 4, 2025, and here's what's happening on campus. Currently, it's sunny and 72 degrees in Philadelphia. Temperatures are expected to rise throughout the day, reaching a high of 90 degrees by 4 PM. Be sure to stay hydrated and take precautions if you're spending time outdoors. Effective July 1, Russell Composto and Kelly Jordan-Sciutto have been appointed as Penn's new vice provosts for undergraduate and graduate education, respectively. Both are longtime educators and first-generation college graduates, recognized for their leadership and commitment to student success. The Lurie family has generously donated $50 million to establish the Lurie Autism Institute, a joint initiative between Penn Medicine and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The institute will focus on groundbreaking autism research and treatment across the lifespan, aiming to develop advanced lab models and study autism-related genes as potential therapeutic targets. A naming gift from Stephanie and Dan Zilberman has established the Zilberman Family Center for Global Collections at Penn Libraries. The center will transform the fifth floor of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library into a hub for global engagement, featuring galleries, seminar rooms, and spaces for study and collaboration. This project is part of a broader effort to modernize library spaces by 2026. A new study led by Penn climate scientist Michael Mann reveals that extreme summer weather patterns—such as heat domes, floods, and wildfires—have nearly tripled since the 1950s. This increase is attributed to a phenomenon called quasi-resonant amplification, where large, slow-moving planetary waves in the jet stream intensify and become stalled. The study underscores the growing impact of climate change on global weather patterns. On July 1, Penn and the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights resolved an investigation into the university's compliance with Title IX for women's athletics. The resolution addresses complex issues surrounding gender inclusion in sports, and the university is committed to adhering to federal guidelines while fostering an inclusive environment for all students. In March, reports emerged suggesting a suspension of $175 million in federal funding to Penn. The university has stated that it has not received official notification or details regarding this suspension. Penn emphasizes its compliance with NCAA and Ivy League policies concerning student participation in athletic teams and is actively seeking solutions to minimize potential impacts on faculty, staff, and ongoing research initiatives. The Institute of Contemporary Art is hosting "Carl Cheng: Nature Never Loses," an in-depth survey of Cheng's work from the 1960s to the present. The exhibition runs from January 18 to April 6, 2025, and features artworks that intersect identity, technology, and ecology. Additionally, "A Selection of Mexican Ex-Votos" is on display at the Holman Biotech Commons through February 2025. This exhibition offers insight into Mexican religious folk practices through selections from the Dr. William H. Helfand collection of ex-votos and devotional paintings on medical subjects. That's all for today's update. Stay safe, stay informed, and enjoy your day.

Good afternoon, Quakers! It's Monday, July 28, 2025, and you're tuned in to the latest updates from the University of Pennsylvania. Let's dive into today's top stories. First up, the University has reached a compliance agreement with the Trump administration concerning the participation of transgender athletes in women's sports. This settlement requires Penn to disavow its previous policies, apologize to female athletes who faced disadvantages, and revise athletic records to align with current eligibility standards, which restrict women's sports to individuals assigned female at birth. This agreement concludes a U.S. Education Department investigation initiated under Title IX after Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer, won an NCAA Division I championship, sparking controversy over fairness and shared facilities. In related news, Penn has updated its women's swimming records, reversing three set by Lia Thomas during the 2021-2022 season. The University has also issued apologies to female athletes affected by her participation. This move is part of a voluntary agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, concluding an investigation into whether the University violated Title IX by allowing Thomas, who is biologically male, to compete in women’s events. In other developments, a federal judge has denied law professor Amy Wax's request to prevent the University from enacting disciplinary sanctions against her. These sanctions, which include a one-year suspension with half pay, removal of her named chair, loss of summer pay, and a public reprimand, stem from an investigation concluding that her public remarks were discriminatory and derogatory. Wax had argued that these measures would harm her reputation and hinder her ability to speak on issues like diversity and affirmative action. However, the judge ruled that she failed to show she would suffer irreparable harm from the penalties. On a more positive note, the University has received an $8 million gift from the Robert K. Johnson Foundation for its School of Arts and Sciences. This generous donation will fund the Integrated Studies Program at Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences, a first-year residential academic program where the cohort lives together in the Hill College House residence hall. With the new gift, professional and service learning opportunities will be afforded for students. In administrative news, J. Larry Jameson, executive vice president of Penn Medicine and dean of the Perelman School of Medicine, has been appointed as Penn’s interim president. This appointment comes as the University continues its search for a permanent president. In the realm of financial aid, starting in fall 2025, Penn will no longer consider the value of a family’s primary home among its assets when determining financial aid eligibility. This change aims to increase affordability and accessibility for middle-class families. Turning to campus events, the Penn Glee Club recently completed a 12-day tour of Asia, performing in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Beijing under new director Sam Scheibe. Highlights included a concert at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall with Keio University’s choir, a “Sight and Sound” performance at a Hong Kong art gallery, and a show at the U.S. embassy in Beijing. In sports, third-year Kampton Kam of the Wharton School earned First Team All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on June 13, finishing tied for eighth in the men’s high jump. Finally, a new study led by Penn climate scientist Michael Mann finds that extreme summer weather patterns—like heat domes, floods, and wildfires—have nearly tripled since the 1950s due to a phenomenon called quasi-resonant amplification. This research highlights the increasing impact of climate change on our environment. That's all for today's update. Stay cool and enjoy the rest of your day!