The University Council met on March 5, 2025 in the Hall of Flags in Houston Hall.

President J. Larry Jameson introduced Vice President for Budget Planning and Analysis Trevor Lewis, who reviewed Penn’s FY2025 operating budget. Mr. Lewis noted that budget planning had been guided by Penn’s goals to accelerate interdisciplinary pursuits, lead on the great challenges of our time, grow opportunity and strengthen community, deepen connections with neighbors and the world, and foster leadership and service.

In FY2025, Penn had revenue of $4.819 billion (largely from tuition and fees, which rep- resented $1.891 billion, and grants, which represented $1.45 billion) and expenses of $4.714 billion (with compensation accounting for $2.2 billion). Undergraduate charges in FY2025 were $87,860, with 46% of students receiving support from a financial aid budget of $308 million. In addition, Penn has 3,734 PhD students, almost all of whom are fully funded and it was reported that a five-year PhD funding package was $470,280. Mr. Lewis described a generally positive outlook, with Penn having a strong cash position, stable student enrollment, momentum from In Principle and Practice, mRNA applications, and AI innovations. Nonetheless, geopolitical instability, federal budget challenges, labor market pressures, and cyber- security risks present challenges.

Deputy Provost Beth A. Winkelstein introduced the third focus issue presentation of the year, an update on efforts made in response to recommendations from the University Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community. The task force and commission each had reported their recommendations in May 2024, and both had urged enhanced promotion of cross-cultural understanding (including through programmatic activities and structures), clarification of Penn’s Guidelines on Open Expression, and enhanced incident reporting and security. Several initiatives were launched in response to these recommendations, chief among them the Office of Religious and Ethnic Interests. Dr. Winkelstein introduced the leaders of the new office to discuss its work, which is guided by four pillars: educate, investigate, mediate, and evaluate. The office partners with other campus programs, offices, and groups to educate about religious and ethnic hate and bias, to offer programming, and to help mediate issues and support the parties involved.

Associate Vice President and Associate University Secretary Lizann Boyle Rode briefly addressed issues raised during the new business portion of the January 29 meeting, which included:

• Support for student research during federal funding freezes
• Transparency regarding Penn’s investments
• Support and resources for first-generation, low-income graduate students
• Prevention of sexual misconduct and support for survivors
• Information regarding how Penn would respond to potential immigration enforcement efforts
• Support for military-affiliated students
• Additional resources and support for post-doctoral trainees.

During the open forum portion of the meeting, speakers discussed topics that included:

• Creation of a teaching award and prize for undergraduate teaching assistants
• Protections for community members who are not U.S. citizens
• A call to hold antisemites accountable

• Enhanced benefits for postdoctoral trainees
• Visa issues for international postdoctoral trainees
• Institutional neutrality’s impact on student safety
• Safeguarding the University’s core principles
• Support for PhD students
• Reaffirmation of Penn’s commitment to support gender and sexual minorities, linguistic diversity, international students, and people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives

Several issues were raised during the new business portion of the meeting that will be addressed in due course. 

The approved meeting minutes will be posted on the University Council website https://secretary.upenn.edu/univ-council/meeting-materials.

The next meeting of the University Council is scheduled for April 2, 2025.