At the University Council meeting on Wednesday, March 29, Lizann Boyle Rode, associate vice president in the Office of the University Secretary, addressed topics that had been raised during the open forum portion of the February Council meeting. These topics included:

• Affordability of graduate programs at Penn
• Penn’s COVID vaccine mandate
• Adjustments to financial aid packages of students with outside scholarships
• Financial aid and health benefits for postdoctoral trainees
• Promoting diversity among the teaching assistants at Penn Engineering
• Creating more cultural spaces on campus
• Graduate student representation on University Council
• Increased access to disability services for international students
• Orientation specifically for international students
• Availability of free menstrual products on campus

A focus issue presentation on University-Supported Education Initiatives in Philadelphia was given by Jeffrey Cooper, vice president for government and community affairs, and Caroline Watts, director of school and community engagement at the Graduate School of Education (GSE).

Mr. Cooper discussed Penn’s engagement efforts in the School District of Philadelphia (SDP). He first described Penn’s involvement with the Penn Alexander School, located at 43rd and Locust Streets (Almanac October 15, 2002). The University, SDP, and Philadelphia Federation of Teachers signed an initial 10-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 1999 and the school opened in 2001. Penn initially provided $1,000 per student (increased to $1,330 in 2007), which supported reduced class sizes and curricular support, and allowed Penn to have a role in the selection of the school’s principal. In recent years, Penn Alexander has consistently been listed as one of the top K-8 schools in the City.  The MOU was renewed in 2011 and 2021. Penn formalized its support of the Henry C. Lea Elementary School located at 47th and Locust Streets (Almanac April 19, 2022) in 2021 with a 5-year MOU.  In addition, Penn made a $100 million commitment to the SDP, payable in $10 million annual increments (Almanac November 24, 2020).

Dr. Watts provided an overview of  Penn GSE’s work in schools around the city, which occurs in partnership with the schools and other partners. She elaborated on Penn’s relationship with the Lea School, which includes professional development for teachers, curriculum development, and social and behavioral supports for students, teachers, and families. Dr. Watts highlighted several programs including the Lea School Tutoring Initiative, which matches elementary school students with Penn undergraduate and graduate students; the Summer Learning Program, which aims to help re-engage and support children returning to after COVID and to mitigate learning losses from the pandemic; and a burgeoning initiative to assist teachers, students and families with mental health issues, particularly as they relate to Philadelphia’s rising gun violence and other stressors.

President Liz Magill introduced Trevor Lewis, vice president of budget and management analysis, who reported on Penn’s FY2023 operating budget. Mr. Lewis stated that Penn remains financially sound despite concerns about inflation and geopolitical instability. This year, Penn had a total revenue of $4.965 billion, with 28% deriving from net tuition. Penn also incurred $4.017 billion in expenses, of which 59% was related to compensation. This year, total undergraduate charges increased 2.9% to $81,340, but the financial aid budget, which reached $278 million this year, is growing at a faster rate than tuition, and is entirely grant-based. Penn had 3,506 PhD students in FY2022, all of whom were fully funded for five years with stipends and health benefits.

For the Provost’s Report, Interim Provost Beth A. Winkelstein introduced Laura Perna, Centennial Presidential Professor of Education in GSE, who discussed Penn’s efforts to recruit and retain a higher diversity of faculty. Dr. Perna highlighted the new Diversity Dashboard, which provides snapshots of Penn’s faculty, students and staff. Since 2011 when the Action Plan for Faculty Diversity and Excellence was launched (Almanac September 6, 2011), there have been upward trends in female, Asian, Black, Hispanic and Indigenous representation on the faculty. In addition, steps are being taken to mitigate bias at every stage of the faculty recruitment process. In the broader community, Ivy Plus Provost Leadership Fellows  (Almanac November 11, 2022), a program of the Faculty Advancement Network, are working with colleagues at 12 other schools to increase the diversity of the professoriate.

During the new business portion of the meet- ing, motions were passed to add agenda items to the April Council meeting to discuss the impact on Chiatown of the proposed relocation of the 76ers’ arena and the student financial (food, housing, etc.) insecurity. Commenters suggested that Penn create a fund to assist displaced residents of the University City Townhomes and that Penn remain neutral regarding the RA unionization effort.

The next University Council meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 19, at 4 p.m. at the Hall of Flags in Houston Hall.