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Wharton School’s New Quantitative Finance Major, Professorship and Scholarship Program with $8 Million Gift from Bruce I. Jacobs

caption: Bruce I. JacobsWharton Dean Geoff Garrett is delighted to announce a new chapter in finance research and education at the Wharton School. The MBA program is launching a new quantitative finance major within the finance department. New courses will be offered, bolstered by the establishment of the Dr. Bruce I. Jacobs Professorship in Quantitative Finance and the new Dr. Bruce I. Jacobs Scholars in Quantitative Finance. The Jacobs Scholars funding will provide top caliber students with the opportunity to compete for a second year financial academic award. The new professorship and scholars funds have been made possible by an $8 million gift from Bruce I. Jacobs (G’79, GRW’86). Together, they will usher in a new era of opportunities for students and faculty at Wharton.

The Dr. Bruce I. Jacobs Professorship in Quantitative Finance will support the appointment to Wharton’s finance department of faculty who are experts in quantitative finance. The Dr. Bruce I. Jacobs Scholarship in Quantitative Finance is an academic award dedicated to exceptional students entering their second year of the Wharton MBA program and majoring in quantitative finance. Recipients will each receive a $25,000 award in support of their tuition. Together, these students will form an elite group of Jacobs Scholars focusing on applying financial economics to security pricing and asset management. In addition to this financial support, Jacobs Scholars will be invited to explore networking opportunities with industry leaders at the annual conference of Wharton’s Jacobs Levy Equity Management Center for Quantitative Financial Research. 

“Bruce is a pioneer and innovator in connecting academic research with investment management, and we are honored that he is making this bold new step in his immense ongoing support of the School,” said Dean Garrett. “His new gift will attract and nurture talented students and faculty in quantitative finance to prepare a new generation of leaders in finance for the challenges we face today and in the future. This, coupled with our new quantitative finance major, marks an exciting addition to Wharton’s stellar portfolio of finance offerings and opportunities for the incredible students and faculty in this community.”

The Jacobs Scholars funding will enable Wharton to attract top caliber MBA students, just as the professorship will fuel the recruitment and retention of stellar faculty in quantitative finance. The endowment will also provide targeted support for the new MBA major in quantitative finance, build on the momentum of quantitative finance programming at the School, and prepare leaders in quantitative finance for success and impact in communities across the world. 

The new MBA major in quantitative finance will include cross-disciplinary content from accounting; statistics; and operations, information and decisions. The major will appeal to students with strong quantitative backgrounds in a variety of subjects, such as engineers and computer science majors, who aspire to develop their skills for quantitative applications in finance. Students in the major will hone their technical expertise and leadership skills. 

The funds extend Dr. Jacobs’ longstanding generosity to the Wharton School. Together with Kenneth N. Levy (WG’76, G’82) he established and chairs the Jacobs Levy Equity Management Center for Quantitative Financial Research, the Jacobs Levy Equity Management Dissertation Fellowships in Quantitative Finance, and the Wharton-Jacobs Levy Prize for Quantitative Financial Innovation.

“My aspiration in giving to Wharton is to build a community of people interested and invested in quantitative finance and to spark a ripple effect on a global scale,” said Dr. Jacobs. “Great progress has been achieved by the Jacobs Levy Center, Fellowship, and Prize at Wharton. Those successes and Wharton’s commitment to the future of finance inspired me to deepen my support of students and the faculty who will enrich future generations of leaders and the broader economy. I can think of no better time for this initiative as we face new economic, health, and markets issues that will shape the world economy for decades.”

Dr. Jacobs is co-chief investment officer, portfolio manager and co-director of research at Jacobs Levy Equity Management, which he co-founded in 1986. He is author of Too Smart for Our Own Good: Ingenious Investment Strategies, Illusions of Safety, and Market Crashes and Capital Ideas and Market Realities: Option Replication, Investor Behavior, and Stock Market Crashes. He has also written numerous articles on equity management that have appeared in a host of academic journals and co-authored with Ken Levy, Equity Management: Quantitative Analysis for Stock Selection and Equity Management: The Art and Science of Modern Quantitative Investing, 2nd ed.

Dr. Jacobs holds an MA in applied economics and a PhD in finance from Wharton. 

He is chair of the Advisory Board of the Jacobs Levy Equity Management Center for Quantitative Financial Research and a prior Wharton finance faculty member.

Penn's 264th Commencement: Until We Meet Again!

In-person ceremonies marking Penn’s 264th commencement have not gone away. They are merely postponed, waiting for a day when we can all once again safely gather together. 

This is a class that has put the health of society and the safety of others first. And so, in a very real way, you will always be first in my heart.

In recognition of your hard work, your many achievements—and in anticipation of our gathering yet to come that will truly be like none Penn has seen before—I invite you to join with me, the deans, your professors, classmates, families and friends for a fast, fun, online celebration of your myriad impressive academic achievements.

Please plan to join us on Monday, May 18 at 11 a.m. for the University-wide celebration. 

For information and links to your individual School ceremony, as well as information regarding the various online celebrations, optional regalia orders and when students will receive their diplomas, visit Penn’s commencement site: commencement.upenn.edu, or Penn’s social media channels, to tune in.

In solidarity, in anticipation, and in the highest regard for all you have achieved,

—Amy Gutmann, President

SEAS 2020 Teaching Awards

The recipients of the annual Penn Engineering teaching and advising awards are selected directly by Penn Engineering students after thoughtful consideration. The School of Engineering and Applied Science is filled with gifted educators who inspire students with their dedication and excellence.

The S. Reid Warren, Jr., Award

caption: Liang FengLiang Feng, assistant professor in materials science and engineering and electrical and systems engineering, has been awarded the S. Reid Warren, Jr., Award, which is presented annually by the undergraduate student body and the  Engineering Alumni Society in recognition of outstanding service in stimulating and guiding the intellectual and professional development of undergraduate students.

One student remarked, “Dr. Feng is one of the most caring professors I’ve ever had and truly cares for the success of each and every one of his students. In taking his course last semester, I got a sense of the passion he has for inspiring the next generations of engineers.”

Dr. Feng received a BS and an MS in physics from Nanjing University in China. He subsequently earned a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of California San Diego.

Ford Motor Company Award for Faculty Advising

caption: Paris PerdikarisParis Perdikaris, assistant professor in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics, has been awarded the Ford Motor Company Award for Faculty Advising. This award recognizes dedication to helping students realize their educational, career and personal goals.

One student remarked, “Dr. Perdikaris is a quintessential mentor as he allowed me to pursue a co-advised independent study with him and Professor Talid Sinno in chemical and biomolecular engineering. Given my interdisciplinary interests, Dr. Perdikaris has been an exceptional mentor for me for both my research and personal goals.”

Dr. Perdikaris received a diploma in naval architecture and marine engineering from the National Technical University of Athens in 2009. He went on to earn MSc and PhD degrees in applied mathematics from Brown University in 2010 and 2015, respectively.

Hatfield Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Lecturer and Practice Professor Track

caption: Tania KhannaTania Khanna, senior lecturer in electrical and systems engineering, has been awarded the Hatfield Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Lecturer and Practice Professor Track. This award recognizes outstanding teaching ability, dedication to innovative undergraduate instruction, and exemplary service to the School in consistently inspiring students in the engineering and scientific profession.

Describing Dr. Khanna, a student remarked, “I have seen her take a personal interest in making sure every single one of her students builds a strong sense of intuition for the topics at hand, and it pays off. If it wasn’t for Dr. Khanna’s help, I’m not sure if I would still be interested in pursuing a career in electrical engineering.”

Dr. Khanna received a BS in electrical and computer engineering from Cornell University in 2005. She later earned SM and PhD degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Digital Penn Relays: April 24

On April 24, the iconic Penn Relays go online. The digital event will feature a Minecraft competition, virtual tables and a workout class. Gen.G, the Global eSports organization connecting the best gamers in the United States and Asia, and the Penn Relays are partnering to produce an all-new Digital Penn Relays, presented by the United States Marine Corps. The Digital Penn Relays will be the first-ever digital livestream with gaming-related content designed to connect the community with competition and infotainment. The event will take place on Friday, April 24, from noon to 5 p.m. at twitch.tv/thepennrelays This would have been day two of the previously scheduled three-day 2020 Penn Relays presented by Toyota that were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Message on Summer Programming and Budget Considerations for Fiscal Year 2021

April 13, 2020

The guiding priority of the University, from the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been to protect the health and safety of Penn students, faculty, staff, postdocs, patients and visitors. Moving to a virtual learning platform and depopulating the campus in a matter of days required an unprecedented effort. We are profoundly grateful to everyone at Penn who contributed to facilitate this extraordinary transition. It was a heroic accomplishment, and it ensures that our core missions of teaching, learning, and research can continue despite the significant disruptions brought about by the pandemic. While many of us are working remotely, we wish to thank and acknowledge the dedicated staff—including custodial, dining, safety officers, animal care, and skilled trades—who continue to come to campus to serve our students, support our faculty and research, steward our buildings, and keep us and our Philadelphia neighbors safe.

Many of you have asked about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the University’s finances. As the end of the semester approaches, we want to share with you the University’s plans for the summer and coming fiscal year, which begins on July 1. 

Summer 2020 Activities and Programs

We are announcing today that all summer courses and in-person programs must be delivered remotely or online. There will be no summer programs offered in-person on campus, including summer camps and summer courses. This extends our previous guidance about the summer to include Summer Session II, which begins on July 2. For undergraduates, please check Penn InTouch for updated summer course information. For graduate and professional students, please consult your Schools and programs. For camps and other non-credit programs, please check with the program for specific guidance. Summer study abroad remains cancelled, along with all other University-related travel, as originally announced on March 13. There will be no changes to previously established costs and grading policies for credit-bearing undergraduate courses in the Summer Sessions.

Fiscal Year 2021 Budget

The unpredictability and duration of the pandemic requires us to exercise the utmost prudence and caution in the year ahead. We are initiating a number of significant measures to reduce expenses, with the goals of reducing ongoing costs, preserving jobs, and maintaining salary continuity. Many of our financial mitigation actions focus on compensation, which accounts for roughly 60% of our annual University-wide expenses.

  • Hiring Freeze: There will be a university-wide hiring freeze on all positions, both new and replacement, except grant-funded positions approved by the highest level of the School/center.
  • Limited Merit Increase Program: There will be a limited merit increase program in fiscal year 2021 focused on our employees with a base salary at or below $70,000. For those with salaries above this threshold, including officers, Deans and Vice Presidents, there will be no annual wage or stipend increases for the 2021 fiscal year.
  • Temporary Positions, Acting Rates, Additional Pays and Overtime Restricted: No new temporary staff, interns, non-work study student workers, or co-op students are permitted to be hired. No new acting rates or additional pays are permitted without the approval of the Dean, Director, or Vice President and the approval of Human Resources. Overtime should be minimized to the fullest extent possible and carefully monitored.
  • Mid-Year Salary Adjustments Eliminated: There will be no mid-year salary adjustments available in fiscal year 2021. 

In addition, we are extending through fiscal year 2021 the implementation of non-compensation actions currently in place:

  • Reducing Discretionary Spending: We urge Schools and Centers to immediately implement reductions in discretionary spending that are not critical to the operation of the University. All University-related travel was prohibited on March 13. Should travel guidance be revised at a future date, we expect travel and entertainment expenditures to be substantially reduced. Other non-essential current expenses should be reduced to the fullest extent possible, including outside services, consulting, conferences, and meetings.
  • Pausing Capital Projects: Capital projects that are already in design or construction and have a fully defined funding plan can continue. However, Schools and centers are being directed to review their capital planning to evaluate whether they can still commit the same levels of funding as previously planned, especially when utilizing unrestricted funds. No new feasibility or design studies will be initiated at this time. Per Governor Wolf’s executive order, construction projects deemed not “life-sustaining” have been directed to shut down.
  • Prioritize Use of Donor Restricted Funds: Schools and centers are being directed to ensure that they use operating gifts and spendable endowment income balances in advance of unrestricted funds, consistent with gift terms, to provide the greatest degree of flexibility in responding to the economic circumstances. 

In implementing the steps outlined above, our goal is to preserve the vast majority of staff positions at Penn until we can return to full campus operations, recognizing that no institution, including Penn, can accurately forecast today the full impact of this crisis on our future budgets.

In response to these rapidly changing economic conditions and their impact on our staff and third-party contractors, we have created The Penn COVID-19 Emergency Grant Assistance Fund. This fund will distribute grants to full-time and part-time employees, as well as certain contracted employees in need of emergency financial assistance due to the economic downturn created by the COVID-19 crisis. Eligible applicants who earn at or below $70,000 can receive a tax-free grant up to $1,500 for full-time staff and $750 for part-time staff. Staff and contracted employees are asked to visit https://coronavirus.upenn.edu for information and instructions on how to apply for these funds. Acceptance of applications began at noon on Monday, April 13.

The economic downturn will not affect Penn’s long-standing commitment to grant-based financial aid, sustaining need-based financial aid for undergraduate students, competitive stipends for PhD students, and extensive grants and subsidy programs for graduate and professional students.

While the steps we have taken are difficult and additional financial measures may need to be considered in the future, we are confident that there are better days ahead, and Penn will emerge from this crisis strong. We are inspired by Penn researchers who are working overtime to develop and test a vaccine and ever grateful for the team at Penn Medicine who are passionately and professionally caring for those afflicted and nursing them to health. We will overcome these challenging times because of the talent, resilience, and determination of every member of the Penn community.

Thank you for your patience and support, and we will continue to keep you updated as the situation moves forward.

—Wendell Pritchett, Provost

—Craig Carnaroli, Executive Vice President

Russell DiLeo: University Comptroller

caption: Russell DiLeoWe are excited to share the appointment of Russell DiLeo as University Comptroller, following a national search. The University Comptroller is the chief accounting officer for the University and is responsible for ensuring that the University’s financial policies, procedures, operations and practices are appropriate, effective and efficient in a decentralized environment. The position requires strong leadership, the ability to collaborate broadly, high integrity, a deep understanding of accounting standards and tax regulations, and the ability to represent the institution on many levels and on multiple project teams. The University Comptroller plays a critical role in establishing systems and best practices that support the University’s education and research mission while also ensuring compliance with local, state, federal and international regulations. Through his work with Penn over 19 years and through his leadership as interim comptroller, he has lived up to each of these demanding criteria.

Russell started at Penn in 2000 as general accountant and progressed through every level of the Comptroller’s Office, serving as associate comptroller, financial reporting and accounting operations, before he took on the interim Comptroller’s role after John Horn’s retirement (Almanac March 3, 2020). He has great credibility throughout his vast external network and has been recognized by his higher education peers and PwC, our external accounting firm, as having some of the strongest technical skills in the industry coupled with best-in-class execution skills. He is viewed as being on the front line of industry trends/accounting issues. 

Russell is a strong collaborator across the University and is also known for his ability to develop excellent accounting professionals, many of whom are now in our Schools/Centers. He very much looks forward to deeper relationships across the University and the Health System. We wish to express our appreciation to the Hiring Committee comprised of senior financial executives from both the University and the Health System. His appointment will be brought to the Trustees for approval at its May meeting. 

—Craig Carnaroli, Executive Vice President

—MaryFrances McCourt, Vice President of Finance and Treasurer

Penn’s Power Purchase Agreement with Community Energy for Largest Solar Project in Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the creation of a solar power project moving the University significantly closer to meeting its commitment of a 100% carbon neutral campus by 2042, as outlined in the Climate & Sustainability Action Plan 3.0.

The agreement (consisting of two contracts) will result in the construction in central Pennsylvania of two new solar energy facilities with combined capacity of 220 megawatts, which is projected to produce approximately 450,000 MWh of electricity annually. Penn will purchase all electricity produced at the sites—equal to about 75% of the total electricity demand of the academic campus and the University of Pennsylvania Health System—for 25 years at a rate competitive with conventional electricity prices. The project partner, Radnor, Pennsylvania-based Community Energy, expects this to be the largest solar power project in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The scale of the PPA, delivering annually 220 MW, enables this agreement to cover both the University academic campus and the Health System, and ranks it at the top of solar and wind installations created by Penn’s Ivy League university peers to offset their carbon emissions.  

Penn intends to retire all Pennsylvania Alternative Energy Credits produced by the project, meaning that the solar power generated will be above and beyond Pennsylvania Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard requirements, and will be key to meeting the campus’ carbon reduction goals. This project, comprised of two facilities, would not be built without this commitment from the University of Pennsylvania. 

“This agreement not only allows the University of Pennsylvania to continue to demonstrate strong leadership on climate action, but it also provides a competitive price on electricity,” said Anne Papageorge, vice president for Facilities & Real Estate Services. “The University first laid out its roadmap to environmental sustainability in 2009, and we’ve accomplished much. This PPA is our most recent example of Penn’s commitment to meeting our climate goals.”

“This massive solar power commitment demonstrates impressive and much needed leadership on climate change,” said Jay Carlis, executive vice president of Community Energy. “This voluntary power purchase agreement with the University of Pennsylvania is the gold standard for renewable energy procurement. This long-term commitment today is needed to make the development of this project a reality for commercial operation towards the end of 2022.”

Starting in 2023, the PPA will supplement the University’s past and ongoing energy conservation and sustainability efforts, reduce the University’s entire academic campus carbon emissions by 45% from its 2009 levels, and meet the goal of the Paris Climate Accord seven years early.

The University of Pennsylvania became an early adopter of renewable energy purchases with a 10-year renewable energy contract signed with Community Energy in 2006 (Almanac April 11, 2006), for the Bear Creek Wind Farm, one of the first in Pennsylvania. Thanks to that contract and additional green power purchases, the University became a perennial leader atop the EPA Green Power Partnership list of college and university renewable energy purchasers. The new Penn solar project is expected to break ground in the fall of 2021 and the electricity will begin to be delivered beginning in 2023. 

Deaths

Roselyn Eisenberg, Vet School

caption: Roz EisenbergRoselyn (Roz) Eisenberg, professor emerita of pathobiology at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine, died on March 14 after a fall and short illness. She was 79.

Dr. Eisenberg earned her AB in biology from Bryn Mawr College in 1960 and her PhD in microbiology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1965. She completed her post-doctorate at Princeton University before being hired by the University of Pennsylvania in 1968 as a lecturer in microbiology in the School of Dental Medicine. The next year she became an assistant professor. 

She was one of several women in the early days of the women’s movement who filed a lawsuit against the University over discrimination based on sex, related to denial of tenure; the case was settled and she was given a seven-year tenure probationary period (Almanac September 19, 1978).

In 1978, she joined the School of Veterinary Medicine as an assistant professor in pathobiology. She went on to become an associate professor and then in 1985 she was promoted to professor in the Vet School. 

While a professor and head of a Laboratory of Microbiology & Immunology in the Vet School, she collaborated on a vaccine to counter the ill effects of vaccinia virus and confer additional protection against smallpox (Almanac September 16, 2003). She also filed a patent application for herpes simplex vaccine while at Vet School, collaborating with Gary Cohen in Penn’s Dental School, and later received funding from the NIH for this research (Almanac March 1, 1988).

She was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and won multiple University Research Foundation Awards. She also earned a Penn Professional Women’s Award, the Lenore Rowe Williams Award (Almanac May 9, 2006).

She served on numerous committees, including the Consultative Review Committee on the Reappointment of Joan Hendricks as Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine and the consultative committee for selection of a provost in 2004. She also served on several Faculty Senate committees, including Academic Freedom and Responsibility, Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics, Faculty Grievance Commission, and Open Expression. 

She was also among a number of senior women faculty concerned about the morale and security of the women students on campus (Almanac February 14, 1984; September 14, 1999). She retired in 2018, earning emerita status at that time. She spent the last two years of her life in Davis, California. While there she worked on the retirement center’s monthly newsletter and led a science-scholarship discussion group.

Dr. Eisenberg is survived by children, Jeff Eisenberg and Ruth Anne Robbins; children-in-law, Jennifer Jett and Steve Robbins; and grandchildren, Shelby Robbins and Gwen Robbins.

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To Report A Death

Almanac appreciates being informed of the deaths of current and former faculty and staff members, students and other members of the University community. Call (215) 898-5274 or email almanac@upenn.edu

Governance

From the Senate Office: SEC Actions

The following is published in accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules. Among other purposes, the publication of SEC actions is intended to stimulate discussion among the constituencies and their representatives. Please communicate your comments to Patrick Walsh, executive assistant to the Senate Office, either by telephone at (215) 898-6943 or by email at senate@pobox.upenn.edu

Faculty Senate Executive Committee (SEC) Actions

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Chair’s Report. Faculty Senate Chair Steven Kimbrough informed SEC of the establishment of the Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Planning for Post-Pandemic Penn (PPPP). Professor Kimbrough provided a rationale for the establishment of PPPP and enumerated its initial membership roster.  

“The ongoing pandemic immediately puts universities, Penn not excepted, into difficult circumstances. Beyond the exigencies of the moment, we can expect deep uncertainty, difficult tradeoffs, and the risk of wrenching consequences in both the near- and longer-term future. For these reasons, now is the time to bring our faculty’s intellectual resources to discussions, planning and decisions for the near- and longer-term future of post-pandemic Penn.  

“In consequence, the Faculty Senate will create an ad hoc committee on Planning for Post-Pandemic Penn. Initial core members of PPPP, all of whom have agreed to serve, have had significant faculty leadership roles. This affords legitimacy and draws upon a wide scope of pertinent experience. The committee will begin exploratory discussions immediately and ramp up its work over the summer and fall. In doing so, the committee will—as the main part of its mission—reach out across Penn to the faculty, and indeed to all of Penn, searching for ideas, insights, information and knowledge from all available perspectives.  

“I would anticipate that the committee will follow the successful example of CIRCE [Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the Institutional Response to the Climate Emergency], expanding its membership and forming subcommittees that can work in parallel. Everyone who has been invited to serve on PPPP has accepted the invitation. I imagine that hundreds of Penn faculty would be willing and eager to serve, and would have invaluable contributions to make. We must all acknowledge that this presents a formidable management problem. At the top of PPPP’s agenda will be to develop approaches for soliciting ideas from the larger community.  

“We have informed President Gutmann and Provost Pritchett of this plan. I believe that they see this as we see it:  activating the PPPP committee is a profoundly constructive and uniting event. May SEC’s goal of fostering exemplary deliberations be reaffirmed and taken to an even higher level of excellence.”

The initial membership roster of PPPP includes:

  • Jennifer Pinto-Martin, Viola MacInnes/Independence Professor of Nursing, Chair
  • Anita Allen, Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy
  • William Braham, Professor of Architecture
  • Peter Cappelli, George W. Taylor Professor and Professor of Management
  • Chenoa Flippen, Associate Professor of Sociology
  • Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor of Communication
  • Steven Kimbrough, Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions
  • Howard Kunreuther, James G. Dinan Professor Emeritus of Operations, Information and Decisions
  • Harvey Rubin, Professor of Medicine
  • Santosh Venkatesh, Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering
  • Bethany Wiggin, Associate Professor of German

Past Chair’s Report. Faculty Senate Past Chair Jennifer Pinto-Martin, in her capacity as a member of the Faculty Senate Nominating Committee, informed SEC that the Faculty Senate Nominating Committee has appointed William Braham, Professor of Architecture, as Chair-Elect of the Faculty Senate (see From the Senate Office: Senate Nominations 2020-2021 article).

Get Out the Vote Update. SEC member and Professor of Communication, Psychology and Marketing Emily Falk reported on progress made on the Get Out the Vote initiative since the previous SEC meeting.  

Update from the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the Institutional Response to the Climate Emergency (“CIRCE”). CIRCE Chair and its Subcommittee on Operations Chair William Braham, chair of CIRCE Subcommittee on Community and Policy Chair Simon Richter, and CIRCE Subcommittee on Research and Education Chair Michael Weisberg each offered interim reports in turn on the work of CIRCE to-date.

Update from the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Scholarly Communication (“ScholComm”). ScholComm Chair Daniel Raff, along with Associate Vice Provost and Deputy University Librarian Jon Shaw and Associate University Librarian for Collections Brigitte Weinsteiger, each offered interim reports in turn on the work of ScholComm to-date.  

From the Senate Office: Senate Nominations 2020-2021

Pursuant to the Faculty Senate Rules, formal notification to members may be accomplished by publication in Almanac. The following is published under that rule.

TO: Members of the Faculty Senate

FROM: José A. Bauermeister, Chair, Nominating Committee

SUBJECT: Senate Nominations 2020-2021

1. In accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules, official notice is given of the Senate Nominating Committee’s slate of nominees for the incoming Senate Officers. The nominees, all of whom have indicated their willingness to serve, are:

Chair-elect:

  • William Braham (Weitzman)

Secretary-elect:

  • Catherine McDonald (Nursing)

At-large Members of the Senate Executive Committee: to serve a 3-year term beginning upon election:

  • Mary Regina Boland (PSOM/Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Informatics)
  • Donita Brady (PSOM/Cancer Biology)
  • Rose Nolen-Walston (Veterinary Medicine)
  • Emily Steiner (SAS/English)

Assistant Professor Member of the Senate Executive Committee: to serve a 2-year term beginning upon election:

  • Cesar de la Fuente (PSOM/Psychiatry)

Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility: to serve a 3-year term beginning upon election:

  • Geoffrey Aguirre (PSOM/Neurology)
  • Sigal Ben-Porath (GSE)
  • Christopher Marcinkoski (Weitzman)
  • Raina Merchant (PSOM/Emergency Medicine)

Senate Committee on Economic Status of the Faculty: to serve a 3-year term beginning upon election:

  • Shawn Bird (PSOM/Neurology)
  • Eric Clemons (Wharton)
  • Graciela Gonzalez Hernandez (PSOM/Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Informatics)
  • Melissa Sanchez (SAS/English)

2. Again in accord with the Senate Rules you are invited to submit additional nominations, which shall be accomplished via petitions containing at least twenty-five valid names and the signed approval of the candidate. All such petitions must be received no later than fourteen days subsequent to the circulation of the nominees of the Nominating Committee. Petitions must be received by email to the Faculty Senate, senate@pobox.upenn.edu by 5 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 4, 2020.

3. Under the same provision of the Senate Rules, if no additional nominations are received, the slate nominated by the Nominating Committee will be declared elected.

Policies

Rules Governing Final Examinations

The Rules Governing Final Examinations govern final examinations at the University of Pennsylvania. These rules are published each semester as a reminder to the academic community. 

Given that all in-person activities are currently suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, instructors should be reminded that all Spring 2020 exams will be conducted remotely. The University strongly encourages instructors to be flexible and hold asynchronous take-home final exams whenever possible. Resources for developing take-home final exams can be found on the Center for Teaching and Learning’s website at https://www.ctl.upenn.edu/adapting-your-final-exam-remote-teaching-environment

If instructors feel that their exams must be held synchronously, the exam must be held at the time designated on the Final Exam Schedule in order to avoid conflicts. Students who are residing in a time zone other than Eastern Daylight Time should alert their instructor as soon as possible for accommodations. The University does not encourage the use of remote proctoring tools.

In addition, this year, Ramadan begins on Thursday, April 23, 2020 and continues through Saturday, May 23, 2020. Students are encouraged to contact their faculty and advisors as early as possible to discuss any potential conflicts between their academic work and their observance of Ramadan. The Office of the Chaplain can offer support and respond to any questions or concerns concerning Ramadan.

  1. No instructor may hold a final examination nor require the submission of a take-home final exam except during the period in which final examinations are scheduled; when necessary, exceptions to this policy may be granted for postponed examinations (see 3 and 4 below). No final examinations may be scheduled during the last week of classes or on reading days.
  2. No student may be required to take more than two final examinations on any calendar day during the period in which final examinations are scheduled. If more than two are scheduled, the student may postpone the middle exam. If a take-home final exam is due on a day when two final examinations are scheduled, the take-home exam shall be postponed by one day.
  3. Examinations that are postponed because of conflicts with other examinations, or because more than two examinations are scheduled on the same day, may be taken at another time during the final examinations period if the faculty member and student can agree on that time. Otherwise, they must be taken during the official period for postponed examinations.
  4. Examinations that are postponed because of illness, a death in the family, for religious observance or some other unusual event may be taken only during the official periods: the first week of the spring and fall semesters. Students must obtain permission from their Dean’s office to take a postponed exam. Instructors in all courses must be willing to offer a make-up examination to all students who are excused from the final examination.
  5. No instructor may change the time or date of a final exam without permission from the appropriate Dean.
  6. No instructor may increase the time allowed for a final exam beyond the scheduled two hours without permission from the appropriate Dean.
  7. No classes or required class activities may be held during the reading period.
  8. The first examination of the day begins at 9 a.m. and the last examination concludes by 8 p.m. There will be one hour between exam time blocks.
  9. All students must be allowed to see their final examination. Exams should be available as soon as possible after being graded with access ensured for a period of at least one regular semester after the exam has been given. To help protect student privacy, a student should have access only to his or her own exam and not the exams of other students. Therefore, for example, it is not permissible to leave student exams (or grades or papers) in publicly accessible areas.
  10. Students may not be asked for their Social Security numbers. Instructors may not publicly display a student’s Penn ID or any portion of the Social Security number, nor use names, initials or any personally identifiable information to post grades. Even when an identifier is masked or absent, grades may not be posted in alphabetical order, to protect student privacy.
  11. Final exams for College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) courses must be given on the regular class meeting night during the week of final examinations. No change in scheduling is permitted without unanimous consent of all students in the class and the director of LPS. LPS final exams may not be administered during the last week of class or on a reading day.

In all matters relating to final exams, students with questions should first consult with their Dean’s offices. Faculty wishing to seek exceptions to the rules also should consult with their Dean’s offices. Finally, the Council of Undergraduate Deans and Student Committee on Undergraduate Education (SCUE) urge instructors to see that all examinations are actively proctored.

—Wendell Pritchett, Provost

Honors

Peggy Compton: International Nurse Research Hall of Fame

caption: Peggy ComptonPenn Nursing’s Peggy Compton, the van Ameringen Chair in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing and associate professor in the department of family and community health, was selected for induction to the International Nurse Research Hall of Fame. She will be honored by Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) during the 31st International Nursing Research Congress, July 23-27, now being held virtually.

Dr. Compton’s work is grounded in her neuropsychiatric nursing practice in addiction and pain treatment settings and involves the testing and refinement of a novel nursing theory that pain and opioid addiction are interrelated phenomena co-expressed in unique human life responses. Dr. Compton has established herself as an expert in identifying opioid abuse and addiction in chronic pain patients, opioid-induced hyperalgesia in patients on chronic opioid therapy and has made significant contributions to the fields of addiction and pain.

Dr. Compton’s experience working in several public treatment settings, coupled with her extensive research and publication on pain and opioids, has helped to establish methods to detect alterations in pain responses in patients on opioid therapy and identify substance use disorders and addiction in chronic pain patients on ongoing analgesic therapy. Determining whether patients are taking their opioid medications appropriately, and aggressively treating addiction should it present, are critical to effective pain care, but often challenging for the primary care clinician. Dr. Compton has been instrumental in developing tools that utilize foundational assessment categories such as family/personal history of addiction, psychiatric disorders and opioid use patterns, to assess for the presence of substance use disorders.

Frances Jensen: Smith College Medal

Frances E. Jensen, chair of neurology in Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, was awarded the Smith College Medal at a ceremony on February 20. The Smith Medal was established in 1962 to recognize Smith College alumnae who exemplify in their lives and work “the true purpose” of a liberal arts education.

Dr. Jensen, who earned an AB in neuro-psychology from Smith College in 1978, is the first woman to lead the University of Pennsylvania’s department of neurology. Her research focuses on epilepsy and stroke, and how epilepsy interacts with other diseases, such as autism and dementia.

Beyond her academic role, Dr. Jensen authored The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults, and she lectures about the teen brain at science museums, educational events and in other venues.

Nwamaka Eneanya: 40 Under 40

caption: Nwamaka EneanyaNwamaka D. Eneanya, nephrologist and assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at PSOM, has been named one of the 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health by the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF). The award recognizes the next generation of thought leaders in reducing health disparities to build sustainable communities. Dr. Eneanya is the first female Black nephrologist on Penn’s faculty.

Four Penn Juniors: Goldwater Scholars

Four juniors at the University of Pennsylvania have been selected as Goldwater Scholars by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship & Excellence in Education Foundation, which provides scholarships of as much as $7,500 to undergraduate students interested in pursuing research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics or engineering. Penn has had 47 recipients of the scholarship since Congress established the foundation in 1986 to honor the work of US Senator Barry Goldwater.

Following are this year’s recipients:

caption: Regina FairbanksRegina Fairbanks is a biology major in the School of Arts and Sciences. She has been working in the Levine Lab, where she studies reproductive arrest in fruit flies. As a Penn Museum Fellow, Ms. Fairbanks has been working in the Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials analyzing botanical remains from an archaeological site in Israel to understand agricultural practices in the Early Bronze Age. She previously was a National Science Foundation research intern at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in the botany department. She is also a Benjamin Franklin Scholar. Ms. Fairbanks intends to pursue a PhD in biology, conduct research using molecular approaches at a natural history museum and curate a museum collection.

 

caption: Samuel GoldsteinSamuel Goldstein is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics and a master’s degree in physics in the School of Arts and Sciences. He has research experience with the US Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Cosmology Group and Penn’s High Energy Physics Group. Mr. Goldstein is currently researching non-linear galaxy bias in preparation for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. He is also a CURF Research Peer Advisor and a tutor. He intends to pursue a PhD in physics and then teach at a university and conduct research in cosmology.

 

 

caption: Adam KonkolAdam Konkol is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, biophysics and physics and a master’s degree in physics in the School of Arts and Sciences. He has worked with biology professor Doris Wagner on factors involved in plant genetic regulation and assistant professor Eleni Katifori on complex adaptive networks in biology. A recipient of the Vagelos Challenge Award, Mr. Konkol’s current work focuses on vascular development on the surface of the brain as well as the study of tidal river deltas. Mr. Konkol has also led physics labs and weekend organic chemistry workshops. He is training to become a speaking coach with Communication Within the Curriculum at Penn and aims to create physics-based community outreach programs. He intends to pursue a PhD in physics.

 

caption: Shreya ParchureShreya Parchure is a bioengineering major in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. She has been working with Roy Hamilton, who directs the Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation in the Perelman School of Medicine, characterizing a form of non-invasive brain stimulation for use in neurorehabilitation after stroke. The work with Dr. Hamilton is through a Faculty Mentoring Undergraduate Research grant. She also is creating a cardiac surgical device with support from Penn Health-Tech. She is a Rachleff Scholar and a recipient of a Vagelos Undergraduate Research Grant. As a United Nations Millennium Fellow, Ms. Parchure led a social-impact initiative expanding her work with Penn’s Intercultural Leadership Program. She serves as a CURF Research Peer Advisor and as co-editor-in-chief of the Penn Bioethics Journal. She intends to pursue an MD/PhD in neuroengineering and conduct medical research.

Penn Gymnastics: Ivy Classic Champs

With a score of 194.850—the second-best in school history—the Penn gymnastics team won the Ivy Classic championship, their 13th overall and first in five years. Penn outperformed second-place Yale (193.800), third-place Brown (193.050), and host Cornell (192.975) at the competition in Ithaca, New York in late February.

The Quakers were the top-scoring team on the vault and bars, and they had second-highest marks on the beam and floor. The team’s vault score, 48.775, tied for the best in school history. A score of 49.125 on the beam by Penn also tied the program record.

DPS UPPD: CALEA Re-Accreditation

The University of Pennsylvania Police Department has received CALEA re-accreditation at the Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation level.

In March 2001, The University of Pennsylvania Police Department was awarded its first Accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., (CALEA), which administers a rigorous accreditation process whereby law enforcement agencies must adhere to over 440 standards, codes and state-of-the-art practices. The UPPD was the first Pennsylvania university police department to receive this prestigious recognition.

The vote was unanimous to grant re-accreditation at the Advanced Law Enforcement Accreditation level. This was the 7th cycle for a total of 18 consecutive years of accreditation. With this re-accreditation, the department is considered exemplary in the field of law enforcement and this accreditation will pave the way to increased professionalism within the standards of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

2020 Graduate Student Teaching Awards

Winners of the Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students were recently announced. Nominations were submitted by students in their courses and captured the dedication to teaching embodied by each of these talented students: 

  • Alex Chianese (Nursing)
  • Caroline Hodge (Anthropology)
  • Razan Idris (History)
  • Timothy Kundro (Management)
  • Zachary Loeb (History & Sociology of Science)
  • Muira McCammon (Communication)
  • Victoria Muir (Bioengineering)   
  • Taylor Odle (Education)
  • Gino Pauselli (Political Science)
  • Hadass Silver (Political Science)  

Kayla Padilla: Ivy League Rookie of the Year

Kayla Padilla, a first-year guard on the 20-7 (10-4) women’s basketball team, has been named Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

The Quakers began the season with a 10-1 record—their best start in school history. In her first 13 games, Ms. Padilla scored 20 or more points eight times.

At season’s end, she was the second-leading scorer in the conference, averaging 17.4 points per game, a six-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week and a two-time Ivy League Player of the Week. She has been named Ivy League Rookie of the Year and a First-Team All-Ivy selection.

A native of Torrance, California, she ranked second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.399), second in three-point field goals per game (2.7), sixth in minutes per game (32.4), and eighth in field goal percentage (.416).

For the Quakers, Ms. Padilla started all 27 games and led the Red & Blue in points per game, minutes per game, three-point field goal percentage, three-point field goals attempted and made, and free throws attempted and made.

Ms. Padilla is the fifth Quaker since 2010-2011 to be named conference Rookie of the Year, and sixth overall.

Abby Bosco, Gabby Rosenzweig: All-American Honors

Junior defender Abby Bosco and senior attacker Gabby Rosenzweig of the women’s lacrosse team have earned All-American recognition from Inside Lacrosse. Ms. Bosco is a Third-Team All-American and Ms. Rosenzweig is an Honorable Mention. The Quakers played five games before the rest of the season was canceled because of the coronavirus. They went 4-1, including a 17-6 win over #19 Georgetown in the season opener.

Ms. Bosco, from Suffern, New York, had 13 ground balls, 12 caused turnovers and 12 draw controls in the five-game season. She averaged 2.40 caused turnovers per game, the best record in the Ivy League and fifth in the nation. Last season, she started all 18 games and was a Second-Team All-Ivy selection.

Ms. Rosenzweig, from Somers, New York, amassed a team-high 22 points in the five games—11 points and 11 assists. She had three goals and five assists for a total of eight points against Georgetown in Washington, DC. A week later against Johns Hopkins at Franklin Field, she became the women’s lacrosse team’s all-time leading points scorer by scoring five points in Penn’s 15-12 victory.

Ms. Rosenzweig averaged 4.40 points per game in the shortened season, third in the conference, and 2.20 assists per contest, the best in the Ivy League. In three of her four years at Penn, Ms. Rosenzweig earned All-American recognition from Inside Lacrosse. She was an Honorable Mention her sophomore season and a Third-Team All-American last season.

Marion Weiss: Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture

Architects Marion Weiss, the Graham Professor of Practice in Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design, and Michael Manfredi, co-founders of a New York-based architectural design firm named one of North America’s “Emerging Voices” by the Architectural League of New York, are the 2020 recipients of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture.

Their multidisciplinary practice, WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism, is at the forefront of redefining the relationships between landscape, architecture, infrastructure and art. Their award-winning projects include the Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. Integrating art, architecture and ecology, the park has won numerous other honors and was the first project in North America to win Harvard University’s Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design.

Most recently, WEISS/MANFREDI was selected through an international competition to re-imagine the world-renowned La Brea Tar Pits Park and Museum in Los Angeles.
The medals, typically presented in person at Monticello, will be given in absentia this year due to coronavirus-related limitations on events and travel.

WEISS/MANFREDI is known for placing environmental stewardship and sustainability at the core of their work, and for their design projects that require progressive ecological and infrastructural frameworks. The Krishna P. Singh Center for Nanotechnology, a state-of-the-art lab facility at the University of Pennsylvania, earned the firm an AIA Institute Honor Award.

Events

Penn Program in Environmental Humanities: Climate Sensing and Data Storytelling Website: Earth Day Launch

This series of linked digital engagements from Penn’s Environmental Humanities is designed to showcase publicly engaged environmental research projects that marry environmental art and science. The platform is a culmination of the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities’ (PPEH) multi-year explorations of how data, paired with story, can spur action on climate. The platform’s homepage at climatesensing.org will officially launch on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day: April 22, 2020.

Climate Sensing and Data Storytelling: May 7-9

This live stream event is free and open to the public; register in advance on the homepage. In addition to a pre-recorded keynote address and live videoconferenced question-and-
answer session with novelist Amitav Ghosh, this stream will include pre-recorded presentations by such scholars as Laura Barbas-Rhoden (Wofford College), Dominic Boyer (Rice University), Allison Carruth (UCLA), Erin James (University of Idaho), Dolly Jørgensen (University of Stavanger), Patricia Kim (NYU), Jen Ladino (University of Idaho), Stephanie LeMenager (University of Oregon), Sheri Parks (MICA), and Bethany Wiggin (Penn); a live conversation between Amitav Ghosh and Columbia University atmospheric scientist Adam Sobel, moderated by PPEH Topic Director and Associate Professor of Anthropology Nikhil Anand; and a live limited enrollment artist workshop with PPEH Artist-in-Residence Amy Balkin.

These presentations will feature work designed to promote public engagement and generate conversations about environmental and data literacy and justice: art walks; workshops for speculative futures; dance; tours; and public writing, oral history and community science projects. Registered participants will also be invited to a remote “happy hour” and welcome session on the evening of May 7.

Making Sense

This online art exhibition features the work of PPEH Artist-in-Residence Amy Balkin, participating artists Roderick Coover, Jessica Creane, Adrienne Mackey and Sarah Cameron Sunde, as well as creative interventions from the public research projects featured in the scholarly presentations.

My Climate Story

My Climate Story is a series of digital enhancements that features storytelling prompts and tools developed by PPEH’s team of Climate Storytelling public research interns and inspired by past PPEH Writer-in-Residence Eric Holthaus’s insight that “If words make worlds, then we urgently need to tell a new story about the climate crisis.” A culminating engagement in the University of Pennsylvania’s “Year of Data,” the initiative invites additions of lived personal experiences of climate change as vital, embodied climate data to the project’s public data storybank.

covid X climate

A newer public engagement collaboration born of our present global health crisis, covid X climate invites thinkers—scholars, artists, activists, citizens of the world—to share their lived experience and expertise to collectively draw connections between COVID-19 and the set of convergent crises usually lumped under the heading of “climate change.”

Earth Day: 50th Anniversary

On April 22, the US commemorates the 50th anniversary of a milestone of environmentalism: the first Earth Day. Earth Day has an integral Penn connection, as the late Penn professor emeritus Ian McHarg was one of the founders of this event, which raised national awareness of the need for environmental sustainability in a changing world (Almanac March 20, 2001).

In 1969, students at Penn’s GSFA (now the Weitzman School of Design) founded an Earth Week Committee to air concerns about pollution, share resources and plan a week-long event in April 1970 that would bring attention to the planet’s plight. As local media announced the committee’s plans, businesses and civic leaders, both in Philadelphia and in other cities around the country, joined forces with these Penn students and their legendary leader, Dr. McHarg, professor of landscape architecture and regional planning. Dr. McHarg had a deep knowledge of the intersection of design and environmental conservation, having written a book on the subject, Design With Nature, in 1969. With the help of these leaders, the Philadelphia rally expanded from a Penn campus gathering to a city-wide event at Fairmount Park’s Belmont Plateau. A national teach-in was also proposed, as well as a similar rally in New York (Almanac April 10, 1970).

Criticism abounded: skeptics stated that the event would draw attention away from the United States’ struggles in Vietnam (Dr. McHarg: “the people who destroy the environment are equally prepared to destroy their fellow mankind”) and a Daily Pennsylvanian editorial columnist suggested that students had been distributing leaflets that ended up being dropped on the ground, contributing to the problem rather than solving it. However, the event itself drew a large audience. On April 21, 1970, a day of speeches at Independence Mall included appearances by Senator Hugh Scott and consumer rights advocate Ralph Nader. The next day, 25,000 people gathered at Belmont Plateau to hear speeches by Dr. McHarg (“why do I have to be the one to bring you the bad news? you’ve got no future!”), Maine Senator Edmund Muskie, City Councilman David Cohen, Nobel prize winner George Wald and beat poet Allen Ginsberg. Native American rock band Redbone, still four years from a national hit, “Come and Get Your Love,” also performed a set. The event raised money for the Ecology Fund, which planned to fund research and further Earth-related events.

Though Dr. McHarg and the event’s other organizers had hoped to make the event annual, it did not take on the necessary momentum, and by the 1980s, Reagan-era policies had undone much of the awareness that the 1970 Earth Week events had spread. In recent years, though, groups around the world have begun to build on Dr. McHarg’s legacy. In 1990, a new group founded Earth Week 20, an event that grew into an annual rally and continued to spread awareness of environmental conservation. In 2019, Penn founded the McHarg Center to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Design With Nature. The McHarg Center brings together thought leaders in urban ecological design.

Tomorrow, April 22, at noon, Penn Sustainability will host a BlueJeans webinar that features a panel of environmental leaders discussing power purchase agreements, and how Penn will support the construction of two new solar energy facilities, an apt continuation of Dr. McHarg’s work. Register at bit.ly/pennppa101

Update: April At Penn

Fitness and Learning
21    Navigating Startup Challenges to Maximize Success; guidance on structuring your venture, protecting your IP, hiring the right team members and creating a nimble work environment to help you grow; 11:30 a.m.; register: https://bit.ly/W20Startup (GSE).
28    Remaking the Culture of College for Learning & Success; visit the origins of our existing cultures and examples of how culture can be reshaped around a vision of quantum improvements in student outcomes; 3 p.m.; register: http://bit.ly/RSVPW20Culture (GSE).

Talks
22    PPA 101 Webinar; hear about Penn’s Power Purchase Agreement that will support the development of two new solar energy facilities in Pennsylvania; noon; register: bit.ly/pennppa101; info: sustainability.upenn.edu (Sustainability).
23    Osseodensification, The Science and the Clinical Applications; Salah Huwais, University of Minnesota; 5 p.m.; BlueJeans; join: https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/bebswdeu (Penn Dental).

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AT PENN Deadlines

The deadline to submit your virtual events to be featured in the next Update is the Monday prior.

Crimes

Weekly Crime Reports

University of Pennsylvania Police Department Crime Report

Below are the Crimes Against Persons, Crimes Against Society and Crimes Against Property from the campus report for April 6-12, 2020. View prior weeks' reports. —Ed.

This summary is prepared by the Division of Public Safety and includes all criminal incidents reported and made known to the University Police Department for the dates of April 6-12, 2020. The University Police actively patrol from Market St to Baltimore and from the Schuylkill River to 43rd St in conjunction with the Philadelphia Police. In this effort to provide you with a thorough and accurate report on public safety concerns, we hope that your increased awareness will lessen the opportunity for crime. For any concerns or suggestions regarding this report, please call the Division of Public Safety at (215) 898-4482.

04/07/20

1:18 PM

401 S 41st St

Unsecured package taken from porch

04/08/20

1:36 PM

4000 Chestnut St

Offender took unsecured bike

04/08/20

3:54 PM

4101 Sansom St

Unsecured iPhone taken from warehouse

04/09/20

1:59 PM

4101 Spruce St

Unsecured package taken from lobby

04/12/20

11:16 AM

3818 Chestnut St

Secured bike taken from courtyard

04/12/20

12:56 AM

4103 Pine St

Cell phones and cash stolen

 

18th District

Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 3 incidents (3 robberies) with 2 arrests were reported for April 6-12, 2020 by the 18th District covering the Schuylkill River to 49th Street & Market Street to Woodland Avenue.

04/09/20

8:35 AM

4000 Market St

Robbery

04/09/20

11:45 AM

4839 Woodland Ave

Robbery/Arrest

04/11/20

1:47 PM

3400 Market St

Robbery/Arrest

Bulletins

National Library Week: April 19-25

National Library Week celebrates the valuable role that libraries, librarians and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities. This year, from April 19 to 25, libraries across the country will mark the occasion under unprecedented circumstances. At Penn and elsewhere, libraries have moved their active hubs for learning and personal connection online.

The Penn Libraries staff are working remotely to support the University’s swift pivot to online work and learning, expand access to e-resources, and even provide personal protective equipment to healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Until the Penn community is able to gather once again in person, the Libraries encourages you to stay connected online at library.upenn.edu:

As the spring semester comes to a close, if you’re looking for support from a librarian, or if you need resources for remote teaching or research, the Libraries can help. Visit the Virtual Support page to find the information you’ll need to access digital content, collaborate with research partners, and directly consult with librarians.

Making the Call Podcast

As our policy makers, medical experts and first responders grapple with the choices forced upon us by the novel Coronavirus, doctors and hosts Dr. Zeke Emanuel and Dr. Jonathan Moreno will guide us on the code of ethics that are the backbone of modern medicine in the new podcast Making the Call. They will answer the key questions raised by COVID-19, including “How do we decide who gets a ventilator?”, “Who, if anyone, can force you to stay home in the interest of public health?” and “When there’s a vaccine, who will get it first?” Join the Dr. Emanuel, the “architect of the Affordable Care Act,” and Dr. Moreno, “the quietly most interesting bioethicist of our time” as they interrogate critical thinking in a time of crisis and show us what it means to be the ones Making the Call. The podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Please Share Almanac

This edition of Almanac, like the last several weeks’ issues, is digital-only. Please distribute to your colleagues and encourage them to subscribe to receive the E-Almanac at almanac.upenn.edu/express-almanac

No issues were printed to distribute across campus because of COVID-19. Almanac is distributed electronically each Tuesday.

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