November 24, 2020 Volume 67 Issue 20

University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, Philadelphia School Board President Joyce Wilkerson, and Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia William R. Hite, Jr., announced that Penn will contribute $100 million to the School District of Philadelphia, representing an unprecedented commitment to the City and its public schoolchildren. This is the largest private contribution to the School District in its history.

Penn’s $100 million contribution to the School District—$10 million annually for 10 years—will be used to remediate environmental hazards, including asbestos and lead, in Philadelphia’s public school buildings. This funding will have an immediate impact, supplementing the ongoing efforts of the City and District, and enabling them to dramatically accelerate and expand their response to environmental concerns in our public schools. 

“Nothing is more important than the health and welfare of our children, and few things are more crucial to a community than the safety and quality of its public schools,” said President Gutmann. “When Philadelphia’s schools and schoolchildren succeed, all Philadelphia succeeds. We are proud to be able to partner with our City and School District to significantly improve the learning environment for Philadelphia’s schoolchildren in a way that will have a long-lasting impact on the health, safety, and well-being of our entire City. This historic commitment by the University and Penn Medicine will help support a most critical and immediate need that will benefit generations of Philadelphia students, their teachers, and school staff.” 

“All Philadelphia students deserve high quality and safe learning environments, but we know that achieving this system-wide in our aging school buildings requires significant resources,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “I commend the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Amy Gutmann for this historic gift. It will go a long way in accelerating the District’s aggressive environmental remediation work. I also hope it will inspire other institutions to follow Penn’s lead. It takes all of us working together—government, business, non-profit, and philanthropy—to tackle our most pressing challenges and ensure our kids have access to great schools in every neighborhood.”

Mayor Kenney, Superintendent Hite, and the Board of Education have embarked on aggressive environmental remediation efforts in School District buildings. The School District currently has an estimated $4.5 billion in unmet capital needs. Since 2018, the School District has fully stabilized lead paint in 54 elementary schools, completed work to certify an additional 25 schools as Lead Safe, and invested more than $23 million to complete asbestos-related projects. The District announced in November 2019 an Environmental Safety Improvement Plan that outlined new safety and inspection measures. The District approved $41 million in January 2020 for asbestos testing, abatement, project management, and other remediation resources.

“Every student in Philadelphia deserves the dignity of a safe and welcoming school building,” said School Board President Joyce Wilkerson. “This tremendous gift will not only help us to ensure these safe spaces for every student, it will free us to direct our focus to investing in a new and compelling vision for school facilities. I thank the University of Pennsylvania for this incredible gift which is an investment in all of our city’s children.”

“We are thrilled to have this very generous contribution from the University of Pennsylvania,” said Dr. Hite. “It will be a great support as we move forward to address the immediate environmental conditions in all of our schools. This will allow us to shift our focus to creating 21st century learning environments for all students.”

Penn’s commitment to environmental remediation is one of many contributions that the University makes to the School District and the broader community to provide important support to public education in Philadelphia. In partnership with the School District and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, the University has invested more than $25 million over the past 15 years in the District’s top-performing Penn Alexander School, providing land for the school, funding for construction, and annual payments of approximately $1 million for operations. In 2013, the University deepened its commitment to the nearby Henry C. Lea Elementary School with an expanded partnership. With a Penn Graduate School of Education-based liaison on site serving as a partnership coordinator, 16 Penn-affiliated organizations facilitate 37 district partner programs at Lea. Penn’s 12 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools, led by Penn’s Graduate School of Education and Penn centers like the Penn Museum and Penn Libraries, operate more than 500 activities in 248 schools in every catchment area throughout the School District.

“Penn’s contribution will catalyze even more aggressive and comprehensive remediation of environmental hazards in all our public schools,” said President Gutmann. “Philadelphia is our home. Education is at the very heart of all that we do at Penn, and we will continue to ensure that we are doing all that we can to support the success of public education in Philadelphia. Our schoolchildren and teachers deserve no less.”

Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Wendell Pritchett announced the appointment of Lynn Meskell as the University of Pennsylvania’s twenty-sixth Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor.

Dr. Meskell, a world-renowned archaeologist, is the Richard D. Green University Professor, with joint appointments in the department of anthropology of the School of Arts and Sciences, the historic preservation program and department of city and regional planning in the Weitzman School of Design, and the Asian and Near East Sections of the Penn Museum, as a curator.

“Lynn Meskell exemplifies Penn’s commitment to bridging theory and practice and to using multidisciplinary perspectives to improve human understanding,” said President Gutmann. “Her work as an internationally preeminent archaeologist and anthropologist has helped explain and document the development of civilizations across Africa and Eurasia. She has also harnessed this fieldwork to improve the frameworks that scholars use to model human culture and to strengthen the important work of museums in bringing this knowledge to communities around the world.”

Dr. Meskell was most recently Ely Professor of Humanities and Sciences in the department of anthropology at Stanford University, where she had taught since 2005, and is the AD White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University from 2019 to 2025. Born in Australia, she has done pioneering archaeological work across the world, including research into Neolithic Turkey and New Kingdom Egypt. Her most current work explores World Heritage sites in India, especially how heritage bureaucracies interact with the needs of living communities, and the implications of archaeological research for wider contemporary challenges of heritage, national sovereignty, and multilateral diplomacy. Her landmark institutional ethnography of UNESCO World Heritage, A Future in Ruins: UNESCO, World Heritage and the Dream of Peace (Oxford University Press, 2018) – awarded the 2019 Best Book Award from the Society for American Archaeology – reframes the politics of preservation in relation to international history and global practices of governance and sovereignty.

Dr. Meskell served for six years as director of the Stanford Archaeology Center, is the founding editor of the Journal of Social Archaeology, and has published a dozen books, which explore the connections between archaeological research and a wide range of contemporary areas including ethics, class, feminist theory, and postcolonialism. She has been awarded grants and fellowships from the Mellon Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Australian Research Council, and the American Academy in Rome, among many others, and is an Honorary Professor at the University of Oxford, the University of Liverpool, Shiv Nadar University, and the University of the Witwatersrand. She earned a PhD in Archaeology from the University of Cambridge, following a BA with First Class Honors from the University of Sydney, and began her academic career at Columbia University, where she taught from 1999 to 2005, following a two-year Salvesen Research Fellowship at New College of Oxford University.

The University of Pennsylvania today announced that Scott L. Bok will become Chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania effective July 1, 2021. Mr. Bok will succeed David L. Cohen, who has served as chair since November 2009.

Mr. Bok, a Penn alumnus, is chairman and chief executive officer of Greenhill & Co., Inc., an independent investment bank that he joined as a managing director in 1997, shortly after it was founded. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Greenhill focuses on providing financial advice globally on signifcant mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, and financings to corporations, partnerships, institutions, and governments.

“Scott is deeply committed to the mission and success of our University,” said Penn President Amy Gutmann. “Scott has an extensive understanding of the issues impacting the University, our faculty, staff, students and alumni. He brings decades of expertise in the business and financial world to bear, the firsthand experience of being a triple Penn degree holder and a double Penn parent, and I know he will provide wise counsel to the trustees and University leadership. We are very grateful that he is willing to make this important commitment to his alma mater.”

Current Board Chair David L. Cohen echoed President Gutmann’s praise of Mr. Bok. “Scott has been an outstanding trustee and someone who has been phenomenal to work with in his years on the board,” said Mr. Cohen. “Scott cares passionately about Penn. At a time when our country and higher education are facing many unique challenges, it is critical to have someone with Scott’s depth of knowledge and commitment as the leader of our trustees. He will be a tremendous chair and will assume this important leadership position with the full and unanimous support of the board.”

In welcoming Mr. Bok’s appointment, President Gutmann also lauded Mr. Cohen’s accomplishments as chair. “Penn is very blessed to have David Cohen serving magnificently as board chair for over a decade. As the longest serving chair in recent Penn history, he has been absolutely tireless in his commitment to Penn, and the University is so much better because of his stewardship. I cannot overstate what an extraordinary job David has done. We are most fortunate that he will continue to serve as a valued and respected member of our board.”

Before joining Greenhill, Mr. Bok was a managing director in the mergers, acquisitions and restructuring department of Morgan Stanley, where he worked from 1986 to 1997, based in New York and London. From 1984 to 1986, he practiced mergers and acquisitions and securities law at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York.

Mr. Bok serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Greenhill and the Board of Trustees of the American Museum of Natural History. A strong advocate of education equality, he is chair of the board of Prep for Prep, a New York-based organization that focuses on educational opportunities for students of color through college preparation, as well as support through college. He has also served on the board of the Chapin School in New York.

Mr. Bok first became a Penn trustee in 2005. Following 10 years of service as a term trustee, he was elected a charter trustee in 2016. He currently serves as vice chair of the Board and has been on the Investment Board since 2016. His committee service includes the Executive, Audit & Compliance, Academic Policy, Compensation, Development and Nominating committees.

Mr. Bok has also served on the Board of Advisors for the School of Arts & Sciences and the Board of Governors for the Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies. He was also deeply involved in the Making History and Power of Penn fundraising campaign steering committees.

The Bok family has contributed to Penn in many ways. The Bok Family Professorship in the Humanities in the School of Arts & Sciences was established in 2007 by Mr. Bok, his wife, Roxanne Conisha Bok (C’81), and the Bok Family Foundation. In 1996, as a member of the Kelly Writers House Advisory Board, he and his wife created the Bok Endowed Visiting Writers Series Fund, enabling honoraria compensation for a varied roster of novelists, poets, and journalists, as well as filmmakers, graphic novelists, critics and more.

A native of Michigan, Mr. Bok makes his home in New York City. He holds three Penn degrees. In 1981, he received a BSE in economics from the Wharton School, as well as a BA in political science from the College. He earned his JD from Penn Carey Law School in 1984. As an undergraduate, Mr. Bok was active with The Daily Pennsylvanian student newspaper and was appointed as student liaison to the Board of Trustees. He was an editor of the law review at Penn Carey Law School. The Boks are parents of son Elliot, a 2017 graduate of Wharton, and daughter Jane, a College junior.

A Message to the Penn Community, November 18, 2020

We are grateful to every member of the Penn community for your patience, resilience, and creativity as we navigate the global pandemic. The situation continues to evolve from day to day, bringing both positive news about vaccine trials and worrisome news about infection rates.

We know that many of you have questions about the new guidelines issued on Monday by the City of Philadelphia. These measures include the closure of indoor dining, gyms, museums, and libraries, among other public spaces, and restrictions on both indoor and outdoor gatherings. It is critical that every member of the Penn community in Philadelphia follow these guidelines, especially students living on or around the Penn campus. We are all in this together, and we must take collective responsibility for lowering the infection rate in the coming weeks and months, above all during the imminent holiday season.

Penn research operations continue, as do our on-campus testing operations. While there is currently no change to the plans for the spring semester announced at the end of October, we are continuing to monitor the situation carefully in partnership with local and regional public health agencies. Designated faculty and staff should continue to work from campus; most employees should continue to work from home. Penn Medicine faculty and employees should follow local guidance. Students should continue to follow the guidelines sent last week from our Chief Wellness Officer and Vice Provost for University Life, particularly if you are planning any travel for the Thanksgiving holiday. Students planning to return home to complete the semester are encouraged to do so now. All of us must continue to wear facial coverings, wash our hands, and maintain physical distance, the best ways to reduce transmission for ourselves and everyone around us.

If you are planning to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, please be aware of the newest guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which requires a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours before returning to Pennsylvania. If testing is not available, travelers will be required to quarantine for 14 days.

We are enormously proud of the shared sense of purpose that we are seeing from every member of our community. Penn has thrived for hundreds of years, and we are confident that there are better days ahead in 2021. Thank you for your best efforts to bring us safely to that future.

—Wendell Pritchett, Provost
—Craig Carnaroli, EVP

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.

For Fall 2020, all exams must be conducted online, other than for clinical courses.

Instructors should hold asynchronous final exams whenever possible. Resources for developing asynchronous final exams, including both timed and untimed formats, can be found on the Center for Teaching and Learning website.

If an instructor believes that their exam 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 Standard Time must be provided accommodations for synchronous timed exams.

The use of remote proctoring is not permitted for courses that are normally held in person unless explicitly authorized. View the Policy on Remote Proctoring.

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 their 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 office. Faculty wishing to seek exceptions to the rules also should consult with their Dean’s office.

—Wendell Pritchett, Provost

In this epoch shaped by environmental uncertainty, a global pandemic, and a national focus on racial justice, change is the only constant. During these unprecedented times, the Penn Libraries remains agile and responsive, bolstering the University’s mission of teaching, research, and learning, with the evolving needs of our communities at the forefront of our priorities. The world has changed dramatically since we began writing our strategic plan in fall 2019, but we are unwavering in our commitment to deliver collections and services at point of need, anytime, anywhere. Looking ahead, we must continue building our capacity to address the essential information challenges and opportunities in an ever-changing world. We must sharply increase our efforts to acquire and provide digital content, to digitize pre-existing Penn-owned collections, and to make strategic investments in technology. It is critical that we continue to reimagine our physical spaces and services in increasingly virtual environments. At the same time, we must continue and strengthen the conversations launched in spring 2020 on what we as an organization can contribute to local and national movements to address the inequities of our society. Libraries are built to serve all people—whether in brick and mortar buildings or through virtual interactions. In building deep and distinctive collections, preserving knowledge, and increasing access to it, we have the ability to inspire, to offer hope, and to change people’s lives. As we move forward with our strategic plan, we reaffirm our commitment to creating a living and learning environment that is truly transformative, safe, and welcoming for all. Thank you for your support and partnership in advancing knowledge to power Penn and better the world.

—Constantia Constantinou, H. Carton Rogers III Vice Provost & Director of Libraries

After an 18-month process that entailed gathering and synthesizing information from the University of Pennsylvania community and beyond, the Penn Libraries has released a strategic plan to guide its work through 2025.

“Our extraordinary Penn Libraries are at the heart of our campus mission,” said Provost Wendell Pritchett. “They inspire learning for every member of our community, while facilitating research and scholarship that change the world. This rigorous strategic plan, developed with extensive input across our campus, will help us redefine library services to meet the evolving needs of the Penn community, especially in response to the many changes of this year and the years ahead.”

Through vision and mission statements, shared organizational values, and four core strategic priorities, the plan aligns the Libraries’ work with the Penn Compact 2022 pillars of inclusion, innovation, and impact, and the University’s goal of advancing knowledge for good.

“Our strategic priorities are the compass for navigating our future,” said Constantia Constantinou, H. Carton Rogers III Vice Provost and Director of the Penn Libraries. “With the plan in place, we will continue and expand the work we do with our campus partners and our wider communities to inspire staff and patrons and provide the tools and resources they need to thrive.”

The Libraries launched its strategic planning efforts in spring 2019 in collaboration with DeEtta Jones and Associates. As a first step, a Strategic Planning Steering Committee was formed with representatives from across the Libraries’ staff.

“Our Strategic Planning Steering Committee represented a constellation of Penn Libraries history and expertise,” said Michael Williams, Head of Global Studies Technical Services and co-facilitator of the planning committee. “We contributed experience in collection building, metadata management, student success, research partnerships, data analytics, storytelling, and above all, stewardship of our Libraries’ physical and digital spaces and care for the collections and patrons who occupy them.”

Charged with designing an actionable vision for the Libraries, the committee worked together to analyze trends across and beyond the library profession, examine the current state of peer and aspirational peer institutions, and convene structured conversations with Libraries staff to develop collective goals. Throughout the process, Penn faculty, students, and researchers were engaged through focus groups, presentations, and conversations on campus.

During spring 2019, the Libraries also engaged Athenaeum21, a user-centered strategy and technology firm, to review the Libraries’ digital programs, systems, and services and offer input to the planning process. As part of the review, Athenaeum21’s principals met with Penn Libraries staff members and stakeholders across the University. They provided recommendations to the Libraries on designing a digital strategy to meet the evolving needs of the Penn community and become a leader in digital strategy, collections, programs, and scholarship.

Of course, “evolving needs” took on new significance over the last seven months, with challenges presented by environmental uncertainty and a global pandemic, and an increased national focus on racial justice.

Along with many institutions, in spring 2020 the Libraries pivoted to provide services and resources in a largely virtual environment due to safety measures put in place during the pandemic. The Libraries’ leadership and staff took action to address the very real and urgent need to increase acquisition and delivery of digital content, applying creative solutions and accelerating strategic investments in technology. They also emphasized expert, personalized virtual support from librarians, from live chat services to videoconference consultations. 

“Yes, the world has changed since we began writing this plan,” Dr. Constantinou said. “But we are committed to providing a personal touch and delivering collections, services, and expertise at point of need, anytime, anywhere. We are also committed to creating a living and learning environment that is truly transformative, safe and welcoming for all. As the world turns, we remain agile, responsive, and resilient.”

Next steps? To move from plan to action, ten staff-led teams will launch projects that connect the plan’s priorities and strategies to the overall operations of the Penn Libraries.

Find the full strategic plan on the Libraries’ website, and follow the Libraries’ news blog for stories and updates throughout the coming years.

On November 12, Penn Medicine and Virtua Health announced the renewal of their strategic alliance in cancer and neuroscience services for another three years. The collaboration, which began in 2015, has enabled South Jersey residents to access comprehensive health care closer to home from a cross-disciplinary team of Penn and Virtua clinicians.

As part of the alliance, the two organizations are advancing plans to open South Jersey’s first proton therapy center on the Virtua Voorhees Hospital campus. Construction began in summer 2020, with an opening date anticipated for summer 2022. From evaluation to treatment, patients will access everything they need at the new facility, including clinical trials involving proton therapy.

“Over the first five years of our alliance with Virtua, thousands of patients in South Jersey have had access to the highest level of health care right in their own community,” said Kevin B. Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. “The interdisciplinary care teams at Penn Medicine and Virtua have established a pathway for patients to access more robust, comprehensive care and treatment options. In the years to come, this extended partnership will provide patients with even more access to the health care services they need.”

Specifically, for cancer care, the Penn Medicine Virtua Cancer Program includes medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, microvascular reconstructive surgery, and an array of support services, including nurse navigation, cancer genetics, and high-risk screenings. The program offers locations in Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties – most notably, the new Virtua Samson Cancer Center in Moorestown, NJ and the Virtua Voorhees Cancer Center.

The Penn Medicine Virtua Neurosciences Program is another way the two health systems are working together to ensure the highest level of care is available to Virtua patients and all South Jersey residents. Penn’s neuroscience experts provide neurosurgery, interventional radiology, and stroke support— including access to 24/7 imaging analysis to assess patients and evaluate treatment options.

“One of the best things about Penn Medicine is its commitment to extending outstanding, cutting-edge care to patients in communities outside of Philadelphia,” said Daniel Yoshor, chair of neurosurgery and vice president of Clinical Integration and Innovation in the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn. “The neuroscience collaboration with Virtua is a terrific example of that commitment and it has allowed us to bring advanced neurological care directly to patients in South Jersey. Virtua is a great partner, and we are pleased to continue this important program for years to come.”

The Penn Medicine and Virtua alliance not only impacts patient care and patient access to care, but it has also opened doors for additional education and training opportunities. Over the course of the next three years of this partnership, Penn Medicine and Virtua will continue to expand its collaborative efforts in both education and patient care, while exploring ways to bring even more to patients in South Jersey, like clinical trials.

“The world has changed considerably in the five years since our strategic alliance began,” said Dennis W. Pullin, president and CEO at Virtua Health. “What remains constant, however, is our shared commitment to providing people with the care they need and combining our resources to be an effective force for good.”

The Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology has received design approval from the University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees. The new $173 million facility at 3200 Walnut Street will consolidate existing and emerging energy research programs by providing 110,000 square feet of state-of-the-art laboratory space. The building is a key element of the School of Arts & Sciences’ strategic plan and the University’s commitment to advancing research in energy and sustainability.

The project has been made possible through gifts totaling $70 million to the School of Arts & Sciences from P. Roy Vagelos, a Penn alumnus, and his wife, Diana T. Vagelos. This support included a 2019 gift of $50 million. An additional gift of $20 million earlier this year has allowed the building’s design to expand from six to seven stories. The project expansion will provide space to accommodate continued growth of the energy research program and enable additional faculty hires in the future.

“We are so grateful to Roy and Diana for their enduring support of Penn’s groundbreaking research in the area of energy research and sustainable energy solutions,” said Penn President Amy Gutmann. “Their tremendous generosity and trust in Penn’s collaborative approach, bringing Penn’s world-renowned physical scientists and engineers together to solve scientific and technological problems related to alternative sources of energy and energy use and storage, is a testament to Penn leadership and innovation in seeking a sustainable future.”

The facility will house the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology, bringing researchers from the School of Arts & Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Science together to solve scientific and technological problems related to energy. It will also be a home for the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER), an undergraduate dual degree program run jointly by Arts & Sciences and Engineering. Steven J. Fluharty, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences and Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor of Psychology,

Pharmacology, and Neuroscience, said the new Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology aligns with a major pillar of the School’s strategic plan: Energy, sustainability, and the environment. “We have steadily built on investments in energy science, including faculty hiring and establishing the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology,” said Dean Fluharty. “Today we present a plan for a world-class facility, all this made possible through the continued generosity of Roy and Diana Vagelos.”

Dean Fluharty also acknowledged the partnership the School of Arts & Sciences has with the School of Engineering and Applied Science. “Together, we will ensure that basic discoveries translate into impactful technologies,” said Dean Fluharty.

Designed by Behnisch Architekten, the Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology includes highly functional, flexible, and efficient wet chemistry research labs and optics research labs serving researchers in both schools. The facility also includes a complement of collaborative spaces and offices with a new landscaped courtyard linking the Walnut Street gateway and Shoemaker Green to the southwest.

Silvia Pierini Dunn, an administrative coordinator in the department of religious studies, died on November 15 after a long battle with lung cancer. She was 51.

Born in Rome, Italy, Ms. Dunn worked in the early 1990s at the Vatican Museums, a position that enabled her to travel widely. In 1996, she and her husband Rick moved to Philadelphia, where they started a family. The bilingual Ms. Dunn spent the early 2000s working as a freelance translator and language tutor, primarily working with families with disabled children that came from Italy for therapy.

In 2002, she became a part-time Italian instructor at Camden County College in Blackwood, NJ. She joined Penn’s department of Student Registration and Financial Services (SRFS) in 2014 as an administrative coordinator. Four years later, Ms. Dunn moved to Penn’s department of Religious Studies, also as an administrative coordinator.

“Working with Silvia was a pleasure,” recalls her colleague Emily Romanello, academic coordinator in Penn’s department of economics. “She brightened the day. I will never forget our bilingual phone conversations—it turned ordinary room reservation requests into something special.”

“Silvia was an integral part of our department”, says interim chair Anthea Butler, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies. “She was loved by students and faculty alike, and she was always ready to help us with anything. Silvia was a ray of sunshine for us each day, and our days are less bright without her.”

Ms. Dunn is survived by her husband Rick; her children, Elzo and Giulia; her mother, Adriana Marcucci; and her sisters, Paola and Carla. A memorial will be arranged at a later date; leave a message for Ms. Dunn’s family at https://tinyurl.com/silvia-pierini-dunn.

Former University Trustee Lawrence (Larry) Nussdorf (W’68) died on November 13. He was 74.

Born in Neptune, NJ, Mr. Nussdorf received a BS in economics in 1968 from Wharton, and later a JD from Rutgers University and an LLM in tax law from Georgetown University. Mr. Nussdorf began his career at Arthur Andersen, LLP, before moving to Washington, DC with his wife Melanie (CW’71) and, in 1977, joining Clark Enterprises. Mr. Nussdorf served as President, CFO and COO at Clark Enterprises for many years before becoming Chairman and CEO in 2014. During Mr. Nussdorf’s tenure at Clark Enterprises, he helped shape one of Washington DC’s largest private companies, which constructed and invested in much of the city’s built environment, including sports arenas, hospitals, mixed-use destinations and Metro stations. Under Mr. Nussdorf’s leadership, Clark Enterprises became one of Washington’s top philanthropic corporations, donating millions of dollars to charity each year.

As a Penn Trustee, Mr. Nussdorf brought expertise to the Trustees’ Audit & Compliance and Facilities & Campus Planning Committees thanks to his background as an attorney and certified public accountant and experience in real estate and construction. In 2004, Mr. Nussdorf was a founding member of the Advisory Board of the Penn Institute for Urban Research, and Clark Enterprises endowed a chair at Penn IUR in Mr. Nussdorf’s honor (Almanac September 21, 2004). As an advocate for public education, Mr. Nussdorf was a member and former Vice Chair of the Graduate School of Education Board of Advisors. He also served as President of Penn’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Advisory Board and a member of the Agenda for Excellence Council and the Advisory Board of the Wharton Club of Washington, DC. Mr. and Mrs. Nussdorf established the Nussdorf Endowed Scholarship and the Melanie and Lawrence Nussdorf Endowed Scholarship for Students in the School of Nursing. They also provided support to numerous other departments at Penn.

Mr. Nussdorf was active in the Penn Alumni community: In addition to serving as a long-time member of the Class of 1968 Gift Committee, Mr. Nussdorf was an Honorary Vice President of the Class of 1968 and served on the Executive Committee of the Penn Alumni Board of Directors. In 2010, Mr. Nussdorf’s service to Penn earned him the Alumni Award of Merit, the highest award presented by Penn Alumni given in recognition of outstanding service to the University. His wife Melanie also received the award in 2001. “Larry was devoted to the University of Pennsylvania from the moment he stepped on our campus and he became one of Penn’s most loyal alumni,” said David Cohen, chair of Penn’s Board of Trustees. “Larry was widely known and active in myriad causes on campus and in the Washington, DC area, where he was a superb ambassador for Penn. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.” In 1998, Mr. Nussdorf received the Joseph Wharton Award from The Wharton Alumni Club of Washington, DC.

Mr. Nussdorf served on the Board of directors of Pepco Holdings and Leidos Holdings. He was active in civic life in Washington, DC, including serving as a member of the executive committee for the Anti-Defamation League (DC chapter), a Trustee of WETA and the United Jewish Endowment Fund of Greater Washington, and a Director of the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation. In 2017, The Clark Foundation established The A. James Clark Scholars Program in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Penn. Mr. Nussdorf also served on the boards of the Washington Scholarship Fund, the public radio station WETA, and DC Prep.

Mr. Nussdorf is survived by his wife of 48 years, Melanie Franco Nussdorf; two sons, Jed (ENG’02, W’02, WG’03)(Sarah) and Benjamin (Inna)(both C’04); five grandchildren; his brother, Andy (Rhonda) and sister, Ellie, and many nieces and nephews. The funeral will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Mr. Nussdorf’s memory to the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington or the Institute for Urban Research at Penn.

Paul Morris Weinberg, a professor emeritus CE of pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, died on October 15. He was 74.

Dr. Weinberg received a BS from Penn State in 1967 and an MD from Jefferson Medical College in 1969. He did his pediatric residency and pediatric cardiology fellowship at CHOP, and following service in the Navy as a pediatric cardiologist, he did an additional fellowship in cardiac morphology at Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School. In 1977, he joined the faculty at Penn’s School of Medicine as a lecturer in pediatrics. The next year, he became an assistant professor of pediatrics, and in 1980, his appointment moved to CHOP (in the School of Medicine’s Associate Faculty Division, and later the Standing Faculty Division). He became an associate professor at CHOP in 1986 and a full professor in 2002. He also held academic appointments in Penn Medicine’s departments of radiology and pathology & laboratory medicine.

In 1991, Dr. Weinberg became director of CHOP’s Fellowship Training Program. He also served as director of resident education in PSOM’s division of pediatric cardiology. Under Dr. Weinberg’s stewardship, Penn’s pediatric cardiology training program became one of the largest in the world. During his career, he trained over 100 cardiology fellows, and his program of study, which included one-on-one sessions, weekly pathology teaching sessions, and service as an inpatient and outpatient attending cardiologist, was widely praised.

Dr. Weinberg was an expert on the morphology of congenital heart disease. He published many peer-reviewed articles and frequently lectured nationally and internationally. He served as president of the Society for Pediatric Cardiology Training Program Directors and was a member of the International Working Group for Mapping and Coding of Nomenclatures for Paediatric and Congenital Heart Disease.

In 1998, he won Penn’s School of Medicine’s Blockley-Osler Award for excellence in clinical teaching (Almanac April 21, 1998). In the citation that accompanied that award, Victoria Vetter, Dr. Weinberg’s colleague in the department of pediatrics, noted that “Paul provides direction and leadership to the educational program; his enthusiasm and structured didactic methods captivate his audience immediately.” In 2009, Dr. Weinberg won the Robert Dunning Dripps Memorial Award for Excellence in Graduate Medical Education (Almanac May 5, 2009). Dr. Weinberg was a member of Penn’s 25-Year Club. In 2017, he retired and took emeritus status.

Dr. Weinberg is survived by his wife, Linda; daughter, Sarah Gratz (Ricky); siblings, Marsha Flager and Michael (Michelle); and grandchildren, Julia, Rena, and Eve.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be sent to CHOP, ATTN: Dr. Paul Weinberg Distinguished Teaching Award Fund, or the Joshua Martin Weinberg Memorial Fund of Kellman Brown Academy.

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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.

The following agenda is published in accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules. Any member of the standing faculty may attend SEC meetings and observe. Questions may be directed 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 Agenda

Wednesday, December 9, 2020
3–3:55 p.m. EST

1. Finalize the Minutes of November 4, 2020
2. Chair’s Report
3. Past Chair’s Report
4. Feedback on Engaged Scholarship and Teaching Prioritization in Schools and Departments
5. Initial Discussion of Proposed Amendments to Faculty Senate Rules
6. New Business
7. Adjourn and transition to “Bluejeans Events” platform for Town Hall Event: “What to Expect for Penn’s COVID-Era Spring Semester” (4:00-5:30pm EST)

All members of the Penn community (faculty, students, staff, and families, and friends of Penn) are invited to participate in the 4 p.m. Seminar by registering here:
https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/xqahdbry

Agenda for University Council Meeting

Wednesday, December 2, 2020, 4 p.m.
BlueJeans Events

1. Approval of the Minutes of October 21, 2020. 1 minute
2. Follow Up Questions on Status Reports. 4 minutes
3. Update on 2020 Research Activities and Academic Instruction at Penn. 30 minutes
4. Open Forum. 70 minutes
5. New Business. 5 minutes
6. Adjournment

Open Forum Topics December 2, 2020

1. The University’s Election Day policy. (Emma Harris, C’21)
2. Universal One-Year: Extending graduate student funding. (Isaac Rabbani, Gr’27)
3. The status of transfer students: Removing institutional barriers and providing support. (Allan Cate, C’22)
4. Updating care work policies in consideration of remote work and dependent care responsibilities. (Dr. Gwendolyn Beetham, Associate Director, Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies Program, and Dr. Pilar Gonalons-Pons, Assistant Professor of Sociology, SAS)
5. Free speech on campus and social bias in the University’s framing of recent social issues. (Dr. Saswati Sarkar, Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering, SEAS)
6. The Penn Police patrol zone and the Penn Police presence in West Philadelphia. (Tabatha Scales-Lanier, SP2’21)

The Executive Committee of the University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, December 10, 2020 (Virtual).

Executive Committee: 1-1:15 p.m.

Please contact the Office of the University Secretary at (215) 898-7005 or ofcsec@pobox.upenn.edu with questions regarding Trustee meetings or your attendance plans.

Another year is in the books, and the holiday season is upon us! Penn faculty, staff, alumni, and even a couple students have been busy writing books for all tastes, about all subjects, fiction and nonfiction, for any age group. Looking for gift ideas for that well-read friend or family member? Look no further—a Penn author has written the perfect book!

More information is available on books from Penn Press at http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/ and on books from Wharton School Press at wsp.wharton.upenn.edu. All prices refer to hard copies of books; many are also available in less expensive e-book editions.

Read Almanac's annual holiday book supplement here.

Penn Dental Medicine’s Eva Anadioti has been recognized by the American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) as this year’s recipient of the Presidential Citation Junior Educator of the Year Award. The award was presented as part of the ACP’s 50th Annual Session, held virtually from November 1-7.

The inaugural awardee for junior faculty, Dr. Anadioti was recognized for her academic dentistry achievement and her contributions to the advancement of the specialty of prosthodontics, science, and the health profession.

“Our awards of distinction recognize outstanding individuals in the College and their accomplishments,” said Dr. Stephen Hudis, ACP President, when presenting the award. “Traditionally, this award has gone to a more senior individual, however, personally and professionally, I am an advocate for elevating the next generation of educators and that is why I am presenting my presidential citation this year to a young junior educator who is having an impact in prosthodontics.”

Dr. Anadioti, assistant professor of clinical restorative dentistry at Penn Dental Medicine, is the founding director of the School’s Advanced Education Program in Prosthodontics, which graduated its inaugural class this past summer. A diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics, she is also a Fellow in the American College of Prosthodontists and the incoming Prosthodontic Commissioner on the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation. Dr. Anadioti earned her dental degree from the Dental School of Athens, completed her postdoctoral training in prosthodontics at the University of Iowa and her surgical implant training at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry.

Sara S. Bachman, dean of Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) and Allison Werner-Lin, associate professor and faculty director of the Social Work in Healthcare Specialization at SP2, have been invited to serve on a national committee and task force that will develop competencies and curricular resources on health for the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

To help formulate the health curricular guide, CSWE recruited social work education faculty and practice experts as a part of a national effort to increase health competence and expertise in schools of social work. Dean Bachman will serve on the curricular guide’s steering committee, and will chair the committee on Policy Competencies, while Dr. Werner-Lin will serve as a task force member.

“Many social workers practice in health settings,” said Dean Bachman. “I am honored to be a part of this national effort to develop and disseminate resources to promote excellence in health policy practice and other social work competency areas. I am thrilled that my colleague Dr. Allison Werner-Lin also represents SP2 on the task force, further demonstrating the significant national impact our faculty have on social policy and practice.”

Committee members will be central to developing and enhancing the nine social work competencies that will be included in the guide. Task force participants will share expertise with their colleagues, garnering new insights to help enrich program curricula and help faculty members conceptualize specialized practice in social work health.

As the national association representing social work education in the United States, CSWE’s membership comprises over 800 graduate and undergraduate social work programs, as well as individual social work educators, practitioners, and agencies. The curricular guide project is supported in part by funding from the New York Community Trust.

Morris Arboretum’s Youth Education and Guided Tours Programs have been selected by the National Association of College Auxiliary Services (NACAS) for the 2020 Edwin R. Golden Award for Inclusive Excellence. This award was established in 1992 in honor of Edwin R. “Bob” Golden for his foresight in acknowledging the need for attention to issues of cultural diversity in the Association.

Morris Arboretum is being recognized for three innovative ways that the Arboretum models cultural diversity and inclusion in its programming: facilitating the experiences of guests with disabilities; incorporating culturally diverse programming; and increasing access by reducing economic barriers.

The award was presented at the C3X 2020 Virtual Conference & Expo on November 11.

The Law and Society Association (LSA) has announced that Presidential Assistant Professor of Law Shaun Ossei-Owusu has been elected to the 2023 Board of Trustees as Class Representative.

LSA is “an interdisciplinary scholarly organization committed to social scientific, interpretive, and historical analyses of law across multiple social contexts.” Each year, the LSA membership elects a class of eight individuals to serve on the Board of Trustees.

“This year’s voting results represent a wide variety of law and society scholars stretching across the globe and consisting of rich and diverse interdisciplinary backgrounds, training and experience,” said current LSA President Penelope Andrews. “Our incoming officers will not only contribute to the sustainability and viability of the LSA, but also demonstrate the importance of advancing the entire field of sociolegal studies through their own personal scholarship and achievements.”

Dr. Ossei-Owusu is an interdisciplinary legal scholar with expertise in legal history, criminal law and procedure, civil rights, and the legal profession. His work sits at the intersection of law, history, and sociology, and focuses on how governments meet their legal obligations to provide protections and benefits to poor people and racial minorities.

An array of gifts appropriate for ardent aficionados and advocates of animals, archaeology, anthropology, art, arboreta, athletics and academia.

Alluring Art: Give the art fan in your life a chance to get up close and personal with artists and their works by purchasing a membership to the Arthur Ross Gallery or the Institute of Contemporary Art. Friends of the Arthur Ross Gallery will be invited to openings, will receive free admission to film series for selected exhibitions, will be given symposium and publication discounts and will receive updates via e-newsletter. The Arthur Ross Gallery presents art from a wide range of media, periods, cultures and traditions. Information: https://tinyurl.com/rossfriend

Members of ICA will have the chance to attend members-only exhibition previews with artists and curators. ICA has championed artists and exhibited artwork for more than 50 years. Membership is free for current Penn students and $25 for non-Penn students. Non-student memberships begin at $50, with additional benefits available at each level. Details are available at https://icaphila.org/support/

Book Drive: Help build an elementary school student’s home library with a book from the Mirrors Collection! This hand-picked collection, created by the Penn Libraries’ Community Engagement Program, focuses on social justice, health, and emotional literacy, highlighting stories that reflect students’ lived experiences. Get ideas for your own holiday gifts or contribute to the book drive to support students in West Philadelphia! More information: https://tinyurl.com/Fallmirrors2020

Botanical Beauty: Morris Arboretum offers great holiday gifts, starting with a Morris Arboretum membership. Members of the Morris Arboretum, the official arboretum of the Commonwealth, receive free admission all year long; a 10% discount in the Shop and Café and discounts on educational classes and excursions; Seasons newsletter; admission privileges to over 300 gardens and arboreta through the American Horticulture Society; discounts for local garden centers and priceless memories of visiting the garden in every season. Memberships start at $65 and can be purchased online at http://www.morrisarboretum.org/membership.shtml or by calling (215) 247-5777 ext. 205.

Detection Dogs: Shop through Superfit Canine to get the latest Penn Vet Working Dog Center merchandise, with a portion of proceeds supporting the Working Dog Center’s mission, at http://capable-canine.com/shop/

Green Greetings: Send a holiday eCard through Penn Business Services this year and promote sustainability while sending your wishes. The newly redesigned website include holiday cards with scenes from Penn. Choose your cards at https://cms.business-services.upenn.edu/ecard2/welcome/

Literary Lovers:  Friends of the Kelly Writers House help sustain seminars, readings, webcasts and podcasts. Friends are acknowledged on the Writers House website and receive a copy of the Writers House Annual, which acknowledges their gift. Membership levels begin at $40 and go up to $2,500. Information: http://writing.upenn.edu/wh/support/become.php

Marvelous Museum: Give the gifts of adventure and discovery with a full year’s membership to the Penn Museum. Members enjoy unlimited general admission; access to exclusive exhibition previews and special events; a subscription to Expedition magazine; and discounts in the Museum Shop (15%) and the Museum Cafe (10%). To select the right membership for a loved one, call (215) 898-5093 or visit https://www.penn.museum/give-join/membership

Save the Stages: The mission of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent live music venues and promoters throughout the United States, including World Cafe Live. Tell your legislators to save independent music venues and donate to benefit the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund at https://tinyurl.com/saveourstagesNIVA

Stage Spectacular: Treat loved ones to live performances streamed from the Annenberg Center theatres. Gift certificates, available in any amount, are redeemable for all 2020-2021 virtual season performances: https://tickets.annenbergcenter.org/gift/add.aspx

Support West Philly Businesses: Donate to local businesses and organizations in need through University City District’s West Philly Forward campaign. Choose who to directly support below. Can’t decide? Donate to UCD, who will split 100% of funds equally among all participating businesses and organizations. Learn more at https://www.westphillyforward.com/

Sweet Sounds: Give the gift of a membership to Penn’s member-supported radio station, WXPN 88.5 FM, by pledging a donation at https://xpn.secure.force.com/donate. Membership levels begin at $5 per month, with a variety of thank you gifts attached to certain amounts. Members will receive a discount at many local businesses and institutions with their XPN Member Card.

The department of music at Penn established the Friends of Music to enhance and promote student and professional musical performances across Penn’s campus. Friends receive concert mailings and an annual newsletter along with invitations to special student and professional performances sponsored by the department of music. Become an Individual Friend starting at $50. Information: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/music/friends-music13

This article is related to the Penn Bookstore Catalog and E-Card Website Redesign articles.

Download the December AT PENN calendar as a PDF or visit the online version at https://almanac.upenn.edu/at-penn-calendar/december-at-penn-2020

Films

New Italian Cinema 2020
Sponsored by Cinema Studies, Italian Studies and New Italian Cinema Events. Info: https://cinemastudies.sas.upenn.edu/events/
29    Opening Presentation; 1 p.m.
30    Simple Women; 6 p.m.

Talks

24    OAS Work Against Landmines in Colombia and Other Weapons; Carl Case, Organization of American States; 4:30 p.m.; online event; https://tinyurl.com/OAS-talk-vov-24 (LALS).
30    Environmental and Genetic Determinants of Malaria Transmission; Matthias Marti, University of Glasgow; noon; Zoom meeting; join: https://tinyurl.com/marti-talk-nov-30 (Penn Vet).
       Yersinia Pseudotuberculosis Induces Granuloma Formation During Intestinal Infection; Rina Matsuda, cell and molecular biology; 4 p.m.; online event; info: yevgenig@pennmedicine.upenn.edu (Microbiology).
       Trading History for Sheep: Memory, Migration, and Buryat-Mongol Identities through Shamanic Practices; Manduhai Buyandelger, MIT; 4:30 p.m.; online event; register: https://tinyurl.com/buyandelger-talk-nov-30 (CEAS).

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AT PENN Deadlines

The December AT PENN calendar is now online. Click here to access the updated November AT PENN. The deadline for the January AT PENN is December 1. Submit events for weekly calendar updates at almanac@upenn.edu.

Deadlines are Monday for the next Tuesday’s issue.

Morris Arboretum’s ever-popular holiday attraction—the Holiday Garden Railway—returns on Friday, November 27, by advance ticket only. All of the buildings and model trains along the outdoor quarter mile track are meticulously decorated for the holidays with thousands of twinkling lights. The Holiday Garden Railway display runs daily from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. from November 27 through December 31.  (Please note that the Arboretum is closed December 24, 25, and January 1). Masks are required for all visitors over the age of 2.

For those who would like to see the Holiday Garden Railway by night, Holiday Garden Railway Nights returns this year for TEN evenings on Saturday and Sunday nights, beginning on Thanksgiving weekend through December 27, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Lighted trees and colored cone lights pave the way to the outdoor railway site, adding to the festive atmosphere. Holiday Garden Railway Nights runs on five weekends (Saturday/Sunday): November 28-29, December 5- 6, 12-13, 19-20, and 26-27.

Holiday Garden Railway Nights is a separate admission from daytime visitation and advance tickets are required for both. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the Morris Arboretum website at morrisarb.org/holiday or call (215) 247-5777, ext. 109 or 125. The Garden Railway is supported, in part, through the generosity of Gwen and Ed Asplundh and by a gift given in memory of Joe Shuttleworth.

Professional and Personal Development Programs

Open to faculty and staff. Register at http://knowledgelink.upenn.edu/

Assertiveness Skills; 12/2 12:30-1:30 p.m. You may experience situations when you need to be assertive to complete a task, goal or project. In this class, we will identify personal blocks to assertiveness, identify both assertive and non-assertive language and behaviors, and learn ways to use assertiveness in everyday situations.

Conflict Resolution; 12/3; 12:30-1:30 p.m. During this course, we will learn the different types of conflict, learn to use several tools to help us address conflict in healthy and productive ways, learn how to reap the benefits of conflict, and finally how to mitigate its risks. We’ll also practice using these tools together so that we can all become more confident in handling disagreements within our team and in our personal lives.

Your Career @ Penn; 12/4; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Navigating Your Career at Penn has been developed to assist staff in building their careers at Penn by helping to connect your skills and abilities with career opportunities. The session will be facilitated by Penn HR. Topics include: Increasing Your Marketability at Penn and Internal Job Strategies.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable; 12/8; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Indispensable employees perform with a mindset that drives them to think, act, and behave differently. In this seminar, you’ll learn how to: take ownership of your responsibilities and results, take initiative to go above and beyond what is expected of you, expand your sphere of influence, perform well under pressure, adapt to changing situations, and avoid being replaceable.

Work-life Workshops

Open to faculty and staff. Register at www.hr.upenn.edu/registration.

How Caregivers Can Secure the Future of Their Dependent with Special Needs; 12/3; noon-1 p.m. This workshop addresses such critical issues as protecting government benefit eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Special Needs Trusts, ABLE Accounts, and the importance of a will.

Grow Where You are Planted; 12/10; 12:30-1:30 p.m. There may be times when we wish things were different at work and/or in our home life. Sometimes it’s time for a change, and other times it isn’t. How do we know when to accept things as they are, or when a change in perspective is needed? Do your employees want to be promoted faster, or are they restless? This seminar explores the typical flow of human reactions and responses, and suggests practical tips for enjoying whatever stage participants are experiencing. Proven strategies such as gaining clarity, brainstorming creatively, re-framing and parallel paths are some of the useful tools participants will learn about.

The Benefits of Mindfulness; 12/15; 7-8:30 p.m. The practice of mindfulness is associated with stress reduction, improved attention and memory, enhanced mood, and even improved psychological and physiological functioning. But what exactly is mindfulness? Join Michael Baime, MD, the founder and Director of the Penn Program for Mindfulness, for this introduction to mindfulness workshop. The evening will include a presentation, a period of mindfulness practice, and Q&A. No prior mindfulness experience is necessary and everyone is warmly invited.

Penn Healthy You Workshops

Open to faculty and staff. Register at www.hr.upenn.edu/registration.

Vinyasa Yoga; 12/4; noon-1 p.m. Vinyasa Yoga is a unique sequence of postures aimed at strengthening the mind-body connection. Its hallmark is the emphasis on the connection between breath and body. With roots in multiple forms of classic yoga—including ashtanga vinyasa yoga—this class will allow you to stretch and strengthen your body and clarify your mind. This method encourages vitality, strength, and healing as we work with the body as a whole. No previous experience or knowledge of yoga is required.

Nutrition Cooking Demonstration; 12/7; noon-1 p.m. Join Corporate Wellness Nutrition (formerly Family Food) for a live cooking demonstration via Zoom! Learn healthy cooking methods while observing a tasty recipe being prepared by chef and Registered Dietitian, Emma Donnelly.

Bodypump; 12/8; noon-1 p.m. A toning and conditioning class with weights that is for everybody! It’s perfect for anyone who wants to add strength training into their aerobic workout. You won’t know if you don’t go. So meet the challenge and reap the rewards!

New Wellness Program and Platform Demo by Virgin Pulse; 12/10; noon-1 p.m. Join us for a virtual live demonstration of the new Virgin Pulse wellness platform! During the demonstration, Virgin Pulse Client Success Manager Emma Doyle will walk participants through many aspects of the platform, showing you how to:

• Enroll and set up your Virgin Pulse account, including the mobile app
• Create your user profile, plus set your topics and interests
• Review the dashboard page, including daily cards and support options when you need assistance
• Explore Virgin Pulse programs, including challenges, tracking options, Journeys, and more
• Review Be in the Know 2020-2021 campaign activities, including the Health Check and all Bonus Actions
• Fill out Attestation Forms to get credit for certain completed Bonus Actions
• Create a personal challenge and invite players to join
• Connect devices and apps that will sync to the platform

There will also be a Q&A section at the end of the demonstration in which participants can submit questions via the chat feature.

Chair Yoga; 12/16; noon-1 p.m. Plenty of people turn to yoga for exercise, but striking a pose isn’t for everyone. If you’ve been tempted to try it but don’t know where to start, it’s time to try chair yoga. Chair yoga is a more moderate form of yoga that’s done while sitting in a chair or using a chair for support. You get the same benefits of a regular yoga workout (like increased strength, flexibility, and balance) but don’t have to master complex poses. Chair yoga can even better your breathing and teach you how to relax your mind and improve your wellbeing. Ready to give it a try? Join us for a free Chair Yoga workshop. And don’t worry about your experience or flexibility—chair yoga can be modified for all levels! This workshop will be led by Judith Glass from UPHS.

Barre; 12/17; noon-1 p.m. A unique, high energy, no-to-low impact class that combines barre work, lightweights, and cardiovascular work with continual fat burning motion. Central to the workout are toning and resistance exercises for the lower body, legs, torso, and arms to sculpt muscles and elongate the appearance of your body.

Yoga; 12/21; noon-1 p.m. This class is great for people who are just starting out with yoga or anyone who is looking for a class targeting flexibility. Come to a yoga practice that concentrates on the fundamentals, where you can focus on strength, flexibility, and balance, with an emphasis on good body alignment and stress relief through breathwork.  Whatever your level of yoga experience, this practice allows you to meet yourself where you are and finish feeling great in mind and body.

—Division of Human Resources

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 November 9-15, 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 November 9-15, 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.

18th District

Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 4 crimes against persons (2 assaults, 1 domestic assault, and 1 indecent assault) with 1 arrest were reported for November 9-15, 2020 by the 18th District, covering the Schuylkill River to 49th Street & Market Street to Woodland Avenue.

The Penn Bookstore is pleased to present the 2020 Gift Catalog! Choose from a broad selection of merchandise that proudly displays the Penn brand. In addition to apparel, find truly unique collectibles. Take advantage of either of two special promotions: Save 25% off SITEWIDE starting November 27 through December 1 (Use code THEBIG25) or enjoy FREE SHIPPING on all catalog and online orders now through December 18 (Use code PENNSHIP). Let your Penn Pride be a gift this winter season! For faculty and staff members on campus, enjoy 25% off in-store from November 27 through December 1 (some exclusions apply, including technology, textbooks, and gift card purchases).

The University’s e-Card website, overseen by Business Services, underwent a full redesign just in time for the holiday season! The new site offers expanded functionality, allowing users to send cards to multiple recipients at one time, while still personalizing the recipient’s name as it will appear on their card. Users can also choose how they would like to receive information about e-Card activity once a message is sent, either finding out in real-time who has opened a card, or receiving a “daily digest” of card performance directly to their inbox.

In addition to its expanded functionality, the site debuts over 10 new cards, including many new animated options, all with musical backgrounds. Business Services has also introduced a new section to the e-card site – the “Zoom Background” category allows users to choose from and download 6 different campus scenes and custom Penn-branded images, allowing you to display your Penn Pride on your next Zoom meeting or get-together. We encourage you to visit www.upenn.edu/ecards to explore these new options and features and start sending today.

Dear Penn Tennis Center Members,

I am writing to share an update regarding tennis activity at Penn based on the new Philadelphia city guidelines that were announced on November 16.

Outdoor tennis activity will remain open through December 20, weather permitting. Effective immediately, our staff will monitor the hourly forecast and adjust the operating hours as needed. If the weather is under 40 degrees and winds over 15 mph, we will not be open for outdoor tennis activity and notify the cancellation of any reservations or lessons.

In addition, effective this upcoming Saturday, November 21, all group programming will be suspended until early 2021. Singles play (maximum of 2 people per court) and individual private lessons will continue. Doubles play and any semi-private lessons will be restricted to groups of immediate family members only. As a reminder, masks are required while visiting our facility, including while playing on court.

Due to the expected forecast and historically limited reservation activity over the Thanksgiving weekend, we will be closed Thanksgiving Day, November 26 through Sunday, November 29. We will be open Wednesday, November 25 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and will reopen with normal operating hours of 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m. on Monday, November 30.

Beginning December 21, 2020, we will suspend our tennis operations for the holiday season through January 5, 2021. We tentatively plan to reopen our indoor tennis courts to our member base in January of 2021 as long as we can do so safety under University and the city of Philadelphia guidelines. Once the reopening date is confirmed, we will reach out to you, our member base, with updated information.

Thank you all for your support during these trying times. We are sincerely grateful for your patience, flexibility and understanding as we continue to navigate the pandemic while providing access to our facilities in a safe manner.

You will receive a follow up email regarding membership extensions and existing credits for pre-purchased services next week. If you have any questions in the meantime, please email us at pennracquetsports@upenn.edu.

—Ellah Nze, Manager, Racquet Sports

There will be no issue next Tuesday, December 1, due to the Thanksgiving break. The last two issues of the fall semester will be published on Tuesday, December 8 and Tuesday, December 15.

Submit announcements, award recipients, and news items for those two issues at almanac@upenn.edu.

This edition of Almanac is digital-only. Please distribute to your colleagues and encourage them to subscribe to receive the E-Almanac by visiting https://almanac.upenn.edu/express-almanac. The email will include links to the newly posted material. 

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

Heather J. Sharkey

Teaching Across Social Distance

What a year! In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and lurched us from in-person to online instruction. With labs, libraries, and classrooms shut, we scrambled to hold classes through live video meetings, prerecorded lectures, and virtual discussions. We revised tests, assignments, and expectations to suit the digital realm. We greeted students across time zones knowing that, say, a 2 p.m. class in Philadelphia would mean 3 a.m. in Seoul. Numb and stiff from staring at screens, we grappled with symptoms of “Zoom fatigue.”

Circumstances forced us to think on our feet, and we did it. But as summer began and fall approached, I aspired to teach online more effectively.  But how? I remained committed to maintaining high standards. I also knew that I had to keep up morale and show flexibility as students coped not only with illness or the fear of it, but also with lost internship and job opportunities, environmental crises, U.S. political rancor, and reckonings with racial injustice. The challenge was steep.

Among the many things I have learned about teaching this year is that classrooms are places where faculty can play a critical role in cultivating well-being among students, in addition to promoting knowledge and scholarship.

Setting Goals, Adapting Approaches

Recognizing the trepidation that many faculty had as they looked ahead, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) offered a two-week, online seminar this summer called “Course Design for Whatever the Fall Brings.” I signed up. The CTL prepared a Canvas site that modeled what we might devise for our classes. It combined asynchronous videos, readings, and discussion boards with synchronous Zoom meetings and breakout rooms.  Participants drafted mock assignments and swapped ideas about optimal practices for everything from workloads and grading policies to alternative research experiences. The seminar advised faculty to rethink courses and to plot syllabi according to “backward design” and “scaffolding.” Decide what you want students to achieve by semester’s end, and then build the syllabus backwards while installing steps or scaffolds to reach targets.  And make sure that students know, clearly, the plan and goals.

I emerged from the CTL program realizing that the outcomes I wanted entailed both content (in my case, vis-à-vis modern Middle Eastern history and culture) and skills (e.g., writing a well-argued paper). From start to finish, I overhauled my syllabi while choosing new readings (texts that were engaging, substantive, but somewhat shorter than before); devising assignments that used online resources creatively; and spacing graded work to avoid the mid-term and end-of-term pile-ups that students reported as sources of stress. I also devised some “low-stakes” assignments that aimed to be fun. In one class, for example, I showed students how to search in the Penn Museum’s digital collections to find an object related to our subject, and then asked them to draft a zingy but scholarly Instagram post like what the museum might use on its feed. This assignment, I explained, aimed to acquaint them with the museum’s resources, engage them in writing for the public, and introduce them to material history and microhistory as ways of approaching the past.

The pedagogical rebooting that I did for the fall left me feeling energized.  I have greeted my classes this semester with an enthusiasm that I hope I have passed to my students.

Students Want Friends

In the spring as the semester ended, as well as over the summer as I worked online with interns through the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring (PURM) program, and now this fall, I have been checking in with students regularly. In discussions and surveys, I have posed questions like, “What has been working well, and less well, in your courses?” “How are you doing?” and “Do you have advice for me about teaching?” 

In my first survey, before classes started in September, I asked, “What do you want to get from this course academically and socially?” My first-year seminar students—some of whom have not yet set foot on Penn’s campus—offered simple but poignant answers. One, from Florida, wrote, “I’d like to come out of my time at Penn with some lifelong friends.” Another, from Georgia, remarked, “It’s pretty important to me to meet people and make friends in this online classroom environment.” A third from New York declared that, “Socially, making a couple of friends from the class would be awesome… [I want] to meet people who will become my future friends when we finally meet on campus!” The message was clear: transitioning into college, they hoped for friends, friends, friends.

As a historian who has written books about the social dynamics of national and religious communities, I have thought a lot about how communities form. The pandemic and shut-downs have prompted me to apply ideas about community dynamics more explicitly to my teaching, especially now that students are not running into each other on campus in places like Van Pelt Library and Locust Walk, as they would in normal times. By keeping us apart, the pandemic of 2020 has amplified the importance of the online classroom as a place where the Penn community “happens.”

Building Community

I have been using my two online seminars this semester to foster the connections that students are craving. Although my courses have modest asynchronous elements (such as short recorded lectures for context), I have been using all allotted regular class time—three hours a week per course—for synchronous meetings. Each week, we spend roughly two hours discussing readings and assignments, with a break when I urge students to stretch, take a walk, and get refreshments. We keep about one hour for group activities, usually in breakout rooms where, for example, students discuss research papers-in-progress, or collaborate in writing articles for Wikipedia. I try to preserve ten minutes or so for informal conversations when students can simply chat. Meanwhile, I stay in the main “Zoom room” where students can see me as if in office hours. They seem eager to talk, so I often stay longer or schedule extra meetings for other days and times. 

I use old-fashioned email, too. To build a sense of community and help students stay on track, I send a group message a day or two before class, reminding them of the week’s agenda and assignments coming due.

My first-year students, who have been Zooming in from Seattle to Beirut, tell me how grateful they are for the time we spend in class. They say that our weekly breakout rooms are helping them to feel more connected and to make friends. I also organized, at their request, an online Zoom party one Friday night, where a member of the class led us in playing a collaborative game on our cell phones called “Among Us”. A few weeks later, we organized an online Halloween costume party. I take it as an excellent sign that several of them have already hatched a plan to meet for dinner when they finally move onto campus.

Three Outcomes

I now know that I want not just two, but three, outcomes for my courses. Besides developing knowledge and skills, I want to help students forge esprit de corps. I hope that my online classrooms will function as intellectually vibrant, welcoming spaces where students can feel good about themselves and their learning, and close to Penn and each other, regardless of physical distance.

Heather J. Sharkey is a professor in the department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. In 2011 she won the Charles Ludwig Distinguished Teaching Award, which was established by the College Alumni Society in memory of its long-time president, Charles Ludwig, and is given to recognize a School of Arts and Sciences standing faculty member who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the engagement of students as active and interactive participants in the learning process.

This essay continues the series that began in the fall of 1994 as the joint creation of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Lindback Society for Distinguished Teaching.

See https://almanac.upenn.edu/talk-about-teaching-and-learning-archive for previous essays.