August 18, 2020 Volume 67 Issue 6

August 11, 2020

We write today with an enormous sense of sadness. It had been our fervent hope since the outset of the coronavirus pandemic that public health measures and an increased availability of testing would allow us to offer our undergraduates a hybrid learning experience this fall that, by including more remote learning, social distancing, and other safety precautions, would enable all the students who desired it the opportunity to live and learn on campus.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 continues to spread at an alarming rate across the country, with approximately 2 million new cases reported over just the past month. The progression of the disease is evident in many states from which Penn welcomes thousands of students. The sheer number of students who by Pennsylvania public health recommendation would now upon arrival—or based upon testing or high-risk exposure—need to go into a two-week quarantine is untenable. At the same time, supply chain issues have more severely limited the availability and the turn-around time of COVID testing than medical experts foresaw. Since we last communicated we learned that our planned pre-testing regimen would not be possible. The combination of these factors radically constrains our ability to provide a safe and meaningful on-campus experience for our undergraduates.

Thus, based on the advice of the leading health experts at Penn Medicine and on current public health restrictions, with the full support of the Penn Board of Trustees, we must share the deeply disappointing news that with only very limited exceptions for international students and those students dealing with significant housing or personal hardships, we will not be able to accommodate undergraduate students in University housing. Students who need to apply for on-campus housing exceptions can do so at MyHomeAtPenn (https://tinyurl.com/homeatpenn). (Ed. note: The deadline to apply for on-campus housing exceptions was yesterday, August 17.)

As we have previously announced, the vast majority of instruction for undergraduate students will be online, with very limited exceptions (clinical experiences in Nursing, and classes in other undergraduate schools that are essential for students to meet their curricular or pedagogical requirements). Graduate and professional programs will continue to evaluate their own operations.

It is important to note that with the limited exception of this required in-person instruction, there will be no physical on-campus activities in the fall semester. For the safety of students and the broader community, we are encouraging all other students not to return to Philadelphia.

Our world-class faculty are preparing an outstanding array of engaging online courses, ensuring that the University continues to provide a meaningful and high-quality education to all our students. Faculty have been busy this summer designing new recordings, interactive elements for their students and working with their schools in state-of-the-art classroom studios. In addition, University Life and the Office of Student Affairs, the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, and College Houses have designed new ways for student groups and cohorts to connect online, to hold virtual performances, to present and attend academic poster sessions and fairs and to gather virtually. Some of these have already begun, with the largest ever Pre-Freshman Program currently underway. Every incoming undergraduate will participate in the launch of our online New Student Orientation, which will include year-long cohort activities this year around the theme of Civic Engagement. New Student Orientation will culminate in a virtual Convocation on August 31.

While we have great confidence in the high quality of this educational and college life experience, we deeply regret that these changes represent a significant disappointment to families and students. We have stressed in all of our previous messages that our decisions for the fall would be guided by the most current medical information and governmental directives, and that our plans would need to be flexible and could change depending on the progression of the pandemic. For everyone’s safety, it is imperative to take the steps we are announcing today.

Despite the escalating costs of providing a safe and meaningful educational program, we recognize and appreciate the financial challenges incurred by many students in our community as a result of the pandemic. As a result, we have determined to make tuition and fee adjustments for the fall semester. Tuition for the fall semester will be rolled back by 3.9%, thus freezing tuition at last year’s rate, and the General Fee will be reduced for the fall semester by 10%. Housing and dining fees that have been paid by students will be credited or refunded in full, consistent with the methodology used in the spring. Student financial aid budgets for tuition and general fees will remain at current levels, despite the decrease in cost to students, and students remaining at home will still receive aid for food commensurate with our off-campus dining rate. The University has made significant increases in our financial aid budget to assist students and families in this difficult time and we will continue to make emergency assistance available to support all students who need it.

Since March, when we made the difficult but necessary decision to depopulate the campus, faculty, and staff from across the University have worked tirelessly to prepare our campus to welcome students this fall. We continue to hope that we will be able to welcome students back for the spring semester, and will do everything in our power to maximize that possibility.

All of us at Penn are deeply grateful for the patience that families and students have shown as we have navigated the rapidly changing landscape of this evolving global crisis. We sincerely believe that the educational experience that students will receive this fall will be among the finest available in the world. We will do all that we can to keep each class involved and connected virtually, so that they can continue to interact and share their Penn experience with classmates in a safe and productive way.

We know that there will be many questions that arise because of the changes we are announcing today. We have prepared an FAQ (https://fall-2020-planning.upenn.edu/content/faq-08112020) that should be helpful in providing more detailed information. If you have questions that are not answered in the FAQ, you can email coronavirus@upenn.edu

We thank you for your ongoing understanding and support of the University of Pennsylvania. This has been an extraordinarily challenging year, which has solidified so clearly the invaluable spirit and solidarity of our Penn family. Please know that the University is committed to your safety and well-being, and to providing a truly world-class educational experience. As we have promised before, we will keep you posted on any additional changes as we progress into the semester.

—Amy Gutmann, President
—Wendell Pritchett, Provost
—Craig Carnaroli, Executive Vice President
—J. Larry Jameson, Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and Executive Vice President for the University of Pennsylvania Health System

August 11, 2020

By now you may have seen the University-wide communication to undergraduate students with additional announcements about the fall semester. We’d like to follow up with information specific to graduate and professional students.

The 10% reduction in the University’s General Fee for Fall 2020 applies to all graduate, professional, and undergraduate students. While the University sets PhD tuition, professional schools and programs set their own tuition. If you have questions you should follow up with your program.

Graduate and professional students who have been already approved to live in Sansom Place will be accommodated in the fall. Please also know that for those GAs in the College Houses with signed contracts, those contracts will be honored.

COVID testing will still be required for any student who is coming to campus during the fall semester. Students will be contacted by Penn Wellness with information about when and where free testing will be offered. These communications are being sent to small groups of graduate and professional students at a time, so please be understanding if you hear of students who are invited to testing before you have been. Additionally, all students are still expected to follow the Student Campus Compact (https://fall-2020-planning.upenn.edu/content/student-campus-compact).

We are striving to support our graduate and professional students through these disruptions. We will offer another round of Technology Grants for full- and part-time graduate and professional students; we expect to announce specific details very soon. Our long-standing Insurance Grants and Family Grants (https://tinyurl.com/GSCgrants) for PhD students are being offered earlier this year to help students with additional financial burdens.

The Center for Teaching & Learning has created several workshops specifically for students who will not be participating in TA training this fall (https://tinyurl.com/CTLTAtraining), including: Facilitating Live Sessions, Facilitating Asynchronous Engagement, and Creating Community in Your Online Class.

Finally, we continue to provide virtual programs and resources for you. Grad Peer Accountability Groups and workshops on virtual networking and interviewing are offered through our Graduate Student Center (https://gsc.upenn.edu/events). The Family Resource Center is providing Adventure Time, Story Hour, and Science Saturdays for students with children.

We appreciate your flexibility as we work together to provide the best experience for our graduate and professional students under the current circumstances.

—Wendell Pritchett, Provost
—Beth A. Winkelstein, Deputy Provost

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) has selected Penn Medicine to participate in a $175 million statewide program aimed at improving COVID-19 response efforts in long-term residential care facilities.

Nine academic health systems across Pennsylvania were selected to receive funding for the program. The goal of the effort, known as the Regional Response Health Collaboration Program (RRHCP), is to work in partnership with local regulatory agencies and long-term care facilities in the development of COVID-19 readiness and response planning. Efforts will focus on infection prevention, universal testing, and education. As part of its role in the program, Penn Medicine will also partner with colleagues from Temple University Health System. Both Penn and Temple were selected in March by the Department of Human Services Educational Support and Clinical Coaching Programs (ESCCPs), a collaborative network established by the Department of Human Services that served as a precursor to the RRHC Program.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a disproportionate burden on the more than 2,000 personal care homes, assisted living residences, and skilled nursing facilities throughout the commonwealth,” said PJ Brennan, chief medical officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. “Protecting our state’s most at-risk residents is of vital importance, and academic health systems are poised to lead that effort.”

Residents and workers at long-term care facilities account for 40% of COVID-19 deaths and 10% of cases in the U.S. to date. To help Philadelphia facilities address the unique challenges they face, Penn Medicine partnered with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health beginning in April. The health system has provided infection control consultation and personal protective equipment, expanded testing capacity, as well as virtual palliative care and bereavement services for staff, patients, and loved ones.

“As this work is beginning to have a profound impact on management of outbreaks and the spread of the virus, the Regional Response Health Collaboration Program will allow us to expand our reach further and serve those long-term care residents in our community who are the most vulnerable,” said Nina O’Connor, chief of palliative care and chief medical officer of Penn Medicine at Home.

These efforts will be conducted in collaboration with long-term care facilities and government agencies including the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Department of Human Services, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

Researchers in Penn’s Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology have been awarded a Department of Energy grant focused on the production of fuels from sunlight. As a partner institution with the Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE), the $40 million grant, awarded over five years, will accelerate fundamental research on solar technology in order to meet the increasing needs for clean and renewable energy sources.

Six institutions will participate in the CHASE partnership: Penn, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Emory University, North Carolina State University, Yale University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which will lead the project. The aim of CHASE is to fill gaps in existing knowledge to allow for development of practical artificial photosynthetic systems. Building on previous accomplishments by the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, the newly funded research will also blend experiment with theory to help establish new design principles for fuels-from-sunlight systems.

The goal of CHASE is to develop hybrid photoelectrodes for fuel production that combine semiconductors for light absorption with molecular catalysts for conversion and fuel production. As one of the six partner institutions, Penn brings technical expertise in energy science, materials science, and chemistry.

“What’s really exciting here is the goal to develop complete systems that take solar energy, CO2, and water all the way to liquid fuels,” said Karen Goldberg, the CHASE institutional coordinator for Penn, Vagelos Professor of Energy Research, and the inaugural director of the Vagelos Institute. “That’s going to involve many different aspects—from materials to capture the light, to stable and reactive catalysts that can work together to viable ways to attach these catalysts to semiconductor surfaces, and so much more. We will all work on different parts of the process; there are so many people with very different skill sets needed to make this effort successful.”

Penn researchers were invited to join CHASE because of key strengths in energy science, materials science, and chemistry as well as the infrastructure of interdisciplinary collaborations developed through the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology. “Through the Vagelos Institute, many of us have already been collaborating on various aspects related to this project and have been thinking about how we can apply our expertise to contribute solutions to the global energy challenge,” said Zahra Fakhraai, associate professor of chemistry. Her research group has expertise in polymer chemistry and conducts detailed analyses of the surfaces of materials. Understanding what happens along these interfaces is important for being able to better control chemical reactions. “The Institute really enabled us to come together as a group and organize when the opportunity arose to be part of the DOE solar hub,” she noted.

But tackling a global challenge as massive as energy and sustainability will require teamwork, which is why the multi-institutional structure of CHASE, one that brings leading researchers from different fields together, will be an essential component of the program’s success. “Team science like this is fun to be involved with because you have opportunities to learn new things from new people, all towards one goal,” said Eric Stach, professor of materials science and engineering and director of the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter. Dr. Stach uses advanced atomic-level characterization techniques to study the fundamental properties and performance of materials. His lab has pioneered electron microscopy methods for studying electrochemical environments in a more realistic way, which allows researchers to better understand catalyst activity and degradation.

The Vagelos Institute’s involvement in the CHASE partnership also comes at a time when energy-science research is gaining momentum at Penn, with a new energy science and technology building and a continued focus on training the next generation of scientists and engineers through grants and fellowships. “There’s going to be a lot of involvement with graduate students, postdocs, Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research students, and undergraduates who are keenly interested in this problem,” said Vagelos Professor in Energy Research Tom Mallouk. “And bringing together interdisciplinary teams that can work on big energy-related problems is a good match for the mission of the Vagelos Institute.” Dr. Mollouk studies a broad range of topics in materials science with a focus on incorporating techniques from synthetic chemistry. His group works in areas including molecular design, semiconductor interfaces characterization, and developing new chemistries that could be used to develop more efficient catalysts.

Jessica Anna, assistant professor and Elliman Faculty Fellow, will also be involved in the project. Dr. Anna is a physical chemist with an interest in solar energy conversion. Her lab has expertise in ultrafast and 2D laser spectroscopy, methods that can help researchers better understand light absorption.

For more on the Fuels from Sunlight Energy Innovation Hub program, visit https://science.osti.gov/bes/Research/DOE-Energy-Innovation-Hubs

Hanming Fang, professor of economics, has been appointed the Joseph M. Cohen Term Professor of Economics. Dr. Fang is an internationally recognized expert in applied microeconomic theory and empirical microeconomics. His current research and teaching interests include discrimination, health insurance and healthcare markets, social insurance, population aging, and the Chinese economy. For his research on the sources of advantageous selection in the Medigap insurance market, Dr. Fang was awarded the 17th Kenneth Arrow Award by the International Health Economics Association (iHEA). He has served as a co-editor for leading economics journals, including the Journal of Public Economics and the International Economic Review, and he currently serves as a senior editor for the Journal of Risk and Insurance and on the editorial committee of Annual Review of Economics. He was elected as a fellow of the Econometric Society in 2018. At Penn, Dr. Fang was the Class of 1965 Term Professor, and he has served as a Penn Fellow and as a member of the Penn Arts & Sciences Planning and Priorities Committee. 

Joseph M. Cohen (W’59) established this chair to recognize a distinguished scholar in economics. Two of his sons, Jarrod M. Cohen (C’89) and Jon Cohen (W’91) also attended Penn. He is a past member of the Penn Arts & Sciences Economics Visiting Committee and was a member of the Gift Committee for his 50th reunion.

Maori Karmael Holmes, artistic director and CEO of BlackStar Film Festival, has been appointed curator-at-large for film at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and mediamaker-in-residence at the Annenberg School for Communication.

As curator-at-large for film, Ms. Holmes will work with Annenberg Center Executive and Artistic Director Christopher Gruits to develop a series of films that will complement and amplify the Annenberg Center’s season programming across all disciplines. She will also develop ancillary activities such as lectures and discussions, creating opportunities for students to engage with filmmakers and others working in the film industry.

As mediamaker-in-residence at the Annenberg School, Ms. Holmes will teach an undergraduate course and provide mentorship to doctoral and undergraduate students. She will also advise on projects including the Collective for Advancing Multimodal Research Arts (CAMRA) and CAMRA Fellows. Additionally, the Annenberg School will serve as a home for seen: a journal of film and visual culture, a new journal edited by Ms. Holmes, and provide additional support to the BlackStar organization.

“It’s an honor to be appointed to these positions at both the Annenberg Center and School, two institutions that I deeply respect,” said Ms. Holmes. “The capacity of film, both empathetically and intellectually, to explore personal and communal experience in a time like this is a tremendous power, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to teach and share with this community.”

“The Annenberg Center has a long history of presenting film, starting in the 1970s, and we’re excited to work with such a noted film scholar as Maori Holmes to offer our audiences a more robust film program,” said Mr. Gruits. “Our collaboration with Maori and partnership with BlackStar Film Fest and the Annenberg School for Communication will build upon the Annenberg Center’s ongoing commitment to presenting a breadth of diverse artists and perspectives for both the Penn and Philadelphia communities. We are grateful to the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Executive Vice President for their support in bringing Maori on board with the Annenberg Center.”

“Annenberg has been a long-time sponsor of the BlackStar Film Festival,” noted John L. Jackson, Jr., Walter H. Annenberg Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication and Richard Perry University Professor, “and this new arrangement further solidifies our investment in providing opportunities for students to examine film as a media industry that changes over time and impacts larger social, cultural and political issues. Having Maori Holmes in the classroom and providing support to our students serves our goal of carefully integrating theory with arts/media/technology practice in organic and meaningful ways. It also reinforces our commitment to engaging the media and arts communities across campus and beyond Penn.”

Photo by Rashid Zakat

While extensive research has pointed toward ways to ensure patients receive evidence-based cancer care, putting these solutions into widespread practice can be a complex, challenging, and inefficient process. Now, a new grant awarded to the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will help identify methods to bridge this gap, improving uptake of state-of-the-science care that can have a significant impact for patients. The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is funding the work through a P50 grant worth almost $5 million over five years. The award, part of the Cancer Moonshot, makes Penn one of seven centers across the country working on this effort as part of the NCI’s Implementation Science Centers in Cancer Control.

The research supported by this grant is focused on the intersection of implementation science and behavioral economics—working with clinicians and organizations to change their behavior in line with evidence-based approaches within their standard clinical workflows. Early projects include increasing referrals of cancer patients to a tobacco cessation program, increasing use of more affordable but equally effective cancer drugs, and exploring how COVID-19 has affected cancer treatment. Across the projects, questions related to health equity will be a key focus.

“We are unwavering in our commitment to deliver the best possible care for patients with cancer, and this grant will help us accumulate a body of evidence on how to efficiently implement research-supported best practices to transform cancer care,” said Rinad S. Beidas, associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Penn Implementation Science Center at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, one of three principal investigators of the grant. The other two are Justin E. Bekelman, professor of radiation oncology and director of the Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation at the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC), and Robert A. Schnoll, research professor of psychiatry, senior fellow in Penn’s Center for Public Health Initiatives, and associate director for Population Science and co-leader of the Tobacco and Environmental Carcinogenesis Program at the ACC.

“Through this research program, Penn Medicine will uniquely harness many of the world’s experts on the cutting edge of implementation science, behavioral economics, and cancer care innovation to solve some of the most complex problems in cancer care delivery,” Dr. Bekelman said.

As part of this grant, the Penn team will use innovative methodologies, pilot projects, and real-world clinical environments, in partnership with stakeholders, to achieve its overarching aim. Dr. Beidas will provide leadership and oversight for the team’s research components, along with Alison M. Buttenheim, associate professor of nursing and associate director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics. Projects involving clinical practices will take place within the network of 10 community and academic health sites across Penn Medicine, which Dr. Bekelman will lead, along with Lawrence Shulman, deputy director for clinical services and director of global medicine at the ACC.

The team will also build collaborations with the other six centers funded through the Cancer Moonshot to support national implementation science and the cancer care delivery research communities.

“This funding provides us with a unique opportunity to work with other top-tier cancer centers to bring a nationwide focus to bear on implementing these crucial innovations to improve the quality of cancer patient care, and we are very excited to see this come to fruition,” Dr. Schnoll said.

“This program positions Penn Medicine as a national leader in implementation science and behavioral economics and represents an exciting expansion of the strengths of the Penn Medicine community to radically and efficiently transform cancer care,” said Robert H. Vonderheide, director of the ACC.

For more information on the Implementation Science Centers in Cancer Control, visit https://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/IS/initiatives/ISC3.html

Eugenie Birch, Lawrence C. Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research and Education
Chair of the Graduate Group in City and Regional Planning, Co-Director, Penn Institute for Urban Resarch

This piece is in response to the Speaking Out letter supporting the Penn for PILOTS Petition by Peter Conn, Vartan Gregorian Professor of English Emeritus; Professor of Education, published in Almanac’s July 28, 2020 issue.

I have followed with great interest the discussion on PILOTs circulating at Penn. The issue is extremely complex … and fraught. As an urban researcher, I have done some work, but admittedly not enough, on the topic in line with my interest in anchor institutions and their roles in cities. So I call on our community to pause for a moment to undertake what we are trained for: research, discussion, and shared knowledge as applied to this subject.

As a start, we could take a look at the many dimensions of public finance in general, and in particular for Philly, reviewing the respective roles of anchor institutions in urban economies, in society at large, and in Philly, and clarifying the legal/governance issues related to nonprofit (a state-regulated status) and tax exempt (a federal designation) and how that works in theory and in practice. Also, such an analysis would place PILOTs in context—to see whether PILOTs are the solution to what everyone agrees is the need to have adequate funding for public education in the city, or if other structural reforms and finance mechanisms could raise the needed revenues. These are not simple questions, and we need evidence-based research to undergird our mutual understanding of these matters as we think about the PILOT question.

For example, in the public finance realm, scholars have recorded that PILOTs contribute minimally to local budgets, that establishing PILOTs is fraught with politics, and balancing the community functions that nonprofits perform with the city services whose costs they absorb is not clear cut. As I understand it, in the case of Philly, the tax picture is different from other cities—first, it depends more on wage taxes than on property taxes, and second, the separately held education budget is divided approximately 50-50 with the state; the city’s portion is again divided between the property tax and wage tax – so property taxes are supporting only 25% of the school budget and wage taxes and fees the rest. We really need a public finance expert to help us understand the ups and downs of Philly’s tax system. However, one thing is clear: Philly’s fiscal situation is really complicated—on one hand the wage tax gets non-resident city workers to support city services (and that means any of us who do not live in Philly proper) but on the other hand, the wage tax has served as a disincentive to private sector business investments. When you look at the 15 largest private employers (Fortune 500) in the Philly region, only two (Comcast and Aramark) are in the city; the rest are in the suburbs. But since Penn and other anchor institutions are rooted in the city for a variety of reasons, the wage tax which we all pay is certainly keeping the city tax base afloat, albeit with the negative effects mentioned above. Our discussion of PILOTs needs to occur within a deeper contextual understanding of the city’s overall financial situation, its taxing formulae (especially an understanding of the role of the wage tax) and the impact these have on the overall economic health of the city.

On anchor institutions, in many instances, eds and meds have replaced the 19th-century factory when measuring a city’s economic base, and as such, they bring in external monies—in Penn’s case, our nearly billion dollars of research funding is a big shot in the arm, as are the other revenue generators—tuition, hospital billing—and these activities add to the agglomeration of other synergistic private sector activities e.g., small and medium enterprise services like hospital supply businesses, student-frequented restaurants (and bars!).

In their educational and research functions, anchor institutions are not simply property owners or profit centers but are entities that have public service missions as recognized by the government regulations that set them apart from commercial enterprises. While the enormous number of community services that the various Penn schools and centers offer in health, education, social work, business, law, libraries, museum, and so forth are part of students’ training and support, I suspect that their work goes well beyond the minimum that would be needed to offer a reputable professional education. We should examine this. And as these services cost $$$, we need more information about how these efforts work and whether PILOT payments would rob Peter to pay Paul, as Penn, though rich by many standards, does not have a limitless budget. And coming from a school that is among the less well resourced, I can see how every penny counts. In terms of other contributions to the city’s economic base, Penn has businesses that it manages separately from the educational and research functions, paying taxes just as a private-sector entity would.

All in all, Penn’s $11.3 billion operating budget (university and health system) is in league with Aramark (but not Comcast), so it’s a huge, complicated operation. It would be great to have some ongoing seminars on anchor institution operating budgets—and the colossal task that Penn’s EVP and the deans do in managing all of this. Again, these are areas for research and discussion.

Lastly, I call on the legal historians among us to help us understand the complicated sagas of university-community relations—Penn’s current position evolved ever since it moved to West Philadelphia as well as the various experiments in voluntary payments in various cities. I understand that Penn did participate in such a program between 1995 and 1999, but passage of a state law in 1997 muddied the waters so the city and Penn decided to discontinue the program. What more can we learn about this? And what do we know about Penn’s contributions to the Philly school system post-1999? How do these compare those to the extent of the earlier commitment?

So these are a few questions we could pursue. Below is a short bibliography of some of the work on anchor institutions, including some of my writings, that may help in this discussion. There is also an Anchor Institution Task Force (https://www.margainc.com/aitf/) actually started by Ira Harkavy, a pioneer in this area about 10 years ago, that has lots of information. It would be great to have some of our scholars of public finance contribute to the list so that we all could come up to speed on this compelling topic.

My final word: As citizens of Penn (not simply employees) we really should equip ourselves better to think about these matters.

Suggested Readings:

Anchor Institutions Task Force Literature Review, Anchor Institutions Task Force; https://www.margainc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/AITF_Literature_Review_2015_v_1.pdf

Building the Ivory Tower: Universities and Metropolitan Development in the Twentieth Century, LaDale Winling; https://www.bookdepository.com/Building-Ivory-Tower-LaDale-C-  Winling/9780812249682

Anchor Institutions in the Northeast Megaregion: An Important But Not Fully Realized Resource, Eugenie L. Birch; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291082949_Anchor_institutions_in_the_northeast_megaregion_An_important_but_not_fully_realized_resource

Universities as Anchor Institutions, Eugenie L. Birch, David C. Perry, and Henry Louis Taylor, Jr.; https://staging.community-wealth.org/sites/clone.community-wealth.org/files/downloads/article-birch-et-al.pdf

Anchor Institutions, Neighborhood Involvement, and the Innovation Economy, Eugenie L. Birch; https://crcog.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/20160617-BIRCH-Anchor-Institutions-and-their-Neighborhoods-and-the-Innovation-Economy-FINAL.pdf

From Science Parks to Innovation Districts Research Facility Development in Legacy Cities on the Northeast Corridor, Eugenie L. Birch; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282157552_From_Science_Parks_to_Innovation_Di stricts_Research_Facility_ Development_in_Legacy_Cities_on_the_Northeast_Corridor

Nonprofit Pilots (Payments In Lieu Of Taxes), Daphne A. Kenyon and Adam H. Langley; https://www.lincolninst.edu/sites/default/files/pubfiles/nonprofit-pilots-policy-brief-v2.pdf

William Bacon Carey, former clinical professor of pediatrics at CHOP who taught at the hospital and at Penn for 58 years, died July 26 of congestive heart failure at Cathedral Village in Roxborough, where he had lived since 2012. He was 93.

Dr. Carey was born in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. He graduated from Milton Academy, earned a bachelor’s degree in American studies from Yale University, and earned a medical degree from Harvard in 1954. From 1957 to 1959, he served as a captain in the Army Medical Corps in Arizona.

He interned at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and in 1959 was hired as an assistant instructor in pediatrics at CHOP. He was appointed to the clinical faculty track in 1979 as a clinical assistant professor. Over the years, he continued to be promoted, becoming a clinical professor of pediatrics. He was also on the pediatric staff at Riddle Memorial Hospital in Media, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Carey conducted research into the temperamental differences in children as they developed, with a focus on the concept that children’s behaviors spring from the interplay of their inborn qualities and abilities with their specific environments. With the help of psychologists, Dr. Carey created the first set of five clinical questionnaires in which parents described the traits of their children at various stages between one month and 12 years of age.

These questionnaires advanced the field of study by giving scientists a tool to measure and group the behaviors. He counseled parents to carefully study their children’s concerns and reactions to situations within their environment when the youngsters acted out. He emphasized the importance of reducing the stressful interactions and teaching kids coping skills.

Dr. Carey was the author of more than 130 research papers, reviews, commentaries, editorials, and book chapters. He wrote or co-authored nine books, including one for parents,  Understanding Your Child’s Temperament. He received the American Academy of Pediatrics’ 1991 Aldrich Award in Child Development and its 1992 Practitioner Research Award. In 1983, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine, now the National Academy of Medicine. He also held various editorial positions throughout his career, including with the International Journal of Behavior and Development, the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, Clinical Pediatrics, and Pediatrics in Review.

Dr. Carey is survived by daughters, Elizabeth, Katharine, and Laura; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Plans for a memorial service are pending due to the pandemic.

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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 Penn community. Email almanac@upenn.edu

Read the Of Record: University of Pennsylvania Sexual Misconduct Policy, Resource Offices and Complaint Procedures as a PDF.

We revised and enhanced the University’s Sexual Misconduct Policy and Procedures last year with the knowledge that Title IX regulations being proposed by the US Department of Education could necessitate additional changes to Penn’s policies and procedures.  The new Title IX regulations were issued on May 5, 2020 with an effective date of August 14, 2020.  Our leadership team worked to understand the preamble and regulations, which were more than 2,000 pages long, in order to determine what changes were needed to ensure that the University was in compliance with the new regulations.  Unfortunately, the timeframe provided did not allow for the broad consultation and comment period that has been Penn’s practice and that occurred during academic year 2018-19.

The Policy announced today represents another important step in our work to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct.  However, the development and implementation of these policies and procedures is a dynamic process and we will continue our work to ensure that our policies are aligned with our unwavering commitment to provide a healthy and safe environment for all members of the Penn community, free from sexual misconduct. As we implement the revised policies and procedures this fall, we welcome any further comments and advice from faculty, staff, and students regarding ways that might strengthen our policies beyond the changes we have adopted here to ensure that our policies and procedures are effective and fair in dealing with this serious issue. 

—Amy Gutmann, President
—Wendell Pritchett, Provost
—Craig Carnaroli, Executive Vice President
—J. Larry Jameson, Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania Health System

Esra Sahingur, associate dean of graduate studies and student research at Penn Dental Medicine, has been selected as a 2020-2021 fellow in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program. ELAM, which advocates for women occupying influential leadership roles in academic health centers, accepts 60 candidates each year after a competitive selection process. Dr. Sahingur will begin working on her project in September.

The program focuses on increasing the number of qualified women for executive leadership positions in academic medicine, dentistry, public health, and pharmacy. The one-year fellowship involves leadership training, networking, mentoring, and an Institutional Action Project (IAP). Each fellow in the program develops and evaluates an IAP with the intention of supporting their respective Institution’s initiatives for organizational growth.

ELAM is a core program of Drexel University College of Medicine. Beginning in 1995, the program was developed for women faculty at the associate or full professor level who exhibit the most potential for taking on executive leadership roles at academic health centers within the next five years.

Dr. Sahingur, who is also an associate professor in the department of periodontics, joined Penn Dental Medicine in 2019. After obtaining her DDS from Istanbul University and postgraduate degrees from State University of New York at Buffalo, she maintained a faculty position at Virginia Commonwealth University for 13 years prior to coming to Penn Dental Medicine. During this time, she was recognized for her research program and led numerous projects funded by the National Institutes of Health and other sources, and mentored several students and faculty. In addition, she was a recipient of VCU’s Women in Science, Dentistry and Medicine Award; the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research; and the Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award.

A Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and an internationally recognized scientist, Dr. Sahingur actively serves academia and the scientific research community as an editorial board member of the Journal of Dental Research and Molecular Oral Microbiology. She is also a standing member of Center for Scientific Review in National Institute of Health, Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Sciences Study Section.  

Howard Stevenson, Constance Clayton Professor of Urban Education at Penn GSE, has been awarded $60,000 from Temple University to support the Racial Empowerment Collaborative in its implementation of the Preventing Long-term Anger and Aggression in Youth (PLAAY) intervention. The PLAAY intervention integrates physical activity and culturally responsive group therapy to help youth with managing the stress of in-the-moment, face-to-face oppression related to race, gender, and disabilities, and help them make healthy decisions during those conflicts. This is a collaborative effort with Sally Gould-Taylor, associate professor and associate director of evaluation and research in the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University; Jason Javier-Watson, assistant principal for 9th and 10th grades at the St. Francis Catholic High School, Sacramento, California; and Kelsey Jones, assistant professor in education, health, and human services at the California State University San Marcos.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has once again rated Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) as Exceptional, the highest possible rating for an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center. This is the third straight Exceptional rating for the ACC. The distinction follows an extensive peer-review process for the ACC’s five-year competitive research support grant, which funds work across the center’s research and clinical care missions. The recommended funding level for the renewed grant also places the ACC among the top 10 cancer center support grant recipients in the country.

Members of the ACC have led or co-led studies that resulted in 10 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals of cancer therapies since 2017. The ACC is an international leader in cancer immunotherapy, pioneering the breakthrough of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy and culminating with the first-ever cell and gene therapy for adults and children with cancer approved by the FDA. ACC researchers also led the first U.S.-based trial of CRISPR gene editing for cancer patients. The cutting-edge research at the ACC spans the many different disciples of cancer research, such as defining novel principles of T cell response and cancer inflammation; forging innovations in radiation therapy (especially proton therapy in the Roberts Proton Therapy Center); advancing molecular and surgical imaging; and defining the impact of inherited genes that cause cancer, especially mutations in BRCA1/2 (led by Penn’s Basser Center for BRCA). Members of the ACC are also national leaders in establishing new intervention strategies to improve public health, advocating for policy change, and addressing cancer risk factors, especially nicotine addiction and obesity.

The Exceptional rating also signifies the renewal of the ACC’s status as an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a designation awarded to institutions that not only meet rigorous standards for state-of-the-art research focused on developing new and better approaches to preventing, diagnosing, and treating cancer, but also an added breadth of multidisciplinary laboratory, clinical, and population-based research, as well as substantial transdisciplinary research that bridges these scientific areas.

Children’s Activities

8/21   At-Home Anthro Live; weaving; 1 p.m.; info: www.penn.museum/calendar/485/at-home-anthro-live (Penn Museum).

Fitness and Learning

8/19   Admissions Webinar for High School Students; noon; RSVP: https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/calendar/#!view/event/event_id/3382 (Nursing).

         Nursing & Healthcare Administration MSN and Health Leadership MSN Webinar; noon; RSVP: https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/calendar/#!view/event/event_id/3396 (Nursing).

Penn Museum

Info: www.penn.museum/calendar

8/19    World Wonders: Greek Votives: Meaning and Making; 11 a.m.; free to registered guests.

8/20    Living Room Lecture: Chat with Dr. Lucy Fowler Williams and Patty Talahongva; 5:30 p.m.

           Date Night: Venture to Egypt; 8 p.m.; $5/per couple.

8/25    Morning Coffee Break with Deborah Brown Stewart; 10 a.m.

Talks

8/19    Mind the Gap: Conversations About Life and Landscape Architecture; Gerdo Aquino, SWA/Balsley; Zoom meeting; 6 p.m.; register: https://tinyurl.com/mind-the-gap (Landscape Architecture). 

8/20     Dental Implants in Periodontal Prosthesis: The Past, the Present and the Future; 6-8 p.m.; Dumitru Gogarnoiu, Penn Dental; BlueJeans meeting; register: https://tinyurl.com/yyd8q2cz (Dental).

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AT PENN Deadlines 

The Summer AT PENN calendar is now online. The deadline to submit virtual events to be featured in an issue Update is the Monday of the prior week.

An undergraduate student–curated exhibition highlighting the Penn Museum’s rarely seen Oceanian collection will open Friday, August 28. Living with the Sea: Charting the Pacific will explore the ways the sea inspires people from the Pacific Islands to create materials and meanings that connect their past, present, and future. 

This intimate exhibition will showcase 14 compelling objects from the Oceanian collection—most of which have never been on display due to light and temperature-sensitivity. 

All of the artifacts were influenced by the sea: some were used in everyday life, while others represent important cultural symbols that transmit meaning across generations. From nose ornaments and body modification instruments from the Solomon Islands to a scarification tool from Kiribati, to a navigational chart used by sailors to determine their course on the water in the Marshall Islands, Living with the Sea: Charting the Pacific will outline the unique relationship people in Oceania share with the natural resource that shapes their way of life. 

Each year, the Penn Museum’s student exhibition program selects three undergraduates to collaborate with staff, expand their research with faculty, and create an accessible experience for Museum visitors, all while strengthening their skill sets for future careers. Together, they produce an exhibition, including selecting and researching the artifacts that will be on display, writing the descriptive labels for each object, and contributing to the look and layout. As a part of the Penn’s Year of Data (2019-2020), the exhibition ties together archaeological, ethnographic, and archival data. 

The 2020-2021 undergraduate student curators are: 

• Kia DaSilva, a rising senior from West Philadelphia, who is double-majoring in Near Eastern languages and civilizations, and music 
• Ashleigh David, a 2020 graduate from Pacific, Missouri, who majored in anthropology 
• Erin Spicola of Richmond, Rhode Island, a 2020 graduate who majored in anthropology. 

“The Student Exhibition Program exemplifies our goals as a research museum,” said Anne Tiballi, Mellon Director of Academic Engagement at the Penn Museum. “None of the student curators were experts in our Oceanian collection, but by combining their own skills in archival, anthropological, and object-based research with expert advice, they developed a very thoughtful approach to the topic and how best to share it with the general public.”

Professional and Personal Development Programs

These virtual, online programs are open to faculty and staff. Register at http://knowledgelink.upenn.edu/

Time and Energy Management: Ideas for Sustainable Life Balance; 9/9; 10-11 a.m. This interactive workshop defines energy management in terms of its relationship to work-life balance asserting that time is finite but energy is not. Several traditional tools are presented but the focus is largely on the need for sustainable practices of working and living in the midst of a pandemic. Individuals will be asked to do a personal energy assessment and to consider a habit that will serve them.

Assertiveness Skills; 9/15; 12:30-1:30 p.m. You may experience situations when you need to utilize assertiveness 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.

The Gift of Feedback; 9/22; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Feedback can be an amazing gift that helps improve performance, but many managers feel challenged by giving and receiving feedback. In this session managers will learn how to frame feedback as a gift that creates productive dialog and improved performance. Additionally, we will cover how managers can solicit feedback from staff in order to become a more effective leader.

Using Spark Hire Video Interviewing; 9/25; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Spark Hire is Penn’s video interviewing technology. In this session we will provide an overview of video interviewing and how job candidates use the system. We will also provide some tips and techniques for creating a great video interview.

Psychology of Job Performance; 9/30; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Successfully overcoming performance issues in the workplace requires a basic understanding of how the human mind works. In this hour-long session, we will discuss how job performance intersects with concepts within the field of psychology, such as behavioral science and motivation. We will discuss how these concepts form a framework that can be used to diagnose performance issues and realize the most efficient and effective ways to overcome them.

Work-life Workshops

These virtual, online programs are open to faculty and staff. Register at www.hr.upenn.edu/registration

Introduction to Mindfulness Presentation; 9/8; noon-1 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. This one-hour presentation will provide an introduction to the practice of mindfulness and how it can be utilized as a tool to manage stress in personal and professional settings. This program is recommended prior to starting the 8-week Mindfulness in the Workplace program.

Financial Footsteps: Getting It Right in 20’s and 30’s (Part 1); 9/10; noon-1 p.m. You’ve got a lot going on. Starting a job, paying taxes, getting married, buying a home, dealing with debt, and everything in between. We can help you sort it all out. In this workshop you will learn about:

• creating a personalized budget that works
• managing student loans and other debt
• credit reports and scores—what they are, why they matter and how to improve them
• investment basics including the power of compounding and asset allocation

Mindfulness with Sandra Herman; 9/11; 12:30-1:30 p.m. This monthly workshop will offer participants an opportunity to practice awareness activities adapted from Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. During the first part of our practice, we will begin with a guided meditation focusing on the breath. The second half of our session will focus our attention on a guided exploration of the body, bringing awareness to the different areas of the body, and allowing ourselves to experience how each part feels, without trying to change anything. No experience necessary. All warmly welcome.

Guided Mindful Meditation with Sandra Herman; 9/22; 12:30-1:30 p.m. This workshop is offered twice a month for participants to practice present moment awareness with kindness and compassion. The guided meditation will focus on the breath and being in the body. Self-applied massage and gentle mindful movements that promote rest and relaxation, and reduce stress may also be included in the workshop. No experience necessary. All are warmly welcome.

Mental and Physical Health: Making the Connection; 9/17; 12:30-1:30 p.m. There is more and more growing evidence of the connection between our mental health and our physical health. How can we be more focused on the areas that can impact across mind and body? Recent wellness studies show the interconnection between fitness, nutrition, and mental health. Examples include emotional under- or overeating, depression following a medical diagnosis, how exercise can improve mood, etc. Learn to be empowered to make better choices for a healthier you…even during times of stress! This workshop takes a look at your health from the inside out by exploring the connection between mental and physical health.

Resiliency; 9/21; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Studies have found that when the same events happen to different people, it’s the individual’s response that makes a difference in terms of staying healthy, and using the experience in a positive way in order to grow and thrive—also known as resiliency. What’s the secret? This seminar explores this dynamic and what we can learn from those who are successful at surviving whatever life throws their way and developing similar resiliency. The good news is, resiliency can be learned, and many examples exist where it has made all the difference. Participants will leave with tips and techniques for maximizing their own resiliency and positively influencing those around them.

Financial Footsteps: Getting It Right in 20’s and 30’s (Part 2); 9/24; noon-1 p.m. You’ve got a lot going on. Starting a job, paying taxes, getting married, buying a home, dealing with debt, and everything in between. We can help you sort it all out. In this workshop you will learn about:

• creating a personalized budget that works
• managing student loans and other debt
• credit reports and scores—what they are, why they matter and how to improve them
• investment basics including the power of compounding and asset allocation

How to Nominate a Staff Member or Team for a Models of Excellence Award; 9/29; noon-1 p.m. Do you work with someone who shows special initiative or demonstrates outstanding leadership? Have you noticed that a colleague or team excels at fostering workplace collaboration or shows an especially deep commitment to service? If so, then recognize them as a Model of Excellence. The Selection Committee depends on the content of the nominations to make its decisions. Therefore, nominations submitted should be as detailed and descriptive as possible in order to convey a nominee’s exceptional performance. Be sure to attend this workshop and learn about how best to write your nomination and obtain some tips on doing so!

Mindfulness in the Workplace 8-Week Mindfulness Course; 9/30–11/18; 2:30-4:30 p.m. This program offers a thorough introduction to mindfulness-based stress management. The course includes a structured and foundational process for participants to learn mindfulness-based tools and apply them in real-life situations to help reduce stress, increase focus and mental clarity, improve communication in relationships, improve mood and energy, and better manage difficult situations. The course will be conducted virtually via Zoom Video Conferencing. All class materials are provided, including weekly practice assignments and guided audio meditation practices. Recommended: participation in the Introduction to Mindfulness one-hour presentation on 9/8.

5-Week Resilience Workshop; 9/30-10/28; 1-2 p.m. Are you feeling run down and overwhelmed? Is it getting harder to stay positive, hopeful, and motivated in these uncertain times? Join us for a five-week program designed to bolster resilience, amplify your wellbeing, and help you feel in charge even when things are out of control. Each weekly session covers a different aspect of work and life: resilience, clarity, purpose, boundaries, and courage.

Penn Healthy You Workshops

These virtual, online programs are open to faculty and staff. Register at www.hr.upenn.edu/registration

Vinyasa Yoga; 9/2; noon-1 p.m. Hosted by Campus Recreation, Vinyasa Yoga is a unique sequence of postures aimed at strengthening the mind-body connection. Its hallmark is the emphasis on intuition over tradition. With roots deep in classical yoga, this class will allow you to stretch and strengthen every part of your body and mind. This method encourages vitality, strength, and healing as we work with the body as a whole. You don’t need any previous experience or knowledge of yoga. Remember, the prize is in the process!

Chair Yoga; 9/30; 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.

—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 August 3-9, 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 August 3-9, 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: 9 incidents (5 aggravated assaults, 2 domestic assaults, 1 rape, and 1 robbery) with 4 arrests were reported for August 3-9, 2020 by the 18th District, covering the Schuylkill River to 49th Street & Market Street to Woodland Avenue.

Last week, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced that Senator Kamala Harris would be his running mate. FactCheck.org published stories about Kamala Harris when she was a presidential candidate. For a rundown of the claims FactCheck.org has previously addressed, visit https://www.factcheck.org/2020/08/factchecking-sen-kamala-harris/

The Penn Museum is home to a million extraordinary objects, but in the Spotlight Gallery, there can only be one—and you get to choose!

Introducing Community Spotlight, a new exhibition series displaying one community-selected object representing one facet of our shared human experience. Make your selection from six artifacts lined up by their Collections experts; the object with the most votes will be installed in the Spotlight Gallery, adjacent to the Sphinx, and become the very first artifact on view this fall as part of this community-centered initiative. Vote by August 31 at https://upenn.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bvGvwemsA4UbLTL

Too hot in the kitchen? Let us do the cooking! If you’ve been missing Chef Rob’s culinary creations as much as we have, we’ve got good news. This summer, World Cafe Live will be open for curbside pickup on Saturdays 3-7 p.m. We’re beyond excited to safely bring back an essential part of the #WCLexperience! We’ll be releasing a new menu in a new style each week—keep an eye on your inbox, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook for updates.

WCL is serving up a selection of deliciously tender meats, fresh local vegetables, house-made sides, and handcrafted cocktails. We’ve even got a complete Vegan meal option, and most items are prepared gluten-free (full dietary information can be found on the ordering site). Pre-orders for this Saturday are open now.

All items must be pre-ordered through our temporary Square website, https://worldcafelive.square.site/ Online pre-ordering will close Thursdays at noon. Quantities are limited, so get your orders in early.

We’re committed to serving our community safely. Rest assured our team is taking necessary precautions during pickup and preparation. Our kitchen and surfaces will be properly sanitized before, during, and after.

Each Saturday we’ll have a table set up outside on 31st Street. All pickups will be contactless. You can walk up to the table or remain in your vehicle, but masks and social distancing are required.

Every order helps support World Cafe Live while we’re temporarily closed. We’ve been hard at work planning for an uncertain future while staying connected with our dedicated partners and guests. Thank you so much for your continued support—we couldn’t do this without you!

—World Cafe Live

Almanac will publish again on Tuesday, August 25, then weekly throughout the fall semester. For the complete publication schedule and deadlines, visit https://almanac.upenn.edu/publication-schedule-deadlines

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.