October 25, 2022 Volume 69 Issue 11

In welcoming attendees to Liz Magill’s inauguration on a sunny Friday, October 21, Trustees Chair Scott L. Bok said the celebration “marks a renewal of our aspiration for Penn and all that it can be.”

“Like any new beginning, we face it with excitement and joy, and with seriousness of purpose,” Mr. Bok added, gazing at the crowd in Irvine Auditorium, and speaking to all who tuned in via livestream. “We live in complicated times and we cannot know what challenges are ahead. What I do know is that we are ready, with a University resolved to academic excellence and service to others, a red and blue spirit that is strong and tenacious, and, beginning today, a president who is hand-picked for this moment at Penn.”

President Magill, formerly provost and executive vice president at the University of Virginia, officially assumed the role as Penn’s president in July. Ever since, she has worked diligently to get to know the University, as well as the city she now calls home, and recently launched “Tomorrow, Together,” intended to set a strategic framework for Penn’s future. Magill learned early on of what she calls the “virtuous impatience” of Penn people—their sense of urgency in putting their knowledge to work, and their drive to do good with it. Thus, in her inaugural address, she urged the Penn community to not only meet the moment, but to make it.

“We can be confident enough in our strengths to be bold, to take risks, to play offense,” she said. “We can stand tall on our distinctive values and the creativity and tenacity of Penn people.”

“Making the moment,” President Magill described, is like “drawing down the lightning”—a nod to Penn founder Benjamin Franklin, who, using a kite and key in the mid-1700s, worked to better understand electricity.

“We welcome a challenge here and we thrive on it,” President Magill said. “To answer the great challenges of our time, opportunity and truth will be our conductors, our kite and key, our means to draw down the lightning … Today, the very nature of truth is contested and the means to opportunity are fragile. The University of Pennsylvania is called upon to redouble our historic and our forward-looking commitment to these twin principles.”

Following tradition during the inauguration ceremony, Mr. Bok gave President Magill the president’s badge, created in 1981, which signifies the authority of the chief executive, as well as three symbolic brass keys to the University, which were first used at the 1895 inauguration of Charles C. Harrison, who was a Penn provost.

Also at the ceremony, the Rev. Charles Howard gave an invocation and a benediction; Faculty Senate Chair Vivian Gadsden and Penn Alumni President Ann Reese provided greetings on behalf of the faculty and alumni, respectively; Erica Hunt recited a poem she had written for the occasion, “Dear Neighbor,” and various student performers were showcased.

Before the inauguration ceremony, an academic procession from College Hall to Irvine took place, including the 12 Penn school’s deans, senior administrators, trustees, and presidents and delegates from universities across the United States. Former Penn Presidents Amy Gutmann and Judith Rodin processed, and were present on Irvine’s stage, which featured a sprawling backdrop inspired by the ornamental patterns in Penn’s Fisher Fine Arts Library—the site of the first welcome event for President Magill.

After the ceremony, President Magill joined her family and friends, as well as thousands of Penn students, faculty, and staff, at a lunchtime picnic and concert at Shoemaker Green, which featured Philadelphia food and performances from two of President Magill’s favorite musical artists—Sheryl Crow and Jeff Tweedy. The day’s events continued to bustle late into the afternoon, with an academic symposium at Irvine featuring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan in conversation with President Magill, which was also livestreamed.

It was an engaging conversation apt for President Magill, a legal scholar and law professor who, before becoming provost at UVA, served as dean of Stanford Law School and vice dean of UVA’s School of Law. Before her career in higher education, her work included service as a law clerk for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

In his remarks at the ceremony, Mr. Bok referenced a popular quote from the late justice: “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” In doing so, he noted how much President Magill has clearly “taken this advice to heart.”

“[President Magill] has a great talent for people and for building relationships to reach a common goal,” Mr. Bok said. “She understands, like every successful leader, including our own Benjamin Franklin, that we will achieve so much more collectively than we ever could separately.”

She said as much when closing out her address. “As Penn’s ninth president, I pledge to do everything in my power to support this University, this city, and our people in making the moment,” President Magill said. “The future awaits. But we’re ready. Let us draw down the lightning—together.”

Adapted from a Penn Today article by Lauren Hertzler, October 21, 2022.

The following Inaugural Address was delivered by Penn’s ninth President, M. Elizabeth Magill, on October 21, 2022.

Draw Down The Lightning

Liz Magill

I.

Let the experiment be made!

Let the experiment be made.

With those words, Benjamin Franklin put his pen down for the day. I imagine him looking over his personal notes, waiting for the ink to dry. The date at the top of the entry was November 7th, 1749. 

Up to that time, for many years, a debate had raged among great scientific minds. What, they argued, was the nature of electricity? 

Top thinkers of the day went back and forth. Electricity was mechanical. No, it was a form of fluid. Or was it two fluids? The phenomenon and the controversy intrigued Franklin. But he rejected the craze for toys, like static electricity sticks, used in public demonstrations. And Franklin was impatient with the abstract nature of the investigation by natural philosophers.  He thought rigorous experiments were the way to make progress in understanding electricity.

Before long, he looked up to the sky. 

If we could hold his personal notes in our hands, we’d see that Dr. Franklin was laying the groundwork for his famous kite and key experiment. Within the next few years, he would fly that kite and prove that lightning and electricity are one in the same. Today, it may be difficult to comprehend just how foundational his discovery was. It would be a century and a half before the Nobel Prize in physics was first awarded (1901), but, had it existed, it would have been his. And in Franklin fashion, his experiments produced both fundamental discovery about the properties of electricity and something so practical—the lightning rod that protected homes and cities from devastating fires. 

Soon, a lightning rod was on the belfry of Independence Hall. A few blocks away, another rod was installed on a young University of Pennsylvania.   

But let’s go back for a moment to 1749, to Franklin’s notes. Only two weeks before he wrote those words, he published something just as profound with his printing press. It was a pamphlet. Titled “Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania,” it was to become Penn’s founding manifesto.

This timing is not simple coincidence. Franklin knew that knowledge solved problems. It is the single most powerful force for improving life and our understanding of it.

And so, Let the experiment be made!

There’s a wonderful urgency there, don’t you think?

What do you hear in that phrase?

I hear the enterprising spirit of invention that defines this University as much as our founder. I hear restless curiosity and tenacious investigation. More than anything, I hear the call that Franklin answered his whole life: The call to meet the moment to make a better future.

Through the centuries, this University has answered that call as well.

II.

We are the latest in a long and celebrated line of individuals who have been given the privilege—and the responsibility—of determining how Penn will meet this moment. How can the future be made better by what we do in the days to come?

It is in that sense, then, that today is not a moment when we gather to mark the inauguration of Liz Magill. Today, we come together to celebrate Penn.

I can think of no better place to start than by acknowledging two giants in the history of our University who join us on stage today. Dr. Judith Rodin directed Penn’s sight outward and upward, embracing our community and our destiny for greatness. Ambassador Amy Gutmann advanced our University from excellence to eminence in all that we do. Their leadership utterly transformed Penn to become the globally renowned institution we know it to be today. I also want to acknowledge and thank Dr. Wendell Pritchett, who as Interim President steered Penn with a steady hand, upholding our preeminence while supporting my arrival. We owe these three leaders so much. I hope you will join me in thanking them now.

Thank you, President Ryan for your very kind and too generous remarks on my behalf. And my thanks as well to all our speakers who offered words of welcome and inspiration earlier in the program, as well as our amazing student performing groups. To raise a child, it takes a village. To successfully plan and flawlessly carry out a multi-day event of this scale and scope, it takes a good-sized town. I thank everyone, most sincerely, who helped bring this all together.

When you are the fourth of six children—who have then gone on and had children of their own—names can sometimes be an issue. There are many Magills here in attendance today, and Trousdales and Shines, and not a few Szeptyckis as well, including my husband Leon and our children, Alex and Claire. I will not pause here to name each of our family members present. Or the very many people in attendance who are dear personal and professional friends, former teachers (from high school to college to law school), former students, and even former bosses.  I will only say that you have come from near and far, and I am so grateful to have you here today.

I grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, a place that sometimes proudly identifies itself as “north of normal.” The weather app says that Fargo has a cold season that lasts for three-and-a-third months, but I can tell you from personal experience it can feel upward of three years. The average high temperature in January is 19 degrees, and the North Dakotan in me wants to point out that is without windchill. But I don’t remember the cold.  More than anything, I remember growing up in the warming embrace of a loving and supportive family and community. The values of high plains pragmatism and caring for others had a formative influence in my early life. The fundamental importance of community is at its core. Which is what I see as being so special and potent about Penn and Philadelphia today.

III.

Great urban universities are like great cities: They never press pause on their own reinvention. Times change. The needs of the people—and the world—also change. To meet the moment, the university must evolve as well.

You can find this truth in every square foot of our campus and at each location Penn has called home. There is a distinctive feature of our architecture, art, and outdoor space. They are not stuck in one single style or historic period. We rightly cherish and celebrate our history. Franklin’s genius and spirit remain every bit as foundational today. They define who we are. And they suggest where we are headed, but they do not dictate it. At Penn, we respond to the opportunities of the present and the needs of the future.

In our early years, Penn chose 4th and Arch Streets as home. This was a choice, and it was a tough decision. A wealthy Philadelphian offered a tempting gift of land. It was on 6th Street, across from the State House. This would locate the academy at the heart of power and wealth in the city. But that was not our founder’s egalitarian vision. Instead, Franklin purchased the property on 4th Street.

Up to and through the American Revolution, Penn grew. By 1779, we had the first medical school and the first hospital in the country. We were also the first to combine college and professional schools. By 1800, we had more students, more faculty, more need for what Penn offered.  Philadelphia had grown, too. So, the Trustees purchased a structure at 9th and Market Streets in 1801. It was once intended to be the house for the U.S. president.

Before long, we outgrew that as well.

Penn’s last and greatest move was in 1872 to our present location, across the Schuylkill River. This move came at just the right moment, giving Penn the ability to expand just as American universities were being transformed. Lab work, scientific investigation, and clinical training were becoming an integral part of the University’s efforts. Graduate studies ushered in the modern era of advanced scholarship and original research. The bold move to West Philadelphia kicked off Penn’s pioneering transformation into a modern urban research university.

There is one move we considered but did not make, which is revealing. In the 1920s, many alumni supported the idea of relocating the University to Valley Forge. Their campaign was meant to address what some called “The Problem of a College in a City.” In the 1930s, President Thomas Gates even offered a formal vision for a Valley Forge campus. The debate continued for decades and was not finally put to rest until 1959. A board meeting resolved, “That the proposal to establish a College […] near Valley Forge is hereby abandoned.”

I trust the chair of our Board of Trustees still agrees with that decision. Right, Mr. Bok?

I think we all agree it would have been a grave error. Penn’s move to Valley Forge would have been a flight away from who we are. Being directly involved in—and informed by—our great city has always been Penn’s catalyst. Without Philadelphia, we would not have arrived as a leading research university; home to top schools in the liberal arts, sciences, and professions; and a leader in academic medicine. A home for the world’s sharpest thinkers and sturdiest doers, from the poets and the physicists to the professionals and the public servants. An institution grounded in and whose greatness depends on and rises hand in hand with its diversity and inclusivity. A dynamic collective whole, energized across our many backgrounds and fortes. The decision to stay came from knowing who we are, knowing what fuels our vitality, and committing to it.

At every step, and with every brick, this University confronted the challenges of the time by declaring, “Let the experiment be made.” Not just for us but, in, the spirit of our founder, for the good of all.

Now, I’d like to make a confession. While preparing for today, a thought has kept me up at night: How does a person capture in one speech the breathtaking scope of what Penn is and does in our world today? I could cite Penn’s nearly 300,000 alumni worldwide and 28,000 current students, or the 600 undergraduate students who hail from this great city, 100 of whom call West Philly home. Or our University and health system faculty, physicians, and staff, more than 47,000 strong.  Or cite Penn’s translational breakthroughs—more than 1,800 patents issued in the last five years alone. Or the many honors and awards our more than 5,000 faculty have won for their remarkable scholarship, teaching, and engagement. But numbers alone don’t do it. There is a better metric.

A highlight of my job has been getting out to meet students, faculty, and staff. On Move-in Day, I went out with a pad and pen and asked our newest students, the Class of 2026, for 26 top things to do on and around campus. While they were giving me fantastic suggestions, I was learning about them. The new class in many ways captures the vitality, breadth, and reach of Penn. They come from 84 countries and 49 U.S. states, and they look like the world: encompassing race and ethnicity, gender, walks of life, faith, and points of view. A significant number will be the first in their families to graduate from college. They say they’re most motivated by community impact, a commitment to learning, cultural engagement, and personal development.   

Our students learn and engage with a faculty second to none. A diverse faculty that contributes to our fundamental knowledge, deepens our understanding, and shares discoveries with the world. Their contributions range from ingenuity that saves lives—such as mRNA technology and CAR T therapies—to new insights that sing to us all.

Take the work of Penn scholars like Dr. Emily Wilson. She is the first woman to publish an English translation of Homer’s Odyssey. Dr. Wilson has garnered every imaginable honor for her translation and is lauded for breathing new immediacy and fresh relevance into one of the oldest epics we know. Her latest project is a new translation of the Iliad. Thinking on scholarship like hers, it is clear to me that, just like any longstanding theories and other orthodoxies, translations need reexamination with fresh eyes. That’s what it takes to understand the human condition anew in a world that only spins forward.

It’s also a world and a reality that we still know so very little about. That is just one reason why basic research at Penn is so critical. Solutions to even the greatest challenges such as climate change depend first upon fundamental understanding—like the scholarship of Dr. Joseph Francisco. He applies novel tools from experimental physical and theoretical chemistry to enhance our understanding of the atmosphere at a molecular level. Illuminating the secrets of those chemical processes is essential to ensuring a sustainable planet.

Or take the pioneering work of Penn physicists Dr. Charles Kane and Dr. Eugene Mele. Full disclosure: I am a legal scholar, not a quantum physicist. But when I spoke with Drs. Kane and Mele, who share a Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for their discoveries, I was inspired by their theories about quantum topology and symmetry. They’re exploring the unique properties of topological insulators, materials that could lead to new levels of energy efficiency, and quantum computing. Maybe, one day, we’ll look back on their basic discoveries as our age’s kite and key—only unimaginably tiny.

IV.

Which brings me to the big question before us. Franklin declared, “Let the experiment be made.” In the centuries since, time and again, Penn has met the moment. Today, Penn’s effect in and on the world has never been greater.

Now, we must ask:  What comes next? What does the world need from Penn?

We face many challenges. Faith in the promise of democratic self-government and the usefulness of institutions has eroded, not just here but around the world. Climate change brings existential threats. We stand on the cusp of revolutionary changes in medicine and human health and are only beginning to realize the promise of fundamental discoveries. And too many people lack access. Our society is profoundly polarized. We can’t agree on the facts. The gap widens between those who have a lot and those who have too little. Many people no longer believe that knowledge, education, service to others, and arts and culture are the best and surest paths to well-lived and better lives. And we require leaders—broadly and deeply learned, service-minded, and bearing all the other hallmarks of an excellent education.

Yes, the challenges are many. The need is great. But here’s my message: In its long illustrious history, Penn has always met the moment. Now and for the future, Penn will make the moment.

We can be confident enough in our strengths to be bold, to take risks, to play offense. We can stand tall on Penn’s distinctive values and the creativity and tenacity of Penn’s people.

Making the moment. What does that feel like? What does that look like?

Let me offer you an image: It’s drawing down the lightning.

A few years after Franklin astounded the world with his discoveries, a Scottish physician wrote to him. He asked how Franklin had first thought to conduct his famous experiment with the kite and the key. Franklin shared his thinking freely, his drive to help humankind and build knowledge, his burning curiosity, the steps in his scientific process. The sum of his efforts, as he put it so memorably, was to draw down the lightning.

Here is what making the moment, what drawing down the lightning looks like to me. It requires the right kite and key. Ours are Opportunity and Truth.

Over many centuries, universities have been unique drivers of these two things. At our most fundamental, we seek truth and convey it. At our most aspirational, we enhance opportunity and hone the tools for attaining it. No other institution in the world can claim the staying power of universities. No other institution today can fully claim our legacy. Now, today, the very nature of truth and the means to opportunity are fragile. The University of Pennsylvania is called upon to redouble our historic—and forward-looking—commitment to these twin principles.

For Franklin, opportunity meant finding new and innovative means anywhere to improve the lives of people everywhere. For Penn now, it means maximizing possibilities for people of all backgrounds. It means increasing fairness. It means strengthening diversity and inclusion. Both within Penn and all around. It’s the sum of Penn’s efforts throughout our city, the nation, and the world. Never in our history have we been more strongly positioned—never before has the word “opportunity” been so rich with possibility.

The same holds true for Truth. Penn empowers truth through our teaching, research, and invention. We have never been in a better place, or better prepared, to drive the highest levels of interdisciplinary collaborations. We will do even more to bring together the very best minds with the best resources. We will fuel that signature Penn drive to create and disseminate knowledge to bring about a better world.

Penn welcomes a challenge—we thrive on it. To answer the great challenges of our time, Opportunity and Truth will be our conductors, our kite and key. Our means to draw down the lightning.

Which brings me to the most important perspective of all: tomorrow. The throughline of Benjamin Franklin’s life and of Penn’s history—and present—is an unblinking focus on the future. Franklin sometimes regretted being born too soon, deprived of knowing what would be known 100 years hence. We have that virtuous impatience, that wonderful urgency to put our knowledge and discoveries to work in order to make the future better for all. The reason we’re all here today, really, is for tomorrow.

V.

Opportunity, Truth, Tomorrow. These ideas define Penn’s history, its mission, and what we bring to the world. They embody an uncompromising commitment to excellence in all we do while constantly striving for better in everything we do. That work is ongoing. The work remains unending.

Today, we commit our University and ourselves not only to meeting the moment but to making the moment. It is the right thing, the necessary thing to do. And we are capable of doing these great things.

What is truly uniquely Penn?

It is making the experiment.

It is making the moment.

It is drawing down the lightning.

As Penn’s ninth president, I pledge to do everything in my power to support this University, this city, and our people in making the moment.

The future awaits. We stand ready. Let us draw down the lightning—together. Thank you.

Over the course of more than five decades, Kenneth X. Robbins and his wife, Joyce Robbins, have amassed a collection of more than 100,000 items relating to the history of South Asia, Africans in the greater Indian Ocean world, and the Jewish diaspora in India and beyond. This year, they designated the Penn Libraries as the recipient of the Kenneth and Joyce Robbins Collection of South Asia History in their estate planning.

“The Penn Libraries has made it a strategic priority to build, preserve, and increase access to deep and distinctive collections,” said Constantia Constantinou, the H. Carton Rogers III Vice Provost and Director of Libraries. “The Robbinses’ generous gift will make our Center for Global Collections a premier destination for students and researchers of South Asian history.”

Mitch Fraas, director of special collections and research services, said, “This is the largest collection of Indian ephemera outside of India. It provides a lot of insight [into] social and cultural history topics that people are interested in. Generations of scholars will find research topics here and use this material in their teaching.”

Kenneth Robbins describes his collecting focus as materials pertaining to maharajas and other local and regional Indian rulers, as well as Sufis and Indian minority groups, specifically Jews and African Muslims. Within these broad categories, the Robbinses’ holdings provide myriad opportunities to delve into particular topics and periods of time.

“There is something in here to appeal to everybody, from the people who are studying imperialism to the people who are studying South Asia, to art historians, to historians of religion,” said Mr. Robbins, who hopes the Penn community and the greater community of scholars interested in South Asian history will deeply engage and interact with the collection.

Mr. Fraas added, “These are the deep histories that people are looking for that are hard to find in official sources … and also across a range of media.”

The collection is impressive in not only the breadth of topics it covers, but also in its sheer scale and the diversity of materials represented. Although it includes the books, manuscripts, medals, and fine artworks one would expect, the bulk of it comprises unique ephemera: Hindu, Islamic, and Bollywood movie posters, postcards, flags, and manuscript ledgers from Indian synagogues.   

“There are a lot of valuable things [in the collection],” Mr. Robbins said. “But there also are a lot of things that nobody has collected because unless they are in huge quantities, they don’t have any historical importance. You get a much fuller picture, and that’s the idea.”

Mr. Robbins and his wife are supplementing their collections gift with a planned gift of $400,000 to the Penn Libraries for processing and preservation.

Mr. Fraas has visited Mr. Robbins to view the collection several times, enjoying the anecdotes from what he calls Mr. Robbins’ “encyclopedic memory” of these items and their significance. Each time, he learns something new; but when asked about highlights of the collection, he said, “By and large, the great discoveries are still yet to be made.”

Indeed, Mr. Robbins himself continues to make new connections and explore new subjects. “My goal is to always find a new direction,” Mr. Robbins explained. “As I find each piece of new material, it leads me in different ways. For example, I was already collecting things about Jews in India. And now I’m collecting things about Jews in North Africa and the Ottoman Empire.” He also expanded into visual documentation of the history of Africa, the Islamic world, and Asia with special emphasis on the later Ottoman empire, the first Iran constitutional revolution, the European attacks on Morocco, the Boxer Rebellion, and other international crises of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.   

Mr. Robbins’ scholarly output—books, articles, exhibitions, and presentations—based on the collection is extensive: he has co-authored or co-edited many titles based on his findings. In 1968, he began collecting Rajput, Deccani, Mughal, and Company School paintings sold by dealers and auction houses. In 1979, he retrieved his boyhood collection of stamps, mostly obtained from visits to UN consulates. He was shocked to also find an entire carton of stamped documents from obscure Indian princely states like Maler Kotla and Bamra. At this point, he began thinking like a researcher. This led to exhibitions on medicine and maharajas, using everything from a 19th century painting of an elephant attacked by a “fever demon” to postcards of hospitals staffed by women doctors for female patients. Mr. Robbins found that only coin collectors knew that Bengal was ruled by an East African dynasty from 1486 to 1493. It became his mission to bring such information into general research discourses through exhibitions and publications, and by giving the collection to the Penn Libraries.   

“You get all sorts of information from the collectors who have all sorts of data…but that information is lost to the general researcher,” he said. “My intention [by giving the collection to the Penn Libraries] is to bring that into the general historical discussion.”

2021-2022 Report of the Office of the Ombuds

Jennifer Pinto-Martin, University Ombuds

Introduction

The return to campus following COVID has had both benefits and challenges.  While re-engaging with colleagues and students has been rewarding, the return to campus after over two years of virtual communication among faculty, students, and staff has introduced increased potential for friction.

Many schools and units on campus continue to debate whether to support some form of off-site work, whether it be fulltime onsite, fulltime remote, or hybrid. COVID-related policies and decisions and their interpretation and application continue to evolve as the pandemic waxes and wanes. There is a growing awareness of the impact of these changes on the entire Penn community.

The Office of the Ombuds is a confidential, informal, impartial, and independent resource available to assist faculty, students, and staff who are endeavoring to address these and other issues involving conflicts, disputes, and obstacles to one’s successful engagement as a member of the Penn community.

The Year in Review

The number of visitors to the Office of the Ombuds increased from 153 in 2020-2021 to 186 during the 2021-2022 academic year, an increase of 20.56%. Employment-related matters continue to represent the majority of issues brought to the office (46% of issues discussed). Staff made up 45% of total visits to the office. See Table 1. Common concerns among staff included organizational climate; toxic work environments; lack of transparency about decisions; discipline and performance issues; lack of collegiality; job classification issues; issues with job opportunities; and COVID-related policies and decisions. See Table 2.

We also saw an increase in the number of visitors from the faculty ranks (16% of total visits) and from graduate and professional students (24% of total visits). Among faculty, some of the key issues we heard about included the following: job security and related issues; tenure and promotion issues; contract renewal and interpretation; and faculty recruitment and related practices. Reports of lack of collegiality and bad behavior (abusive, demeaning, bullying, demoralizing behaviors; racist behaviors; and microaggressions) were also common. Issues related to authorship and intellectual property were also raised.

With respect to graduate and professional students, recurring themes included issues such as: advisor and faculty relations; poor communications; programmatic structure and content; and student fit in programs and termination from programs. Behavioral issues involving peers and faculty (abusive, demeaning, bullying, demoralizing behaviors; microaggressions) were also commonly reported.

Following the pattern of the past several years, a prominent concern brought to the Office of the Ombuds pertained to behavioral matters (24% of issues reported), from all corners of the University community. These included abrasive, abusive, and inappropriate behaviors; microaggressions; bullying; racist behavior; sexual harassment and other forms of sexual misconduct; and discrimination. For example, 7.8% percent of visitors reporting employment concerns also reported associated behavioral issues. Similarly, four of the 46 visitors with academic concerns (8.7%) also reported associated behavioral issues.

Members of the Penn community who are in a position of influencing the culture and climate of the organizational unit to which they belong or lead are encouraged to be mindful of the importance of collegiality and respectful treatment of others, to model those behaviors, and to take action when bad behaviors occur. Penn is a collection of over 50,000 human beings and conflicts and disputes will inevitably occur. The problematic behaviors we learn about in the Office of the Ombuds do not have to follow. We encourage members of the Penn community who find themselves in conflict or a dispute with others to reach out to the Office of the Ombuds before the matter escalates, when an amicable resolution can still be achieved. A description of the types of assistance we provide is available in Table 3.

During the past academic year, we also engaged in educational programming at several schools and units in order to raise awareness about the role of the Ombuds and ways that the office can be used to resolve conflict. In addition, several educational sessions on microaggressions and bullying and mediating conflict were offered and were very well received.

I want to personally extend my deepest appreciation to Marcia Martinez-Helfman, who has announced her retirement and will be leaving once we have a successor in place. Marcia has been a steadfast and committed partner to the faculty Ombuds for over 11 years and I have enjoyed working with her and learning from her. Wishing her all the best in the next phase of her life!

Table 1: Visitors by Rule

Table 3: Types of Engagement with Visitors

Klaus Krippendorff, the Gregory Bateson Professor Emeritus of Communication in the Annenberg School for Communication and the longest-serving tenured faculty member in the school’s history, died on October 10. He was 90.

Klaus Herbert Krippendorff was born in 1932 in Frankfurt, Germany, and settled in Halberstadt, where he remembered the American bombardment that ended World War II. From 1946-1949, he was an apprentice in a mechanic’s shop. During the Russian occupation of Germany, his family snuck across the border on foot in the dead of night for Western-controlled Germany. The family reunited in Düsseldorf, West Germany, and Dr. Krippendorff got a job as a toolmaker in a factory. He became part of a revival of the Wandervogel, hitchhiking through Europe and working on a reforestation project to replace the trees the British had taken as war reparations. 

Dr. Krippendorff completed his graduate education in engineering in 1954 at the State Engineering School in Hanover, Germany. He then attended the Ulm School of Design, and after graduation, with a Ford Foundation Fellowship and Fulbright Fellowship to study at Princeton University, Dr. Krippendorff traveled to the United States. He completed his PhD at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign’s Institute of Communications Research. He took his first and only faculty position as a member at the Annenberg School for Communications at Penn in 1964, beginning to teach before he had completed his PhD. 

Driven by his early interest in design, Dr. Krippendorff advanced the study of human-centered design, publishing numerous articles culminating in a seminal book, The Semantic Turn: A New Foundation for Design. He advanced theories of social constructionism, the idea that language shapes our reality, which have influenced the fields of psychology, organizational design, and advertising, among others. He developed a course on the subject for which graduate students voted the best doctoral course at Penn in 1998. Dr. Krippendorff became one of the most prominent researchers in the field of cybernetics, which has advanced our understanding of cognitive, psychological, and social systems, among others, and contributed to the field of machine learning. For his work, he was awarded the Norbert Wiener Medal in Cybernetics by the American Society for Cybernetics in 2001 and the Norbert Wiener/Hermann Schmidt Prize from the German Society for Cybernetics and German Society for Pedagogy and Information in 2004.

Dr. Krippendorff is perhaps best-known for his pioneering work in content analysis, the science of categorizing written, audio, or visual content to make it analyzable. His most well-known creation, “Krippendorff’s Alpha,” developed in the late 1960s, was a mathematical formula to ensure that researchers had a basic agreement on the nature of the phenomenon being analyzed. “While other methodologies used in communication are borrowed from other fields, content analysis belongs squarely to the discipline in which Dr. Krippendorff was a central figure,” said Dr. Krippendorff’s longtime colleague in the Annenberg School, Robert C. Hornik. Dr. Krippendorff’s Alpha remains one of the gold standards in content analysis. Another of his books, Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology, is recognized as one of the most influential in the field, having been cited more than 50,000 times and receiving the International Communications Association (ICA) Fellows Book Award in 2001.

In 1984, Krippendorff became the first of four Annenberg faculty to serve as presidents of ICA. In his inaugural address, Dr. Krippendorff discussed the constructive nature of science, saying that unlike the notion that science is purely objective, scientists make decisions about what to study and how to study it.

“Klaus became one of the significant players in establishing the centrality of the Annenberg School within the field,” said Larry Gross, Dr. Krippendorff’s colleague at Penn’s Annenberg School from 1968 to 2003. “Klaus, through his involvement with ICA, played a role in connecting the school with the theoretical end of the discipline.” 

Throughout his career, Dr. Krippendorff published more than 250 books and articles on communication, cybernetics, and human-centered design. He received numerous awards, including an honorary degree from Linnaeus University, Sweden. He also was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the International Communication Association (ICA), the East-West Center in Hawaii, and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies.

Outside of his work in communications, Dr. Krippendorff was heavily involved elsewhere at Penn. In 1971, he and several Annenberg students joined a group of nonviolent peace activists using their bodies and canoes to blockade a ship carrying weapons to Bangladesh. It formed the basis of the documentary Blockade, which was screened at Annenberg in 2017. In 1984, Dr. Krippendorff was named president of the International Communication Association. 

He is survived by his wife, Margaret Thorell; his former wife, Sultana Alam; his children, Kaihan Pascal Krippendoff (Pilar Ramos) and Heike Krippendorff Sullivan (Brendan); three step-children; seven grandchildren; and five step-grandchildren. 

A memorial service for the Penn community will be held on Friday, October 28 at 3:30 p.m. in room 110 at the Annenberg School for Communication. Donations in his memory can be made to the Klaus Krippendorff Memorial Fund at the University of Pennsylvania.

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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.

However, notices of alumni deaths should be directed to the Alumni Records Office at Suite 300, 2929 Walnut St., (215) 898-8136 or email record@ben.dev.upenn.edu.

The Trustees’ Fall Meetings took place on Thursday, October 20, 2022, in the Inn at Penn. The Stated Meeting began with Trustees Chair Scott L. Bok welcoming President Liz Magill and describing the festivities that would occur during Inauguration and Homecoming weekend. 

University Chaplain Charles Howard delivered an invocation, spotlighting Brick House by Simone Lee and the awe it inspires among campus visitors. He blessed Homecoming weekend and President Magill’s inauguration. Mr. Bok presented four resolutions of appreciation for Adam Bernstein, Susanna Lachs, Mark Werner, and Janet Haas, all of which passed. Dr. Haas was also designed trustee emerita

President Liz Magill gave the President’s Report. She described the work of the Red and Blue Advisory Committee and urged the entire Penn community to get involved, and shared her appreciation for the people who have made her inauguration possible. She presented two resolutions, both of which passed:

• A resolution of appreciation for Interim President Wendell Pritchett, for ensuring a smooth transition between presidents and for his service in many prior leadership roles.
• Gregory Rost, who served as Penn’s senior vice president and chief of staff and was essential to the implementation of many of Penn’s strategic initiatives over the past 16 years.

Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein gave the academic report. She provided an update on Penn’s reaccreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and a recent visit by its Lead Vice President in preparation for the completion of the University’s self-study report and review by a visiting team in 2024.

Senior Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli gave the financial report. Total net assets for the consolidated University are expected to increase $184 million to $27.1 billion, primarily due to strong operating performance offset by anticipated negative investment performance caused by market volatility. An increase in net assets from operations of $1.6 billion is projected for the consolidated University.

Turning to the budget for the year, total net assets are budgeted to increase $1.7 billion to $28.8 billion. An increase in net assets from operations of $902 million is budgeted for the consolidated University. 

J. Larry Jameson, executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and dean of Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, gave the Penn Medicine report. He encapsulated an unprecedented year of discovery and innovation at Penn Medicine, which included the opening of the Basser Center and the Colton Center for Autoimmunity. 

The chairs of the committees on Academic Policy; Audit & Compliance; Budget & Finance; Development; Facilities & Campus Planning; Local, National, & Global Engagement; Student Life; and Penn Alumni reported on their meetings. 

Mr. Bok presented resolutions for appointments to the Penn Medicine Board and the Boards of Advisors of other Penn schools. The resolutions were approved.

A resolution from the nominating committee to elect David Blitzer, Alberto Duran, and Lynn Jerath as term trustees and to elect Julie Breier Seaman as a charter trustee were approved. 

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda

Wednesday, November 2, 2022
3–5 p.m. EDT
Via Zoom

1. Finalize the minutes of October 12, 2022
2. Report from the Tri-Chairs
3. Planning Tomorrow, Together—Discussion with Faculty Representatives from the Red and Blue Advisory Committee
4. Returning to the Classroom—Discussion with Representatives from the Office of the Provost
5. Update from the Office of the Provost—Discussion with Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein
6. Internal discussion
7. New business

The 2022 November AT PENN calendar is online. To view a web version of the calendar, click here. To download a printable PDF of the calendar, click here. 

Conferences

27        UNESCO at 50: What Future for the Past?; features speakers and panels relating to UNESCO’s 50^th anniversary, focusing on UNESCO and the global order, conservation, and world heritage in conflict; 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Perry World House; register: lmeskell@upenn.edu (Perry World House).

28        Penn-CHOP Kidney Innovation Center Inaugural Symposium; will promote a culture of cooperation in an effort to improve the lives of children and adults with kidney disease; 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; 14^th floor, BRB; info: greens10@chop.edu (Penn-CHOP Kidney Innovation Center).

29        The Fierce Urgency of Now; a symposium celebrating Black LGBTQ+ faith-based communities and leaders; 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; the ARCH and LGBT Center; register: www.bit.ly/fireceurgency2022 (LGBT Center, Makuu, Office of the Chaplain, Christian Association).

Films

26        A Foolproof Guide to Relationships; includes a discussion about asexuality, amatonormativity, and relationships with Penn senior Tamia Harvey-Martin; 6 p.m.; upstairs reading room, LGBT Center (LGBT Center).

28        Rocky Horror Picture Show; screening of the classic film; costumes encouraged, and snacks provided; 7 p.m.; lobby, Platt Performing Arts House (LGBT Center, Penn Dental Pride Alliance, Platt House).

Fitness & Learning

Graduate School of Education

Info: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/news/events-calendar.

29        Fall Open House; 9:30 a.m.; Houston Hall.

Penn Nursing

Info: https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/calendar/.

29        Spooky Zumba: Hosted by Nursing Wellness; 11 a.m.; Pottruck Fitness Center.

Readings & Signings

26        Radius: A Story of Feminist Revolution; Yasmin El-Rifae, Palestine Festival of Literature; 5:30 p.m.; room 402, Cohen Hall (Middle East Center).

            Rivers that Feed Us: Heritage in Poetry; Herman Beavers, English and Africana studies; Airea Matthews, Bryn Mawr College; Raquel Salas Rivera, poet; Syd Zolf, Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing; 6 p.m.; Rainey Auditorium, Penn Museum; register: https://tinyurl.com/rivers-oct-26 (Wolf Humanities Center).

27        Passionate Work: Endurance After the Good Life; Renyi Hong, National University of Singapore; 11 a.m.; room 300, Annenberg School and online webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/hong-reading-oct-27 (Annenberg Center for Collaborative Communication).

Special Events

25        Celebrating Queer History Month: An Evening with Kalki Subramaniam; celebration of Queer History of Month that includes discussion with author and activist Kalki Subramaniam; 6:30 p.m.; ARCH (LGBT Center).

Talks

25        Distinguished Lectures in Cancer Research Series: Germline TP53 Variants and Cancer – Lessons Learned from Li-Fraumeni Syndrome; Sharon Savage, National Cancer Institute; noon; Caplan Auditorium, Wistar Institute (Wistar Institute).

            Truth Be Told: Black Women and the Making of a Democracy; Erica Armstrong Dunbar, Rutgers University; 6 p.m.; Irvine Auditorium (Penn Libraries).

26        Short Stories in Fluid Dynamics: Thin Films, Self-Similarity, An N-Body Problem, and Particle Motions Near Rough Surfaces; Howard Stone, Princeton University; 3:30 p.m.; room A8, DRL (Physics & Astronomy).

            Regulating Digital Assets: Law, Policy, and Economic Implications; Kristin Johnson, Commodity Futures Trading Commission; 4:30 p.m.; room 240B, Silverman Hall; register: https://tinyurl.com/johnson-talk-oct-26 (Institute for Law & Economics).

            The Patent Form: Black Romanticism and the Production of Means in the Atlantic World; Ethan Plaue, English; 5 p.m.; room 330, Fisher-Bennett Hall, and Zoom webinar; info: plaue@sas.upenn.edu (English).

            Sovereign Joy: Afro-Mexican Kings and Queens, 1539-1640; Miguel Valerio, Washington University in St. Louis; 5:15 p.m.; room 209, College Hall (History, Spanish & Portuguese).

            Everyday General Practice – Laser Assisted Dental Care; Juan Carlos Mora, Penn Dental; 5:30 p.m.; online webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/mora-talk-oct-26 (Penn Dental).

27        A More Sustainable Future via Polymer Circularity; Kathryn Beers, NIST; 10:30 a.m.; room 101, Levine Hall (Materials Science & Engineering).

            Surgeons Who Wrote: Making a Public Discourse of Plastic Surgery in South Korea; So-Rim Lee, East Asian languages & civilizations; noon; room 623, Williams Hall (Korean Studies).

            Quilting Islam: Pakistan as an Islamic Republic; Ali Usman Qasmi, Royal Holloway College, University of London; 3:30 p.m.; room 204, Cohen Hall (Religious Studies).

            Coral Reef Resilience and Vulnerability Under Global Change; Kristen Brown, biology; 4 p.m.; auditorium, Claire Fagin Hall (Biology).

            The Many Modes of Lung Repair after Severe Viral Pneumonia; Andy Vaughan, Penn Vet; 4 p.m.; room 11-146, Smilow Center (Penn-CHOP Lung Biology Institute).

            From Ethics to Philology and Back: The Fortune of Taddeo Alderotti’s Liber ethicorum between the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance; Riccardo Saccenti, Università degli Studi di Bergamo; 5:15 p.m.; Meyerson Conference Room, Van Pelt Library; register: https://libcal.library.upenn.edu/event/9757753 (Penn Libraries, Italian Studies).

            Reaganism to Trumpism: How Conservatives Decided It Was Evening in America; Ross Douthat, New York Times; 7 p.m.; auditorium, PCPSE; register: https://tinyurl.com/douthat-talk-oct-27 (Paideia Program).

28        Building Multidisciplinary Teams for Surgical Translation of Artificial Intelligence; Daniel Hashimoto, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; 10:30 a.m.; Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall, and Zoom webinar; join: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/99134830552 (GRASP Lab).

            Toward Ancestral Domain: Indigenous Sovereignty Amidst U.S. Neocolonial Expansion in the Philippines; Vernon Wells, Asian American studies; noon; room 473, McNeil Building; register: https://tinyurl.com/wells-inperson-oct-28; Zoom webinar; join: https://tinyurl.com/wells-zoom-oct-28 (Asian American Studies).

            Urban Planning in a World of Informal Politics; Chandan Deuskar, World Bank; noon; Kleinman Energy Forum, Fisher Fine Arts Library; register: https://tinyurl.com/deuskar-talk-oct-28 (City & Regional Planning)

            Constrain Bureaucratic Zealot for Zero-Covid: Conflicting Goals in China’s Policymaking; Hongshen Zhu, Center for the Study of Contemporary China; 12:30 p.m.; room 418, PCPSE (CSCC). 

            Monumentality Without Monuments; Cat Dawson; Center for Research in Feminist, Queer, and Transgender Studies; 2 p.m.; in-person location TBA and Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/dawson-talk-oct-28 (Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies).

            AAPI Women in Writing: Academia and Fiction; I.W. Gregorio, author and urologist; Fariha Khan, Asian American studies; 4 p.m.; Goodhand Room, LGBT Center; register: https://tinyurl.com/aapi-women-writing (Asian American Studies).

            Scholarly Profiles on the Web to Track and Promote; Manuel de la Cruz Gutiérrez, Biotech Commons; 7 p.m.; online webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/gutierrez-talk-oct-28 (Penn Dental).

31        An Optimized Orthogonal Multi-Omics Approach to Improve Clinical Variant Interpretation for Diverse Populations; Latrice Landry, genetics; 3 p.m.; Zoom webinar; join: https://pennmedicine.zoom.us/j/96457558509 (Center for Global Genomics & Health Equity).

Economics

In-person events at various locations. Info: https://economics.sas.upenn.edu/events.

26        Structural Change and the Rise in Markups; Ricardo Vieira Marto, economics; 4:45 p.m.; room 101, PCPSE.

Mathematics

In-person events at various locations. Info: https://www.math.upenn.edu/events.

25        Perverse Microsheaves; Vivek Shende, Southern Denmark University; 3:30 p.m.; room 4C6, DRL.

            Multi-Scale Complexity in Anatomical and Functional Cortical Networks; Hannah Choi, Georgia Institute of Technology; 4 p.m.; room 2C8, DRL, and Zoom webinar.

31        The Weil Representation; Akshay Venkatesh, Institute for Advanced Study; 3:45 p.m.; room 200, PCPSE.

Sociology

Unless noted, in-person events at room 367, McNeil Building. Info: https://sociology.sas.upenn.edu/events.

26        Municipal Trouble: Punitive Finance, White Flight and the New Chocolate City; John Robinson III, Princeton University; noon; room 150, McNeil Building.

28        “We Represent a Definite Social Class:” American Religion and Class Identity, 1918-1935; Melissa Wilde and Tessa Huttenlocher, sociology; noon.

This is an update to the October AT PENN calendar. To submit events for an upcoming AT PENN calendar or weekly update, send the salient details to almanac@upenn.edu.

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 October 10-16, 2022. 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 October 10-16, 2022. 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: 13 incidents (4 aggravated assaults, 4 assaults, 4 robberies, and 1 homicide) with 1 arrest were reported for October 10-16, 2022 by the 18^th District, covering the Schuylkill River to 49th St & Market St to Woodland Avenue.

October 19, 2022

Recently, Penn, Drexel and Philadelphia Police have identified a pattern in the West Philadelphia area of a person aggressively asking for money that turns into a robbery. The safety and well-being of our community is our highest priority. Drexel and Philadelphia Police continue to investigate these crimes, and Penn Public Safety has dedicated additional resources to supplement regular patrols in our area.

The suspect in this pattern of robberies is described as a medium-complected male with facial hair, 18–20 years of age, 5’8”, medium build, wearing all black clothing, black mask, black hooded sweatshirt, and black sneakers. He will approach the complainant as they are walking, ask, “can I have a dollar?” and then make a threat to cause injury if they do not comply. These incidents have occurred in the area of Market and Chestnut Streets, from 32nd to 34th Streets.

If you see something, say something. If you see someone behaving suspiciously, or if you encounter this individual, do whatever you need to do to keep yourself safe. Walk away and go into a nearby business or another public place. After you are in a safe place, call Penn Police at (215) 573-3333, or 911 if outside of the Penn Patrol Zone.

We wish to share the following safety information with our community. Know that it is never the fault of the person impacted (victim/survivor) by crime.

The Division of Public Safety has developed a few helpful risk reduction strategies, outlined below:

• Familiarize yourself with your surroundings (location, garages, parking lots, etc.)
• Be mindful of distractions (e.g., use of cellphones, earbuds, etc.)
• Use our free Walking Escort program any time, 24/7—(215) 898-WALK (9255).
• If you believe you see the described suspect, do not engage with them—call (215) 573-3333.
• If you encounter someone aggressively asking for money, do not engage with them; walk away – go into a business or other safe place.
• If you feel that you are being followed, walk towards a well-lit, populated area. 

We encourage you to use the free services provided for your safety and well-being:

• Use Walking Escort (215) 898-WALK (9255) to walk with you to any location between 30th Street and 43rd Streets, from Market Street to Baltimore Avenue 24/7; as well as west to 50th Street and north into Powelton between 10 a.m.–3 a.m.
• Use PennRides (215) 898-RIDE (7433) for free transportation to both the West Philadelphia and Center City areas.
• Call the HELP Line at (215) 898-HELP (4357) 24/7 for members of the Penn community who are seeking time sensitive help in navigating Penn’s resources for health and wellness.
• For a medical emergency, call (215) 573-3333 for the Alternative Response Unit (AR-1) and Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT). 
• Request a safety presentation for your group.   
• Special Services: (215) 898-4481 or (215) 898-6600 (24/7) Members of the Penn community may inquire and receive support services when victimized by any type of crime. Highly trained personnel are available to offer immediate assistance, including crisis intervention, accompaniment to legal and medical proceedings, options counseling and advocacy, and linkages to other University and community resources.
• Student Health and Counseling (24/7): Medical Concerns: (215) 746-3535 Counseling: (215) 898-7021 
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) : 1(866) 799-2329 Penn’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can provide counseling and referral services to you and your families, as well as connect you to resources to help you work through the grief these events can create. EAP offers materials for coping with traumatic experiences and ways to help those who struggle with feeling safe at school, home, or work.
• UPennAlert Registration: Visit the UPennAlert webpage for information on how to register or update your contact information.
• Penn Guardian: Use the Penn Guardian App to stay in touch with Public Safety.

—Division of Public Safety

Visit https://pennsway.upenn.edu for more information. Online participation must be completed by midnight on Sunday for inclusion in a given week’s drawing that Monday morning. Note: list subject to change.

Week Three drawing–Monday, October 24

• DiBruno Bros: Gift card ($30 Value): Karleigh Pettit, Development & Alumni Relations.
• Business Services: Rocketbook Core. ($25 Value): Amena Harris, Finance & Treasury.
• Neta Scientific: Amazon gift card ($25 Value): Shanice Beckham, Public Safety Communications.
• ThermoFisher Scientific: Apple gift card ($25 Value): Mary Tyler, UPHS Central Finance.
• ThermoFisher Scientific: Chipotle gift card ($25 Value): Nicole Haydu, HUP Radiology.
• ThermoFisher Scientific: Fandango gift card ($25 Value): Venus Cherry, UPHS Corporate IS.

Week Four drawing–Monday, October 31

• ThermoFisher Scientific: Home Depot gift card ($25 Value)
• ThermoFisher Scientific: Lowe's gift card ($25 Value)
• ThermoFisher Scientific: Starbucks gift card ($25 Value)
• ThermoFisher Scientific: Subway gift card ($25 Value)
• ThermoFisher Scientific: Target gift card ($25 Value)
• ThermoFisher Scientific: Target gift card ($25 Value)
• EMSCO Scientific: Restaurant Gift Card ($50 Value)

The Payroll Office encourages you to elect for electronic delivery only of your W-2 form. Electronic delivery is secure. Turning off printing and mailing of paper W-2 forms avoids delays or errors in receiving your year-end tax documents. Log in and make the change in Workday before December 31, 2022. If you previously submitted your consent for electronic access only, you do not need to take any action.

For assistance in turning off printing and mailing of your W-2, access the following:

• Watch a short video for a step-by-step demonstration, or
• Follow the simple steps in the Self Service-Access to W-2, W-4, and State Reciprocal Forms (PDF) tip sheet

Your 2022 W-2 form will be available electronically in Workday@Penn in early 2023. If you have not submitted or do not submit your consent for electronic delivery only by the end of the calendar year, the Payroll Office will also arrange U.S. postal mailing of a paper copy of your year-end form to the home address indicated in Workday.

Important Information for Tax Return Preparation

• W-2s since 2019 are available in Workday.
• W-2s in Workday will not display Box D Control Numbers.
• If you need Control Numbers to import to an electronic tax preparation service, please contact the Penn Employee Solution Center at (215) 898-7372 or solutioncenter@upenn.edu. 
• You can also view your W-2s through the University’s tax information management vendor, ADP W-2 Services. For detailed instructions, access the Workday website.
• Use the ADP site to access your tax information for the current year and prior two years.
• For copies of W-2 for tax years earlier than those available in Workday or ADP, contact the Penn Employee Solution Center at (215) 898-7372 or solutioncenter@upenn.edu.

Do you have additional questions on withholding and year-end tax documents? See the resources on the Division of Finance Tax web page. Note that University of Pennsylvania staff are not authorized to provide personal tax advice. Please consult with a qualified tax specialist or the IRS.

Another tip in a series provided by the Offices of Information Security, Information Systems & Computing and Audit, Compliance & Privacy

On November 15, 2022, the University will implement the new PennKey Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR) application, which will allow you to quickly reset your own PennKey password–using only your pre-registered personal (non-Penn) email address and cell phone number. SSPR will dramatically improve user experience with a modern, secure, easy-to-use app for anywhere, anytime resets should you forget your PennKey password in the future. 

SSPR Enrollment Now Open

To take advantage of SSPR when it becomes available on November 15, you are encouraged to pre-register your preferred personal contact information at: https://accounts.pennkey.upenn.edu/pwm/private/updateprofile. 

What to Expect During Enrollment

• You’ll be prompted to enter a personal (non-Penn) email address and cell phone number; these will be used only for this purpose and will not be shared with any other University systems
• Codes will be sent to the personal email address and cell phone number you enter
• Once you have entered those codes at the prompts, your contact information will be successfully registered

Starting November 15, you’ll be able to use SSPR to reset a forgotten PennKey password by sending a code to your registered personal email. After reset, a notification message will be sent to both your registered personal email and cell phone.

Those who choose not to enroll should continue to contact their LSPs or Service Desks if they need to reset their PennKey passwords after November 15.

SSPR Help & Resources

• SSPR Enrollment Instructions
• Users should contact their IT Support Staff or PennKey Support for assistance
• Support providers may contact ISC Client Care for issues during enrollment
• PennKey Self-Service Password Reset project details
• Penn’s Identity & Access Management (IAM) Program website

For additional tips, see the One Step Ahead link on the Information Security website: https://www.isc.upenn.edu/security/news-alerts#One-Step-Ahead.

The Diabetes Research Center (DRC) of the University of Pennsylvania is now accepting applications for support to perform pilot and feasibility (P&F) studies in diabetes and related endocrine and metabolic disorders. 

The application deadline is Monday, December 12, 2022, by 5 p.m.

The P&F program is intended to support new investigators and established investigators new to diabetes research. Established diabetes investigators pursing high impact/high risk projects or projects that are a significant departure from their usual work are also eligible for support under the DRC P&F program. Applications are welcome from basic, clinical, and translational investigators.

Grants will be reviewed by the DRC Pilot and Feasibility Review Committee, as well as internal and external reviewers. Funding level maximum is $50,000. 

For detailed information and instructions: https://www.med.upenn.edu/idom/drc/pilots.html.

Investigators who are currently in the first year of support through this P&F program may reapply for an additional year of funding. Continuation requests need to be carefully justified and will be considered as competing renewals.

For more information, contact Lisa Henry at henryli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu; Patrick Seale, director, DRC Pilot & Feasibility Grants Program, at sealep@pennmedicine.upenn.edu; or Doris Stoffers, associate director, DRC Pilot & Feasibility Grants Program, at stoffers@pennmedicine.upenn.edu. 

Anne Duchene

Anyone who teaches a large class knows the pain of grading exams. In my principles of microeconomics (Econ 001) course, there are 800+ students each year. Until a couple of years ago, the exam grading process was a difficult experience. Here are the main challenges I encountered throughout the years:

• Managing massive stacks of exams was messy and time consuming. I typically have one or two TAs grade the same question across all exams. But that meant they had to coordinate on how and when to swap exams—there were always delays and fears of losing an exam in the process. We also experienced delays and frustration when we changed the grading rubric, and all TAs had to go back and regrade everything.
• Because of these time concerns, I was often hesitant to use essay or short answer as opposed to multiple choice questions­—which were easier and quicker to grade. While it is possible to write multiple choice questions that are not obvious and require thinking, their nature makes them unfair assessments: students who have a correct reasoning but made a small mistake don’t get credit, while students who answered randomly can potentially get full credit.
• Time constraints also meant students didn’t get meaningful individualized feedback on their exams—in a large class, it is just impossible to comment each mistake in each question of each exam. At best, we could write some general feedback at the top of the exams, which wasn’t very constructive.
• While I asked graders about the mistakes they ran into repeatedly, I often got inconsistent or vague responses. Because I couldn’t get a real sense of the common misconceptions among students, I also didn’t review them in class afterwards, nor clarify them in subsequent semesters.
• Then someone told me about Gradescope, and it became a game changer. Gradescope is a web app that allows grading PDF-submissions (tests or homework) online. Students work on paper either remotely or in person, then their exams are scanned and uploaded to Gradescope. If the exam is taken remotely, students scan their work into a PDF using a cell phone app. This semester I gave my exams in person, and scanned them myself, using a high-speed, high-capacity scanner. Scanning exam papers is relatively painless, and it is something I was already doing before, to discourage students from making regrade requests on modified answers. This spring, scanning 200 eight-page (four double-sided sheets) final exams took me and my TAs about 10 minutes. Removing staples with a paper cutter was the most tedious part, and took about 20 minutes. Once that part is done, exams are immediately available to all graders wherever they are, and it gives us the freedom to grade at any time, without filling up our backpacks with papers. 

What strikes me the most is how much of a timesaver Gradescope is. My exams are always a mix of multiple-choice, fill-in the blank and open-ended questions. Gradescope’s AI-assisted grading allows me to group answers for multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions. After Gradescope has clustered similar answers together, I can categorize them and then grade each group at once. This spring, I graded 12 multiple choice questions for approximately 200 students in 15 minutes, while it probably would have taken a couple of hours to grade by hand.

Open ended questions typically take more time to grade. But with Gradescope, we can grade one question at a time across all assignments, without flipping through stacks of paper. When taking the exam, students write their answers to each open-ended question in a designated box in the exam handout. Once exams are uploaded, I tell Gradescope where each question’s box is, and it will display only that box by default on our screen when we are grading that question. The downside to grading the same box across all submissions is that graders tend to ignore earlier boxes, from which a mistake might have carried over. So, while grading correct answers becomes easier, grading incorrect ones requires more time and investigation. However, I find that overall it helps us grade students’ work more quickly and more consistently, as it often requires a simple click to select the relevant criteria in the grading rubric. 

In fact, my approach to the grading rubric itself has been transformed by Gradescope. I used to grade a few students’ work to get a feel for the quality distribution, and then write a rubric that ensured similar mistakes would get the same score. Modifying the rubric along the way was painful, if not impossible, as graders needed to find dozens of affected exams in their pile. But I can now have a dynamic rubric that evolves as we grade: we can expand it or change it, and the score changes are automatically applied to already graded exams. Knowing that I can adjust the rubric at any time has made my grading experience much less frustrating than it used to be. 

Once exams are graded, students can review them online and download a graded copy. As a result, my TAs no longer spend valuable class time passing back exams in recitation. Besides, Gradescope tells me whether a student has or hasn’t reviewed their graded exam—something that I used to learn too late, when my TAs handed me the unpicked-up exams at the end of each semester. In particular, it helps me keep track of students who did not do so well: are they engaged and trying to improve, or have they disconnected from the course? Having students review their exams online means that I can write comments in the grading rubric that will be visible to all students, or to those who made a specific mistake.  I find myself writing longer and more detailed feedback (as I write each one only once), which helps make grading more transparent and create a sense of fairness. And I can use my and my TAs’ energy in more productive ways than rewriting the same feedback over and over, or adding up scores by hand—a task that was tedious and prone to errors.

I appreciate how Gradescope has made grading easier and more transparent, but I view it as more than just a grading tool: It also provides very useful statistics. While exams are being graded, it shows how grading is progressing, in particular who graded each question and in what proportion, which can be very helpful when working with several TAs who split up the grading load. More importantly, Gradescope provides a comprehensive set of statistics informing me how students have performed. During or after grading, I can look up and see exactly how many (and which) students made a particular mistake on a question. Did those students lose points because they made a small math error in their calculation, or because they don’t understand a fundamental concept? When I realize there is a common misconception among my students, it influences me in the short-term (I review the concept in class following the exam) but also in the long-term (I spend more time on that concept the following semester). And if I think exam grades are too low, I don’t have to curve them. Instead, I can use statistics on students’ performance to adjust the point scale, by assigning less weight to questions where the average performance is relatively low—Gradescope applies the changes automatically to all students and re-computes exam scores accordingly.

There are many features of Gradescope I have yet to explore, but even sticking to its simplest tools has significantly lessened the amount of time it takes me and my TAs to grade exams, while ensuring grading fairness and consistency.

Anne Duchene is the director of microeconomic principles and a senior lecturer in the department of economics.

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.