August 30, 2022 Volume 69 Issue 3

I have been spending my time meeting and hearing from people all across the University this summer. As much as possible, I’ve been out of College Hall and into the labs and classrooms, offices and conference rooms, walkways and workspaces that are the contours of Penn’s tight-knit community. I have been out looking for what happens within. What has come through clearest of all has been the pride and deep sense of ownership that staff, faculty, and students feel in their work here. 

People have been genuinely excited to welcome me, to show me what they do and where they do it, and to try to give me a sense through their own eyes of what makes this place so special. Whether it was a tour through the workings of our Division of Public Safety, an insider’s view of the Division of University Life, a visit with Penn First Plus staff and newly arriving students, or any of the many one-on-one visits with faculty and department chairs across Penn’s 12 schools, at every turn I’ve encountered a sense of engagement, enthusiasm, and anticipation of even greater things to come. Penn is a university that continually asks, what’s next?

To which I would answer, well, a lot.

Of special note at the start of this new academic year, we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Penn Global, marking a decade since the adoption of the University’s first global strategic framework. To commemorate this milestone, we look forward to hosting exciting events around the world throughout the coming academic year, celebrating Penn as a global institution with expected alumni events in London, Delhi, and Singapore. A major conference in partnership with the Graduate School of Education is slated to take place here on campus next March to address key questions about the future of global higher education. And later this fall, as we have done previously, we will conduct an extensive survey of both standing and associated faculty to gather information to assist the University in guiding policy development, assessing potential areas for improvement or concern, and benchmarking against peer institutions.

Penn’s physical campus continues to evolve and advance in important ways as well. From a much-needed refurbishing and upgrade of the Penn Boathouse on historic Boathouse Row, to the renovations of Stouffer College House and of Sansom Place East high-rise, to construction of the all-new Ott Center for Track and Field on the southwest corner of campus in Penn Park, we continue to expand our commitment to exceptional facilities for student life beyond the classroom. Within academic environments, we are eagerly anticipating the redesign and refurbishment of Stuart Weitzman Hall, the arrival of the Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology, and the expansion and renovation of the Graduate School of Education, among other important projects underway. 

As our campus continues to change with time, so too do the people who learn and work here. Move-in this year stretched from August 21 to 28, enabling us to welcome nearly 6,000 new and returning students to campus housing. I already had the pleasure of meeting and greeting some of them at different events prior to that. Without exception, they have been enthusiastic and excited about the coming year and especially eager to make me feel a welcomed new member of the Penn family. This has been a constant reaction no matter where I’ve gone through campus or out and across the city of Philadelphia: a genuine warm welcome and sincere curiosity about how I am finding living and working in this new environment.

That is, in the strictest sense, an easy question to answer. Penn is an amazing institution. Philadelphia is a terrific, vibrant, and exciting city. Great times lie ahead, and I am so very excited to be starting in this new role as Penn’s president. I am every bit as grateful for the many kindnesses and acts of genuine hospitality and welcome that have been extended to me in just the past couple months. Penn is as vibrant, pioneering, engaged, and strongly positioned as it has ever been. The future is bright. Working together, we will achieve more and do more for the world than ever before. To each of you who have been so kind in welcoming me, thank you. And to those of you who I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting, know that I look forward to it and to working with every one of you in making the best possible Penn for today and tomorrow.

—Liz Magill, President

James J. Husson has been named vice president of development and alumni relations at the University of Pennsylvania, effective October 17, 2022. The announcement was made on August 18 by Penn President Liz Magill.

Mr. Husson comes to Penn from Boston College, where he is senior vice president for university advancement. He previously held positions at Brown and Harvard.

In making the announcement, President Magill noted Mr. Husson’s leadership experience at multiple institutions and his success in recruiting, developing, and mentoring advancement professionals in a way that has encouraged collaboration, diversity, and the accomplishment of ambitious goals. 

“Jim is a visionary leader, and I am thrilled to welcome him to the Penn family,” she said. “He is a person who cares passionately about students, faculty, and alumni. He knows how to engage volunteers and donors to advance our highest aspirations and has a deep personal appreciation for how higher education can transform people’s lives for the good. Development and alumni relations is critical to our future, and I know Jim will be exceptional in this role.  He is a person of the highest integrity, and we are very fortunate to have him come aboard.”

“I am honored to join President Magill and her leadership team at such an exciting time for Penn, and it’s a special privilege to work alongside Penn’s outstanding community of development and alumni relations professionals,” Mr. Husson said. “Penn’s alumni, parents, and friends are known for their remarkable commitment to the University and for the countless ways in which they advance the work of its faculty and students and staff. Penn plays such a vital role in the world, guided by a spirit of innovation and a dedication to improving the lives of individuals and communities.  I am humbled by this opportunity to be part of its next chapter.” 

At Boston College, Mr. Husson led the planning and execution of the largest campaign in BC’s history, which raised $1.6 billion. He also successfully reorganized BC’s advancement operation, bringing alumni relations within the Office of University Advancement and aligning alumni engagement with broader university advancement priorities.

At Penn, Mr. Husson will head a division devoted to fundraising and to nurturing relationships with the University’s more than 290,000 living graduates, including more than 23,000 who live abroad. The Power of Penn campaign, which concluded last year, raised more than $5.4 billion.

He succeeds John H. Zeller, who recently retired after leading development and alumni relations since January 2005.  “John Zeller’s contributions to Penn were extraordinary and reshaped the way the University interacts with alumni and donors,” said President Magill. “Jim Husson is a worthy successor who will continue to build on the tradition of excellence that John established.” 

Before joining Boston College in 2002, Mr. Husson served as vice president of development at Brown University. Before Brown, he held roles in development at Harvard University from 1989 to 1999, where he ultimately became the director of major gifts. He is a graduate of the University of Rochester.

Mark F. Dingfield has been named Vice President, Finance and Treasurer at the University of Pennsylvania, effective October 17. The announcement was made on August 25 by Senior Executive Vice President Craig R. Carnaroli.

“Mark’s selection follows the completion of a national search from a robust and diverse pool of candidates,” said Mr. Carnaroli in making the announcement. “His strong leadership skills, broad-based experience, and dedication to Penn’s mission greatly distinguished him within a highly competitive pool.”

Dr. Dingfield will lead Penn’s cash and short-term investment and capital financing strategies as well as oversee its financial functions. He will also be responsible for the University multi-year financial planning efforts and will collaborate closely with Penn Medicine leadership on its own financial activities. He will directly manage the strategic and operational direction of the comptroller’s office, financial systems & training, global support services, research services, risk management & insurance, student registration and financial services (SRFS), gifts & investment services, and finance & treasury. 

“It is an honor to serve Penn in this new capacity, and to work with Craig Carnaroli and University leadership to help advance Penn’s mission through the effective stewardship of our financial resources,” said Dr. Dingfield. “I am deeply grateful to my colleagues in the Provost’s Office, and I look forward to joining the excellent team in the division of finance, who play such a critical role in supporting the Penn community across a broad range of financial services.”

Dr. Dingfield joined Penn in 2017 as the associate provost for finance and planning (Almanac August 29, 2017). During the past five years, he has improved the quality and efficacy of financial and operational services in the Provost Center, including 30 departments and more than 1,500 staff, as well as having a positive impact across the entire University. In the Provost Center, he developed new processes and reporting that track financial commitments and budgets, built a capital planning and projects group that delivered a broad range of facilities projects, and extended the Provost’s shared services model for financial and human resources to include other key Provost departments. 

In his role as the Provost’s budget liaison across Penn’s 12 schools, Dr. Dingfield has built strong relationships with the University’s academic leaders collaborating on faculty growth and establishment of new academic initiatives. He also shares the University’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; in the past two years, he implemented a new diversity hiring initiative that resulted in a nine-point increase (to 40%) in hiring of underrepresented minority staff across the Provost areas.

Dr. Dingfield has made a positive impact across the University’s operational landscape having served as a co-sponsor for two key business transformation initiatives, the Human Capital Management Program and Next Generation Student Systems. And beginning in 2020, he was among the leaders of Penn’s COVID Response Team, which designed and implemented Penn’s testing and campus health response to COVID-19. 

Before joining Penn, Dr. Dingfield served as the executive director of planning, analysis, and technology at the Office of Finance and Treasury at Princeton University, where he managed an integrated financial planning, analysis, and technology team. During his time at Princeton, Dr. Dingfield led initiatives including the implementation of a new enterprise system for budgeting, financial reporting, and data analytics. He partnered with university senior leaders in the development of financial models for Princeton’s 2016 strategic framework, including financial planning and the analysis of strategic, academic, and capital initiatives. 

Before his career in academia, Dr. Dingfield worked for Microsoft, both in the U.K. and in the U.S., on a range of multinational marketing and business initiatives. 

He earned his BA from Swarthmore College, his MsC from the London School of Economics, and his PhD in political science from Temple University. He serves on the advisory boards of Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia and the West Philadelphia YMCA.

Aiming to advance the nation’s telehealth research agenda and improve cancer-related care and outcomes, with support from the White House Cancer Moonshot, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania is one of four institutions nationally to receive a five-year, $5.7 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, for a new research center to develop and test advanced methods of telehealth delivery for cancer care with a focus on promoting health equity.

The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) Telehealth Research Center in Cancer Care (Penn TRACE), based at the Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation (PC3I) at the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC), will become one of four NCI Telehealth Research Centers of Excellence. Being supported under the Cancer Moonshot, the grant to Penn will fund the design and testing of new telehealth strategies across the lung cancer care continuum, from screening to molecular testing to survivorship, with an emphasis on lung cancer morbidity and mortality, health disparities, and the digital divides. It will also incentivize more research on telehealth’s impact on patient outcomes, patient-provider communication, and healthcare use.

Three principal investigators from Penn Medicine will lead the center: Katharine Rendle, an assistant professor of family medicine and community health and deputy director of PC3I; Anil Vachani, an associate professor of pulmonary, allergy, and critical care, co-director of lung cancer screening at Penn Medicine, and a faculty member at PC3I; and Justin Bekelman, a professor of radiation oncology, medicine, and medical ethics & health policy, and the director of PC3I.

“For patients undergoing screening or treatment for cancer, advances in telehealth propelled by the COVID-19 pandemic could be tremendously beneficial, yet telehealth strategies must address the digital divide so as not to also exacerbate known disparities in cancer outcomes,” said Dr. Rendle. “We aim not only to ensure equal access to telehealth but also to use it in ways that reduce persistent barriers to care in order to transform how we deliver cancer care today.”

Telehealth includes video or telephone conferencing and health information exchange through secure texting or patient portals. Accelerated by clinical need and temporary waivers of reimbursement and regulatory restrictions, telehealth expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth’s potential to improve early detection and treatment of cancer is likely to be substantial, but whether and how telehealth can close gaps or inequities in cancer care delivery continues to be researched.

The core mission of Penn TRACE is to create, test and scale telehealth approaches to improve outcomes and equity in lung cancer care. Lung cancer is an urgent public health challenge which is potentially preventable through smoking cessation, yet it is the single largest type of cancer death in the United States with nearly a quarter of a million new cases of lung cancer diagnosed annually, and about 130,000 Americans who succumb to it. Lung cancer is most treatable when caught early, and studies have shown that annual screening in higher-risk individuals, using a radiology scan called low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), can detect it early and decrease mortality. However, LDCT screening requires a consultation to review risks and benefits before completion, which have been challenging to implement. Thus, LDCT currently is performed for only a small fraction of the roughly 15 million Americans eligible for it.

“President Biden recently issued a call to action to the cancer community to reignite our efforts to ensure equitable access to screening, so that cancers are not diagnosed too late,” said Dr. Vachani. “Our center will be at the forefront of innovative telehealth approaches as a means to achieve that end.”

The researchers will embed rapid tests of innovative telehealth approaches linked with clinical trials across Penn’s primary care and cancer network. The center’s main trial will compare the effectiveness of telehealth strategies to increase shared decision making for lung cancer screening using an adaptive design. A second trial will test a telehealth strategy for patients with advanced lung cancer to improve timely treatment recommendations through early integration of plasma-based comprehensive molecular testing. The team’s telehealth strategies will be informed by design thinking, the discipline of innovation, communication science and behavioral economics.

“There has been a dramatic expansion in the use of telehealth in the past few years, creating a critical need to determine which telehealth methods work best, for whom, and under what conditions,” said Dr. Bekelman. “We are honored to be part of the Cancer Moonshot’s substantial investment in telehealth research, sharing Penn’s unique approach to designing and testing how telehealth can advance equitable cancer care.”

“Our commitment continues to help reduce the cancer death rate with the discovery of novel and innovative science, research, and resources, while improving the experience of patients living with and surviving cancer,” said Robert H. Vonderheide, director of the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn. “We are proud of what we are accomplishing at the Abramson Cancer Center and our mission endures to serve the community providing quality cancer care for all.”

Interim Provost Beth A. Winkelstein has announced the formation of an Ad Hoc Advisory Committee to advise her on the appointment of a new Vice Provost for University Life. The members of the Advisory Committee are: 

• Rodolfo Altamirano, Executive Director, International Student and Scholar Services
• Kathleen Shields Anderson, Vice President for Public Safety
• Camille Charles, Annenberg Professor in the Social Sciences; Director, Africana Studies
• Erin Cross, Director, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center 
• Karen Detlefsen, Vice Provost for Education; Professor of Philosophy 
• Benoit Dubé, Associate Provost and Chief Wellness Officer
• Christopher Gruits, Executive and Artistic Director, Penn Live Arts
• Charles Howard, Vice President for Social Equity and Community 
• Keisha Johnson, Director, Pre-Freshman Program
• Deven Patel, Associate Professor of South Asia Studies
• Julie Platt, University Trustee
• Alanna Shanahan, T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W’69 Director of Athletics and Recreation
• Carson Sheumaker, President, Undergraduate Assembly
• Robert Watson, President, Graduate and Professional Student Assembly 

The work of the committee will be supported by Lynne Hunter, Associate Provost for Administration; Ufuoma Pela, Senior Director, Human Resources; and the search consultant Storbeck Search & Associates. 

The Provost and the committee welcome nominations of and applications from candidates, which can be sent by October 20, 2022 to: PennUniversityLife@storbecksearch.com. You can find the full position description at: https://diversifiedsearchgroup.com/search/upenn-vice-provost-for-university-life.

The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at the University of Pennsylvania is pleased to announce the appointment of Jenny Laden as ICA’s new director of development. Ms. Laden leaves the role of senior associate director of communications and stewardship at Penn’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design, a position she has held for over five years. Ms. Laden joined ICA on August 29, 2022.

During her tenure at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, she created print, digital and video collateral for the Lead By Design campaign’s communications and major events, raising significant support for the school. She formed an innovative stewardship program for donors, providing information on the impact of their giving and also led the design and execution of the development and alumni relations (DAR) website for the Weitzman School. She worked closely with central DAR on the renaming of the school, and all Weitzman Day events and the celebration of Weitzman Plaza. Most recently, her work in strategy and communications has been integral to the new Stuart Weitzman Hall project.

As ICA’s director of development, Ms. Laden will work with Zoe Ryan, ICA’s Daniel W. Dietrich, II Director, its Board of Advisors, and its development staff to plan, execute, and strategize philanthropic goals for the institution.

“Jenny is a proven leader whose ability to identify funding opportunities that respond to changes and trends in art and design philanthropy demonstrates both impressive fundraising skills and a natural gift for relationship-building,” said Ms. Ryan. “Jenny’s broad experience in philanthropic fundraising and at Penn will be a strong asset to ICA, building on the strength of our past and profoundly impacting future growth. I am excited by the new energy and vision she will bring to ICA’s leadership team.”

The Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania has announced the appointment of two new senior members of its curatorial and public engagement teams, with Hallie Ringle joining from the Birmingham Museum of Art as the ICA’s next Daniel and Brett Sundheim Chief Curator on September 16, and Rachell Morillo from the Museum of Modern Art as the ICA’s DAJ Director of Public Engagement and Research on September 12. The promotion of ICA curator Alex Klein to become its Dorothy and Stephen R. Weber (CHE ’60) Senior Curator was also announced. Together with Zoë Ryan, the ICA’s Daniel W. Dietrich, II Director, the three form ICA’s leadership team focused on program development working collaboratively to invigorate its exhibitions and public engagement programs, building upon its history as an experimental hub for contemporary art from around the world.

These appointments reflect a broader inflection point for ICA, which, under the directorship of Ms. Ryan, has launched a strategic vision process to amplify and deepen its engagement with the communities it serves. Drawing upon their experiences as contemporary art curators and educators, Ms. Ringle, Ms. Klein, and Ms. Morillo bring diverse perspectives and expertise that will serve to expand the reach, relevance, and impact of ICA’s exhibitions, publications, and programs, fostering a multi-disciplinary creative platform focused on deepening audience engagement.

“Hallie and Rachell bring a wealth of experience in innovative program development and audience engagement that resonates with ICA’s history of risk-taking and reflects our commitment to deepening connections throughout our community,” said Ms. Ryan. “Alongside these new appointments, it is fitting to recognize the talent we have fostered from within ICA with the promotion of Alex, whose curatorial practice has focused on advancing the work of under-recognized artists and new scholarship across disciplines. Together the three women bring invaluable perspectives to our leadership team as ICA continues to forge artist-centric, culturally relevant, and community-responsive exhibitions, programs, and curricula.”

Hallie Ringle joins ICA from the Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama, where she has served as curator of contemporary art since 2018. In that role, Ms. Ringle has developed a strategic plan for the museum’s collection of contemporary art from around the globe and has built partnerships with key donors, stakeholders, and local and regional partners and community organizations to deepen engagement with and support of the museum’s program. She oversaw the curation of the museum’s collection galleries and has strategically expanded its holdings with recent acquisitions by Joe Minter, Celestia Morgan, Tara Donovan and N. Dash, among others. Recent special exhibitions curated by Ms. Ringle at the museum include solo presentations dedicated to Rico Gatson, Merritt Johnson, and Celestia Morgan, among others. Ms. Ringle has concurrently served as the Museum of Modern Art’s PS1 curator-at-large since 2021, where she developed their residence-at-large program for artists impacted by the justice system. Before her work in Alabama, Ms. Ringle worked at the Studio Museum in Harlem from 2013 to 2018. At the Studio Museum, she commissioned major public art projects in collaboration with neighboring institutions, developed the museum’s exhibition program, and collaborated with resident artists. 

As associate educator of civic engagement at the Museum of Modern Art, Rachell Morillo has served as the first staff person in a newly created area of the department focused on supporting the public, specifically minoritized audiences, in engaging with the museum as a civic space, as well as developing community-led programs and projects that spark critical dialogue and promote quality of life in New York City. Since joining MoMA in 2018, she has developed innovative, multi-modal programs responsive to the needs of underserved youth and communities. Ms. Morillo has also co-led collaborative efforts to expand programming reach and impact, including piloting new program models by and for neurodivergent, LGBTQ, and BIPOC communities. While working on MoMA’s Creativity Lab—a first-of-its-kind space dedicated to learning in the museum’s galleries—Ms. Morillo created a slate of programs connecting audiences with socially engaged artists and scholars. Before MoMA, Ms. Morillo worked at the Studio Museum in Harlem from 2016 to 2018. At the Studio Museum, she oversaw a full range of on- and off-site public programs, community partnerships, and special projects. 

Alex Klein has served on the curatorial staff at ICA since 2011 and was promoted to the position of the Dorothy and Stephen R. Weber (CHE ’60) Curator in 2015. During her tenure, Ms. Klein’s curatorial practice has centered on creative dialogue and collaboration and resulted in the development of more than 20 exhibitions featuring a global network of contemporary artists. In addition to her work with artists, she has amplified ICA’s reach locally and internationally. Ms. Klein has driven new artist commissions, developing over 200 public programs, originating publications, and conducting deep research. Previously, Ms. Klein held positions in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the University of Southern California; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Her writing has been published widely, including in Public Servants: Art and the Crisis of the Common Good (MIT Press), The Human Snapshot (MIT Press), How Soon Is Now? (Luma), and the critical volume on photography Words Without Pictures (LACMA / Aperture), which she also edited.

As Chair of the Faculty Senate, I am privileged to welcome you to the 2022-2023 academic year, the 70th anniversary of the Senate’s formation. The Faculty Senate is led by three tri-chairs: I am honored to serve as a tri-chair with William Braham of the School of Design (past chair) and Tulia Falleti of the department of political science in the School of Arts and Sciences (chair-elect). The tri-chairs are delighted to welcome President Liz Magill and look forward to working with her and the Administration to advance Penn’s longstanding commitment to shared governance.

The Faculty Senate was created by the Trustees of the University in 1952 at the request of the faculty. All standing faculty, across the 12 schools, are members of the Senate. However, most of the Senate’s work is conducted by the Senate Executive Committee (SEC), an elected body with 58 members that meets monthly during the academic year. SEC oversees eight standing committees as well as select committees it creates, and it coordinates with the University Council and its seven committees. Standing faculty members are invited to observe SEC meetings and may attend by requesting access information from the Senate Office or from their constituency representative. Additional information about SEC and the Faculty Senate is available from the website and the Faculty Handbook.

The President and the Provost meet biweekly with the tri-chairs to discuss current matters and identify emerging issues. The President and Provost, as well as Vice Provosts and other senior administrators, also consult with the faculty through their engagement with SEC, Senate committees, and other avenues as needed to address urgent issues.

As is customary, this annual letter from the chair of the Senate provides a brief summary of activities from the previous academic year and outlines priorities for the coming academic year. In writing, I want to recognize the participation and many contributions of the faculty who, when called upon to serve, actively participate in the work of SEC and the Senate. Achieving the goals of shared governance demands time and attention to a range of matters that help us respond to the mission of the University. With the multiple stressors associated with the COVID pandemic, committee chairs and committee members provided an especially important service in offering their expertise and time. We are deeply appreciative.

In 2021-2022, despite the challenges posed by the global pandemic, the Senate was able to build upon initiatives from previous years and pursue several new activities. Among these initiatives and activities were the following: 

• Selection of the New President. In Summer 2021, SEC selected faculty representatives, through a nomination process, to the Consultative Committee to advise the Executive Committee of the Trustees on the selection of a new President. Five faculty members represented the Senate in the consultative meetings: Vivian Gadsden (Education), Kathleen Hall Jamieson (Annenberg), Jennifer Pinto-Martin (Nursing), Eve Troutt Powell (SAS/History), and Michael Weisberg (SAS/Philosophy).
• Faculty Senate Seminar Series. Launched in summer 2020, the Faculty Senate Seminar Series continued to be an important venue for generating ideas, reviewing important issues facing faculty and the University, and disseminating information to faculty. Over the year, SEC held six seminars, all of which are archived on the Seminar Series website.  These sessions focused on issues ranging from changing practices in teaching and student engagement to faculty academic freedom and responsibility.
• Resolutions. The Senate Executive Committee endorsed three resolutions. First, the November 2021 Resolution on the Institutional Response to the Climate Emergency calls on University administration and the Board of Trustees to take a specific list of actions to address the climate emergency across four areas: investments, University practices and operations, expressions of climate commitment, and facilitation of individual actions by members of the campus community. Second, the April 2022 Resolution on Faculty Bylaws calls upon school and/or departmental faculties to formalize written bylaws and/or standing rules that address voting privileges, hiring procedures, committee appointment processes, and the rights and privileges of faculty by rank. Lastly, the May 2022 Resolution for Election Day makes evergreen our call to make instructional accommodations for instructors and students who may miss class to participate in forms of electoral engagement or in some other election-related activities. Penn’s Policy on Secular and Religious Holidays was amended in May 2022 to include Election Day.
• Other matters. In addition, the Senate addressed questions and concerns raised by faculty, including University efforts to ensure the safety and health of faculty during the COVID pandemic and the gender-limiting language in the Faculty Handbook. For more information, please access the 11-page SEC Actions for a recap of the highlights of each SEC meeting. 

In April 2022, we were especially pleased to welcome Penn Trustees chair Scott Bok, the first Trustees chairperson to meet formally with the Faculty Senate. Mr. Bok offered valuable insights regarding priorities of the Trustees and responded to SEC members’ questions on a range of topics, from the role of Trustees to University investments.

For 2022-2023, our priorities both reinforce and expand upon successful past efforts and initiate new ones. We will work toward implementing an integrative framework that brings under a single umbrella multiple issues that represent the voice of faculty, support faculty and students, enhance the University’s mission, and engage in meaningful dialogue with local communities.

• Selection of the Provost. In July 2022, through nominations and voting, SEC selected faculty representatives to the Consultative Committee to advise the President and Search Committee on the selection of the University Provost. The Faculty Handbook states that the Consultative Committee for a Provost search should include 12 faculty members, 6 selected by the Faculty Senate and 6 selected by the President. Names of the 6 faculty members selected by SEC were forwarded to the Office of the President in July 2022. 
• Structural Racism and Inequity. As we have done over the past two years, all standing committees will have an overarching charge to address systemic racism and other forms of inequity. Committees are asked to assess and evaluate ways to change University structures, practices, and biases at the University, school, departmental, and individual levels. Examples include eligibility for leadership roles; differential standards for faculty evaluation based on race, gender, or national origin; department-level voting privileges; biases implicit in quantitative methods for evaluating faculty; and effectiveness of campus mental health and wellness programs.
• Local Engagement. Local engagement will serve as an overarching framework that builds upon Penn’s efforts toward interdisciplinary and cross-school collaborations and commitment to the civic and social good. Our attention will be directed to both local communities and the local agencies and systems designed to support them, with particular attention to public education and Philadelphia schools, climate and its effects on community health and well-being, employment, and safety. 
• Education and Research for the Climate Emergency. This initiative continues to be a critical and leading-edge area of work in the Senate, which resulted in SEC’s passage of a Resolution on the Institutional Response to the Climate Emergency. We will continue our collaboration with Penn Sustainability, the Environmental Innovations Initiative (EII), and the Senate Select Committee on the Institutional Response to the Climate Emergency (CIRCE) to identify and implement opportunities for teaching and research that address the climate emergency, integrate climate-related issues into course content, and promote inquiry and interdisciplinary research. 
• Wellness. Reinforcing wellness for faculty, staff, and students continues to be a high priority. This includes attention to known and new variants of COVID and other viral strains and promoting health maintenance and balance that enable faculty to address personal, familial, and professional expectations and that support students and staff alike. 
• Teaching and Classroom Culture. The COVID pandemic challenged us to think differently and more innovatively about the possibilities for teaching, pedagogical practices, and classroom learning and culture. SEC will continue to highlight these important issues, including enhancing the culture of the classroom and the different forms of teaching at the University, not limited to virtual classrooms and remote learning. Our objective will be to capture the range of modes of teaching and their affordances through appropriate protocols, evaluations, and feedback.
• Faculty Engaged Scholarship. Drawing on prior discussions in SEC and among individual faculties, the Senate will continue to identify operational definitions and guidelines for “engaged scholarship” by faculty and their interpretations in departments and schools.  What counts as engaged scholarship; how is it monitored, i.e., with what standards and guidelines; and how is it recognized and rewarded in decisions of promotion and compensation?
• Faculty Recruitment, Professioal Growth, and Opportunities. SEC will work with the 12 schools around three priorities: (1) recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, in particular faculty from historically under-represented communities; (2) professional pathways for non-tenure-line faculty, and (3) mentoring and pathways to professional success for all faculty. 

Several other issues will be highlighted and pursued. For example, we are committed to issues of child and family care. We will also continue the Seminar Series as a vibrant context for discussion about the above and other important issues to the faculty, and Senate committees will be inviting faculty to engage in discussions relevant to their charges. We invite faculty to stay abreast of the work of SEC. To learn more about the agenda for SEC meetings, as well as committee charges and members, please refer to the Senate’s website. 

The past couple years have been filled with uncertainty as we coped with the COVID pandemic, requiring regular pivots, heightening our sensitivities, and calling for our attention to persistent disparities, systemic barriers, and social inequity. Having assumed the role of chair-elect as the administration and the tri-chairs planned for our first virtual semester, I witnessed and learned from the tireless efforts of former chairs, in particular, Bill Braham, with whom I still serve and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, who recently completed her term as a tri-chair, as well as Patrick Walsh, the Senate’s executive assistant. 

We are fortunate to be here at Penn, with opportunities to be engaged in work that can make a difference to the intellectual life of our faculty, staff, and students and to civic life of the larger community. For more information or to learn more about the Senate, you can reach us at senate@pobox.upenn.edu or by phone at (215) 898-6943. I also invite you to contact me directly at viviang@upenn.edu.

On behalf of the tri-chairs, welcome and best wishes for an intellectually rich, healthy, and rewarding academic year.

—Vivian L. Gadsden, William T. Carter Professor of Child Development and Education

On Thursday, September 22, there will be meetings of the Trustees. Due to building capacity limitations, in-person attendance is limited to 15 observers. 

Thursday, September 22, 2022

10:05 a.m.–11:20 a.m.—Budget & Finance Committee

1:45 p.m.–2 p.m.—Public Meeting of the Executive Committee (to approve resolutions)

People who are not directly involved in the presentation are encouraged to use the dial-in option, available the week of September 19, 2022, on the Office of the University Secretary website. 

Agenda and call-in information will be posted at https://secretary.upenn.edu/trustees-governance/open-trustee-meeting. Please contact the Office of the University Secretary at (215) 898-7005 or ofcsec@pobox.upenn.edu by September 9 with questions regarding Trustee meetings or your attendance plans.

The following agenda is published in accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules. Any member of the standing faculty may attend SEC meetings and observe by contacting Patrick Walsh, executive assistant to the Senate, either by telephone at (215) 898-6943 or by email at senate@pobox.upenn.edu.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
3–5 p.m. EDT
The Agora, Annenberg Public Policy Center

1. Welcome and introductions
2. Report from the tri-chairs
3. Finalize the minutes of May 11, 2022
4. Structure and function of Senate Committees
5. Finalize the draft charges for Senate Standing Committees, 2022-2023
6. Recommendations for SEC’s 2022-2023 agenda
7. New business 

During the last academic year, the Penn community engaged in an examination of the Policy for Postdoctoral Trainees to determine if changes were warranted. The new policy was posted in Almanac on June 21, 2022.

The new policy modified the postdoc term limit from five years at Penn to five years total. In order to ensure the resources are in place to facilitate this revision, this new term limit will apply only to those hired after the term limit clause becomes effective, which will be on July 1, 2023. Current postdocs and those hired before July 1, 2023 retain the current five-year term limit at Penn, regardless of previous experience. All other terms in the postdoc policy are effective as of July 1, 2022.

Faculty Handbook Section II.E.2 on Faculty Leaves of Absence specifies that two semesters is the maximum length of a scholarly leave. This policy has been updated, following consultations with faculty and deans across the University, to include the additional language below, which specifies that a faculty member may only accrue a maximum of 24 units of scholarly leave credits. The full policy can be found at: https://catalog.upenn.edu/faculty-handbook/ii/ii-e/.

Faculty members may not be granted scholarly leave with salary for more than two consecutive semesters. Faculty members on twelve-month appointments will accrue eligibility for leave at full or half academic base salary for six months or twelve months after full-time service for corresponding six-month (rather than semester) periods. There is a 24-unit cap on the number of scholarly leave credits that may be accrued. Faculty do not receive compensation for scholarly leave credits that are unused at the time of retirement or departure from the University. A faculty member who resigns their position and then returns to the University does not regain any sabbatical credits that were unused at the time of departure from the prior appointment. Faculty do not accrue scholarly leave credits when they are on scholarly leave or on leave for employment elsewhere. 

—Beth A. Winkelstein, Interim Provost
—Laura Perna, Vice Provost for Faculty

The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) has named Jane H. Barnsteiner a Living Legend for her significant contributions to nursing and health care over the course of her career. The official designation will be made at a ceremony during the AAN’s 2022 Health Policy Conference. This is the academy’s highest honor.

“Dr. Barnsteiner spent three decades of her career at Penn in various roles and left an indelible mark at Penn Nursing, with our clinical partners at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and on the impactful teaching, scholarship, and practice excellence for which we are known,” said Penn Nursing Dean Antonia Villarruel. “Her passion for pediatric nursing and patient safety has had an impact on health care that cannot be understated. She is also a Penn Nursing alum, and we take great pride in her incredible accomplishments and impact.”

Dr. Barnsteiner is a professor emerita at Penn Nursing and editor of the translational research and quality improvement for the American Journal of Nursing (AJN). She previously served as director of nursing for translational research at the University of Pennsylvania Health System and as director of nursing practice and research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She is internationally recognized as a leader in quality, safety, and evidence-based practice. Two common threads throughout her career are that she has melded service and academia to ensure that practice is evidence-based and that education is relevant to practice. Additionally, she is known as an early thought leader in developing and implementing innovative programs to improve quality and safety.

Dr. Barnsteiner began her practice as a pediatric nurse and launched many innovations to help children with complex health issues, such as creating the first pediatric critical care advanced practice program in the world; developing the first course on caring for medically fragile children in the community; and being among the first to bring technology-dependent children and their families into the classroom to share their experiences first-hand with students. She also co-authored Person and Family Centered Care, which received an AJN Book of the Year Award.

Dr. Barnsteiner was instrumental in the development of the Quality and Safety in Nursing Education (QSEN) initiative, which outlined the competencies needed to be taught in schools to prepare nurses for entry into practice. Since the launch of the initiative, she has been an international leader in disseminating the QSEN framework. She co-led curriculum development and taught at eleven national QSEN institutes, educating 1,500 faculty about the QSEN competencies and strategies for integrating them into curricula. She collaborated with clinical leaders to help incorporate QSEN principles into orientation, clinical advancement, and clinical research. She has provided dozens of consultations on evidence-based practice, quality patient care, and curricular reform in numerous international settings. She co-edited all three editions of Quality and Safety in Nursing, with two editions receiving AJN’s Book of the Year awards. The texts have been translated into four languages.

Dr. Barnsteiner co-led a national survey of nursing schools on nursing student errors and near-misses that documented the policies and practices schools had in place or lacked in terms of addressing safety, errors, and near-misses. She and colleagues then designed and tested a national database which the National Council of State Boards of Nursing acquired to track trends and errors made by nursing students. She was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing in 1991.

Karen Goldberg, the Vagelos Professor of Energy Research in the School of Arts and Sciences, has been selected as the recipient of the 2023 William H. Nichols Medal of the American Chemistry Society. She is recognized for her pioneering work in organometallic reaction mechanisms.

Dr. Goldberg arrived at Penn in 2017 and is the inaugural Director of the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology (VIEST). The Goldberg team primarily works with homogeneous catalysts and aims to improve the catalytic systems through thoroughly understanding the mechanisms by which the catalysts operate. Research in the Goldberg group is focused on the development of new catalytic systems to efficiently produce chemicals and fuels from a range of available feedstocks.

The William H. Nichols Medal recognizes outstanding contributions in the field of chemistry and is the first award authorized by the American Chemical Society.  Presented at a gala award dinner annually since 1903, the Nichols Medal encourages original research in chemistry.  Nichols Medal recipients are a singularly significant group of distinguished scientists that includes seventeen Nobel laureates and twenty-five National Medal of Science recipients.

Senior adjunct professor of global leadership in the Carey Law School and associate dean of international affairs Rangita de Silva de Alwis was recently elected to serve as one of the UN’s top leaders in the worldwide fight against gender-based discrimination. During the 2023-2026 term, Ms. de Silva de Alwis will represent Sri Lanka on the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

The committee is tasked with implementing and monitoring the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (“CEDAW”)­—a landmark treaty whereby 189 of the 193 UN Member States have pledged to both eradicate discrimination against women in every form and ensure women’s advancement “in order that they can exercise and enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms in the same way as men.”

An internationally recognized voice for women’s human rights, Ms. de Silva de Alwis has advocated for the advancement of women’s human rights around the world through her diplomacy, public service, and widely publicized scholarship. In addition to teaching at the Carey Law School, Ms. de Silva de Alwis directs the school’s Global Institute for Human Rights and leads the advancing inclusive leadership program.

A diverse range of esteemed women’s human rights advocates from around the world offered resounding support for Ms. de Silva de Alwis’s election.

Jason Wingard, GrEd’00, became Temple University’s 12th president on July 1, 2021. He served as vice dean of executive education at the Wharton School from 2010 to 2013 and was a senior director at Wharton from 1999 to 2004, and most recently, he was the dean and professor of the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University from 2015 to 2020.

Dr. Wingard, who became the first Black president in Temple’s 137-year history, holds a BA in sociology (organizational behavior and social psychology), with honors, from Stanford University. He earned a master’s degree in education (professional development) from Emory University, an EdM in technology in education from Harvard University, and a PhD in educational leadership (education, culture and society) from Penn.

The 2022 September 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. 

Penn Live Arts (PLA) and the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) announce Our Voices, Our Time: One Act Play Festival, the first product of NEC’s year-long collaboration with Penn Live Arts. The festival seeks to amplify and celebrate Black voices, stories and perspectives. Clipper Cut Nation by Cris Eli Blak, What If by Cynthia Grace Robinson, and I Don’t Do That by Mona R. Washington were selected from a pool of over 40 scripts, submitted by playwrights from across the U.S. as well as from the U.K., Morocco and Trinidad-Tobago. Penn Live Arts will host the world premiere performances at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on October 8 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. The plays will then go to New York for an extended off-Broadway run at the Cherry Lane Theatre. Visit www.pennlivearts.org for information.

Clipper Cut Nation, by Cris Eli Blak, tells the story of a well-regarded local barbershop owned by Moe Truman. Everything seems like business as usual as Moe opens up shop with the help of his young apprentice. A rising politician, full of hometown pride, comes in, to great praise—that is, until another neighborhood resident enters the shop and accuses the politician of murdering his son, cultivating a conversation about forgiveness, redemption, loss, grief and survival, all through the perspectives of different generations of Black men. Clipper Cut Nation will be directed by Ralph McCain. Cris Eli Blak is currently the recipient of the Emerging Playwrights Fellowship from the Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre and a selected participant of the Kennedy Center Playwriting Intensive. 

What If, by Cynthia Grace Robinson, follows a college student’s need to fight for justice, unleashing her mother’s fears for her child’s life. A story about love, loss and courage, this play pulls back the curtain on the relationship between a Black mother and her daughter as they experience the invisible personal cost of activism. What If is a meditation on our humanity, our healing, and our hope. It will be directed by Daniel Carlton. Cynthia Grace Robinson is an award-winning playwright, recently given the “Not a Moment, But a Movement” commission with Center Theatre Group. 

In I Don’t Do That, by Mona R. Washington, newly engaged Norah (African American) and Simon (Nigerian) are in love. As two of their friends look on and narrate, a thwarted romantic moment spirals Norah and Simon into an argument based on stereotypes and power. I Don’t Do That will be directed by Petronia Paley. Mona R. Washington is an award-winning playwright, librettist and activist. She is a 2021 New Jersey Individual Artist Fellowship recipient, and her plays have been performed in Italy and France, as well as the United States.

The residency between Penn Live Arts and the Tony- and Obie Award-winning Negro Ensemble Company, is NEC’s first with a major institution. It brings together one of the most important Black theater producers in the United States and the University of Pennsylvania’s nexus of the performing arts. These two legacy organizations share a mission of advancing innovative, contemporary theater. The goal of this yearlong residency is to discover authentic, edgy stories of the Black experience and to inspire meaningful and thought-provoking conversations on the far-reaching role of Black artists in shaping art and culture in our country.

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 15-21, 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 August 15-21, 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: 4 incidents (1 assault, 1 aggravated assault, 1 indecent assault, and robbery) with 1 arrest was reported for August 15-21, 2022 by the 18^th District, covering the Schuylkill River to 49th St & Market St to Woodland Avenue.

As you plan for the coming seasons, here’s a reminder of Penn’s holiday observance and Special Winter Vacation dates in 2022-2023.

Holidays

Labor Day—Monday, September 5, 2022

Thanksgiving—Thursday and Friday, November 24 & 25, 2022

Christmas Day (observed)—Monday, December 26, 2022

New Year’s Day (observed)—Monday, January 2, 2023

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day—Monday, January 16, 2023

Memorial Day—Monday, May 29, 2023

Juneteenth—Monday, June 19, 2023

Special Winter Vacation

Each year, the President, Provost, and Senior Executive Vice President assess the feasibility of observing Penn’s traditional Special Winter Vacation. Based on this assessment, the Special Winter Vacation granted to faculty and staff will be December 27, 28, 29, and 30, 2022.

For a complete list of this fiscal year’s holidays and details on policies regarding work over Special Winter Vacation, review the Recognized Holidays for FY23 announcement. 

—Division of Human Resources

Penn Global is excited to launch the 2022-2023 call for proposals, welcoming expressions of interest from eligible Penn community members for research grants to support activities that focus on issues, trends or topics related to areas primarily outside of the United States which may be national, regional, transnational or global in nature.

Penn Global welcomes proposals for activities in alignment with our four funds: the Global Engagement Fund, the China Research and Engagement Fund, the India Research and Engagement Fund, and the Holman Africa Research and Engagement Fund. Additionally, this year, in support of our aim to expand engagement with multilateral institutions and cultivate equitable partnerships addressing multinational questions, issues, and challenges, Penn Global especially welcomes ideas for projects that are specifically intended to advance or address one or more of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Promulgated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 and adopted by all UN Member States later the same year, the 17 goals “are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.” With a collective aim to achieve the goals by 2030, UN Member States are approaching the halfway mark, a critical juncture to assess progress made and progress needed towards attaining these ambitious goals.

In this context, Penn Global welcomes proposals that seek to advance or address one or more of the 17 goals. Proposals may include but are not limited to planned collaborations with partners across Penn and organizations at the UN or its key Sustainable Development Goals partners.

Penn Global will accept expressions of interest for research grants until Monday, October 10, 2022.  Research grants are open to Penn faculty and senior administrators, as well as Penn affiliates with long-term positions at the University. All disciplines and fields of study are welcome and encouraged to apply. Research grants average one to three years in duration, although Penn Global welcomes proposals for longitudinal research and engagement beyond three years as the proposal’s focus and scope may merit. There is no minimum or maximum award amount for research grants; however, awards generally range between $20,000 and $150,000

Research grants require some form of matching funding or support from another Penn or external source. In general, Penn Global expects matching funds to be equal or greater to those requested from the grant program. Matching funds do not have to be in-hand when proposals are submitted, but the expectation is that the matching funds will be in-hand at the time of award.

To apply, applicants must include the following information in their expressions of interest: a description of the proposed project, including the objectives, design and methodology, and outputs; list of key partners; and basic budget details, along with a description of plans to contribute matching funding. Applicants should also articulate a clear plan for sustainability and impact.

Those interested in applying for a Penn Global Research Grant are strongly encouraged to attend an information session. Each session includes an overview of the grant program and provides attendees with important information about Penn Global Research Grants, such as program priorities, eligibility requirements, types of support available, and budget and matching fund requirements. Information sessions also include an overview of the application process, and attendees will have an opportunity to meet and engage in Q&A with Penn Global’s grant program managers. 

Visit the Penn Global website to learn more about Penn Global Research Grants or register for an information session. In addition to research grants, Penn Global also welcomes proposals for convening grants on a rolling basis year-round. Convening grants are open to faculty and senior administrators, as well as graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and certain other Penn community members. Visit Penn Global’s website to learn more. 

In April 2022, Penn Global awarded 21 new grants for faculty-led research and engagement projects at a funding level of $1.2 million. Projects range in focus and format, including a book project on India in the West African popular imagination; a new fellowship program to develop partnerships between African scholars and the Penn community; a data collection effort to better understand India’s urban future; a comparative research study on water rights in Latin America, and a new taxonomy of case studies to define a new term, “mega-eco projects.”

Penn Global looks forward to partnering with a new cohort of Penn faculty and researchers to creatively and strategically advance its mission to bring the world to Penn and Penn to the world.

—Penn Global

The Orphan Disease Center (ODC) at the University of Pennsylvania announces the 2022 Million Dollar Bike Ride Pilot Grant Program. 

The program is now open and offering up to 40 different research grant opportunities focusing on 30 different rare diseases. 

This program provides a one-year grant to support research related to a rare disease represented in the 2022 Million Dollar Bike Ride. The number of awards and dollar amounts vary per disease based on fundraising totals by each disease team. 

This request for applications (RFA) is open to the international research community. Click here to apply. The application deadline is Friday, September 16, 2022 by 8 p.m. EST. 

All individuals holding a faculty-level appointment at an academic institution or a senior scientific position at a non-profit institution or foundation are eligible to respond to this RFA. 

The Orphan Disease Center MPS l Pilot Grant Program provides one-year grants of up to $150,000 (direct costs) to develop novel treatments for MPS l. The proposed therapeutic strategies should address the unmet needs of CNS manifestations of MPS I in patients with the severe and attenuated forms of the disease. Approaches that also address the somatic manifestations of the disease including the eye, bone, connective-tissue, and heart, which are not effectively treated with enzyme replacement therapy or bone marrow transplantation are welcome. 

The applicant must have a proven track record in the development of novel therapeutics that progress toward clinical applications. The applicant must demonstrate utility of the proposed therapeutic platform in MPS I animal models during the course of the grant. A second year of funding is possible but should not be incorporated into the initial application.

Letters of interest (LOIs) are due no later than Tuesday, September 6, 2022 by 8 p.m. EST.

Grant criteria, the entire request for applications (RFA), and additional program details can be found here. All individuals holding a faculty-level appointment at an academic institution or a senior scientific position at a non-profit institution or foundation are eligible to respond to this RFA. This RFA is open globally. International applicants are invited to apply. 

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

Penn’s Office of Information Security and Information Systems and Computing staff welcome you back to a new 2022-2023 academic year. As you use your digital devices, whether on or off campus, please remember the following security tips:

Update your software! This is the most powerful thing you can do to protect your computing assets and sensitive data. When software is patched and up to date, it is far more difficult for hackers to break in and access sensitive data or seize control of your device. 

Install and run anti-virus software on your personal devices. Penn provides Sophos Home software for free for your personal devices. Scan for malware. If found, delete or quarantine. Update your anti-virus software with the latest definitions and schedule a scan at least once a week.

Back up your data. Backing up the data you handle ensures access to the information if your computing device was compromised or lost. Keep backups on separate devices and store backups offline to help recover from data corruption. 

Use the Penn VPN to access sensitive data when working remotely, or when using secured services that require an on-campus IP address.  

Use a password manager to prevent the reuse of passwords. Penn’s supported password manager, LastPass, provides secure, centralized storage for passwords and other information, such as security questions. It allows you to use one password to access your saved passwords and generates multiple complex passwords. It also supports the use of Two-Step Verification. 

Verify information before you act. Avoid trusting everything you see and read online. Malicious individuals use techniques like phishing, phone scams, infected USB drives, and impersonation to gain your trust to lure you into sharing sensitive information. For additional information on these useful protective practices, contact your IT support staff and visit:

Secure backup best practices at https://www.isc.upenn.edu/security/backup. 

Sophos Home Anti-virus at https://www.isc.upenn.edu/how-to/sophos-home. 

Information Security Tips for staff at https://www.isc.upenn.edu/security/staff. 

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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 Office of Government and Community Affairs encourages Penn faculty and staff with plans to travel internationally to be aware of their passport expiration date and to plan well in advance of international travel to renew their passports. While passport operations at the U.S. Department of State have fully resumed, passport approvals and renewals may take longer than expected as the department returns to pre-pandemic levels of processing. 

Generally, passports must be valid at least six months after all planned travel dates. Requirements vary by country, so it is important to check the U.S. Department of State Country Information website for your destination. To avoid any travel issues, ensure that all passports are valid at least six months after your planned return date to the U.S. 

Additional information regarding international travel from Penn Global is available on the Global Support Services Travel Essentials webpage. If you are traveling internationally on Penn-affiliated travel, registration is required. Please see Penn Global Travel Guidance website for registration directions.

Contact Penn Global Support Services or OGCA with any further questions or concerns.

—Office of Government and Community Affairs

Lena Hansen

The spring 2022 was both exciting and, admittedly, anxiety-inducing. After two weeks online, students and faculty returned fully in-person instruction and events. For many students, including myself, the return to the classroom was strange. The majority of my undergraduate experience to that point had happened online. I was evicted from campus during my freshman spring; suddenly I had to leave my dorm and friends in the U.S. to return home to Germany. There, I spent two semesters online with a six-hour time difference, and another attending Zoom classes from my off-campus apartment in Philly. In spring 2022 I was a junior finally getting back to the college experience I dreamed I would have.

This was the moment I—and many others—had been waiting for! This is what I hoped for while attending lectures at midnight in Germany, as my parents and siblings slept. And yet, returning to the classroom was daunting—not just because of the virus. Suddenly, I would be an entire body again, not just a face and perhaps the upper quarter of a torso in a tiny rectangle on a computer screen miles away. Other people would actually see me, and I would see them. And while the small interactions with my instructors and peers was what I missed first (and perhaps most) during online learning, part of me was scared those interactions would not be the same. What if I had completely unlearned talking to strangers without a breakout room? What if no one would talk to each other because we all became so accustomed to learning alone, that we would never get that comradery back? 

Of course, isolation had not caused me to unlearn (all) the social skills acquired throughout the first 20 years of my life. And yet, I walked into my first class feeling like it was the first day of freshman year all over. I didn’t know anyone, and if I did, the mask and the semesters on Zoom made them hard to recognize. Within minutes, I saw that my fears had been unfounded. The two-minute chats before class that I had missed so much were back! These small interactions—a comment to your neighbor about how difficult the homework was, a quick chat about the torrential Philly rain that caused you to walk into class looking like a drowned rat, or a question to your professor about the reading after class—were and are central to my Penn experience. I met other German students I may never have interacted with otherwise, talked to professors about their research, asked what progress others had made on their essay. While these little interactions might have once seemed insignificant, they were what I missed most about my educational experience and their absence affected my passion for learning and ability to study effectively. 

Being around my classmates encouraged me to learn from and with them. In particular, I was able to pursue my academic interests and passions with renewed vigor. Through those short interactions before class, I found an amazing project group. Working on the project in-person, we were able to stage a court hearing rather than a standard PowerPoint presentation. The project not only solidified my understanding of class concepts, but also made learning fun again. Later, that project group turned into a study group for the final and a movie excursion unrelated to the class. College is both an academic and a social endeavor, and in-person learning allowed me to connect these aspects of the Penn experience. 

Alongside more interactions with my peers, TAs worked to reinvigorate classroom discussion that suffered over Zoom. They tried to create connections between students through structured introductions and icebreakers, allowing students to get to know their peers across majors, years, and backgrounds. Many TAs allowed us to engage organically with the material, by linking the class content with our various opinions and experiences. By learning about us, TAs were able to draw on the experiences of individual students and encourage us to use our knowledge. Further, we collectively reflected on course assessments, allowing us to learn from our own and others’ mistakes and successes. These conversations were much easier face-to-face, with everyone engaged in the classroom. These collective learning experiences enhanced my academic endeavors this semester. 

Professors put new effort into forging connections, learning students’ names, and chatting with us before and after class. Many of them made a conscious effort this semester, more than in previous semesters, to engage with students. They drew on these interactions to ask individual students with unique backgrounds their opinions during class discussions, and highlighted good contributions. This encouraged me to participate in class, as I felt seen beyond that small Zoom rectangle. Rather than a screen of students, it felt as though every individual was important to the class discussion. Once again, these interactions were more successful due to the in-person learning environment. Additionally, professors took advantage of extracurricular programs like “Take Your Professor to Lunch” to engage more personally with students beyond the confines of the classroom. These lunches allowed me to look beyond the syllabus and speak to instructors about their research and thoughts on current events as they relate to the course. This gave me more context for the course content and allowed me to engage more with the academic material, internalizing many of the concepts and helping me understand their application. 

Over the pandemic, I lost the real and thorough engagement with my courses. Sitting in my room in Germany alone at 12 a.m. made me lose contact with my academic passion. I stopped internalizing the material, rather brachiating from one assignment to the next without stopping to fully understand the material I was being taught over Zoom. I was missing the human and qualitative component of learning, reduced only to the quantitative aspect—grades. However, coming back to campus and to the classroom brought me back to that innate beauty of learning and knowledge. That would not have been possible without the tacit support of my peers and my instructors. Despite my initial anxiety­—and the need to get out of bed and change out of pajamas—in-person learning enhanced my academic experiences. 

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Lena Hansen is a member of the School of Arts and Sciences’ Class of 2023. She serves as the Chair External of the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education.

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.