We Should Be Friends
For the past 20 years, Aaron Karo W’01 and Matt Ritter L’05 have been part of a unique friendship tradition called “Man of the Year” with their childhood buddies. Now, the fellow comedians and writers have launched a podcast of the same name to encourage other men to create, maintain, and grow their own friendships.
Admissions in Transition
From test-optional applications, to questions about ChatGPT, to the Supreme Court’s new limitations on considering race and ethnicity, college admissions are in flux. Admissions Dean Whitney Soule dissects the current state of play and how prospective applicants can navigate it.
The Chip Zien Show
His acclaimed starring turn in Harmony was cut short by the harsh economics of Broadway musicals, but the theater, film, and TV stalwart is still looking ahead after seven decades in the spotlight.
Shattering Violence, Shimmering Prizes
Emily Wilson’s new translation of the Iliad brings the strange and brutal beauty of Homer’s world into the English-speaking now.
Fighting a Pernicious Evil
The head of Penn’s task force on combating antisemitism on progress so far.
Ramanan Raghavendran Elected Trustees Chair
Ramanan Raghavendran EAS’89 W’89 LPS’15 elected trustees chair.
Facing Hate with Allyship
Interfaith Commemoration highlights Black–Jewish allyship.
MLK Remembrance
A candlelight vigil.
Reproducing Racism
Interfaith Commemoration highlights Black–Jewish allyship.
Claire M. Fagin, 1926–2024
Interim president and transformational Nursing Dean Claire Fagin Hon’94.
Record-Setting $83.9 Million to SAS
$83.9 million for SAS from Roy Vagelos C’50 Hon’99 and Diana Vagelos.
COP28 and Counting
What Penn (and especially Olivia Fielding C’21) did at COP28.
Keeping It Civic
David Grossman’s 25 years directing Civic House.
The Niki and Izzy Show
Women’s lacrosse’s senior standouts Niki Miles and Izzy Rohr.
Chasing Justice
As a young federal civil rights prosecutor, Jared Fishman C’99 investigated the police killing of a Black New Orleans resident in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Now, after writing a book on what he calls “one of the most egregious cases of police misconduct in recent American history,” he’s tackling criminal justice reform on a broader scale.
In the Balance
Four alumni authors consider, then dismantle, the myths that govern how we choose our careers and that keep us stuck in unhealthy patterns from childhood to retirement.
Risk and Reward
Rajiv Shah M’02 GrW’05 heads the Rockefeller Foundation and has worked for the Gates Foundation and in government on critical issues in public health and international development. In his new book, Big Bets, he shows how embracing smart criticism—from Bill Gates, for one—and never settling for merely incremental change can pay off.
Homecoming 2023
Our annual photo gallery. Plus: the Alumni Awards of Merit and citations.
Jameson Named Interim President
Penn Medicine’s J. Larry Jameson named Interim Penn President.
Mind Tease
How belief in the “intact mind” harms severely autistic people.
New Digs for the DP
DP will say goodbye to the “Pink Palace” in 2025.
Rules of Engagement
Evaluating the laws of armed conflict in the Israel-Hamas war.
UMC Unity
United Minorities Council revives Unity Week.
Literary Treats
The annual Kelly Writers House event featured some tasty puns.