Courage Through History
From storms to serial killers to shipwrecks, bestselling author Erik Larson has made his name writing about frightening moments in history. When a new one came in the form of a global pandemic, readers found unlikely comfort in his latest book—a story of leadership, perseverance, and hope in the bleakest of times 80 years ago.
Virtual Alumni Weekend 2020*
Celebrating from a distance—until we can meet again.
Inequality Economics
Tax the rich! And the poor. But not the way we do it now, nor necessarily for the usual reasons. As an economist pushing his field to grapple with inequality, Wharton’s Benjamin Lockwood may change the way you think about the government’s broadest power.
The Edge
Walking the perimeter of Philadelphia.
Paper Man
Eric Jacobs has been at the Daily Pennsylvanian since articles were written on typewriters and layout was done by (actual) cutting and pasting. The newspaper’s longtime general manager is also a shared connection among every DP alum of the last 40 years. But this summer, he plans to leave the only job he’s ever had.
Dotdash Rising
After putting the familiar but failing website About.com out of its misery, Dotdash CEO Neil Vogel W’92 has managed to craft a thriving group of websites from the company’s wreckage.
Finding Life in Death
As a nursing professor, Kimberly Acquaviva teaches students about end-of-life issues and hospice and palliative care. When her wife, also a leading hospice expert, was diagnosed with a fatal type of cancer, Acquaviva turned their home into a virtual classroom, inviting anyone on the internet to witness the intimate details of dying—while making a case for more varied and inclusive options for the terminally ill.
American Byzantine
Andrew Gould has been called “America’s foremost Orthodox church designer.” Melding deep conservatism with romantic fantasy, his work is the architectural version of historical fiction.
Loyal Classmen
At the turn of the 20th century, Julian Abele and Louis Magaziner—a black man and an immigrant Jew—were standouts in Penn’s School of Fine Arts about to launch distinguished careers in architecture. They were also beginning what would be a lifelong friendship. A Magaziner descendant and Abele admirer investigates what brought them together.
Her General Tubman
In Lorene Cary’s new play—her first—Harriet Tubman shuttles between leading a Civil War raid that freed hundreds of enslaved plantation workers and a men’s prison in present-day Philadelphia, where she finds love and recruits soldiers for the Union Army. The path to its production was complicated, too.
The New Climate Advocates
From mayors and MBAs to lawyers and landscape architects, the face of climate change activism is changing. At Penn, a mix of pragmatic thinking and visionary ambition has sparked a sense that what is urgent might also be achievable.
Augmenting Reality
Will augmented reality change everything we see? A growing number of Penn alumni, staff, and faculty think so. And even as they bump up against its challenges and limitations, they’re still committed
to pulling AR further into our lives.
Homecoming 2019
Our annual photo album.
Plus: Alumni Awards of Merit and citations.
Toward a New Boyhood
From toxic masculinity to feminist overreach, angry white men to benevolent sexism, #HimToo to #TimesUp, American manhood is in disarray. Into the fray steps Michael Reichert, with a blueprint for raising the next generation right.
The Unlikely Legend
After a staggering 50 years guiding Penn’s oft-overlooked sprint football team, Bill Wagner decides to step down—but not before leaving more than 1,500 alumni with unique athletic memories, life lessons, and a stockpile of indelible “Wagisms.”
The Story of Liang and Lin
Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin came to Penn at the height of Philadelphia’s Beaux-Arts building boom. They returned to revolutionary China with ideas that made a lasting mark on the development of architecture in the People’s Republic.
London Summer and Shadows
Penn students abroad—and their teacher—work toward telling the stories they need to.
Healthcare’s Hard Choices (and How to Stop Avoiding Them)
Penn President Amy Gutmann and PIK Professor Jonathan Moreno on their new book, which traces the history of bioethics and tackles some key issues in healthcare—from thorny moral questions to the frontiers of science and the most bitter divisions in American politics.
Unleashing Hope
Drawing on groundbreaking immunotherapy techniques pioneered at Penn, the Vet School’s Nicola Mason is working toward a cure for bone cancer in dogs and children and to spark broader advances in the field of comparative medicine.
Heisman’s Game
It’s not just about the trophy. As a player and coach, John Heisman was one of football’s fiercest (and trickiest!) competitors and a great innovator, who championed multiple changes that made the sport safer and more exciting.
A Man and His Environment
A half-century after the publication of his pathbreaking manifesto, Design With Nature, Ian McHarg’s work is more urgent, timely—and influential—than ever.
Penn Relays at 125
The country’s oldest and largest track meet continues to draw world-class athletes, big crowds, an army of loyal volunteers, and a whole lot of Jamaicans.
Running the Show
Nkechi Okoro Carroll C’98 worked as an economist for 14 years before making her mark as a writer in Hollywood. Now she has the top job on the CW network’s All American. One of the very few women of color to hold the title showrunner, she’s determined to broaden opportunities for others and to diversify the medium’s characters and messages—while building her own TV empire along the way.
Native Pride
For 25 years, Penn’s small Native American community has tried to grow its presence on campus, through lively powwows, Ivy League conferences, and student and faculty outreach. But trying to shed the “feeling of being invisible” has been a perennial struggle.