Penn’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy received $30 million in late April, an anonymous gift that will support more programming to fulfill the Center’s mission of helping to create a just and efficient transition to sustainable energy.
Penn President Amy Gutmann, who has made energy solutions one of the top priorities of the Power of Penn fundraising campaign, said that “in addition to supporting innovative programming, the gift will enable Penn to hire new faculty who specialize in energy policy.” Those faculty members, she added, will “help develop tomorrow’s energy policy leaders.”
The gift comes on the heels of a $50 million gift from P. Roy Vagelos C’50 Hon’99 and his wife Diana T. Vagelos to build a new science center for researchers focused on energy sciences.
Housed in the newly named Stuart Weitzman School of Design [“Gazetteer,” May|June 2019], the Kleinman Center was established in 2014 thanks to a gift from Scott Kleinman C’94 W’94 and his wife Wendy. Since its founding, it has collaborated with several schools and disciplines at Penn; provided support to faculty for new or existing energy policy research on topics ranging from carbon taxes to aviation policy; awarded students grants for hands-on learning through research, travel, and internships; and hosted public lectures and panels with leading experts in the field.
“This new gift to the Kleinman Center ensures its place among the nation’s premier energy policy research centers,” said Frederick Steiner GRP’77 GFA’86 Gr’86, dean and Paley Professor at the School of Design.