Engaging support, gratitude for nothing, home work, and more.


Join a New Homecoming Tradition

In his cover story “The Unexpected Entrepreneurs” [Sep|Oct 2024] Dave Zeitlin C’03 captured the talent, excitement, and diversity of projects and ideas in 10 years of President’s Prize winners.

Alumni have rallied to support these incredible people. Behind the scenes, Leanne Huebner W’90 (founder of Minds Matter), Karen Schub Epstein C’92 W’92 (PennPAC executive director), and Harvey Floyd (investor, executive coach, and lecturer at the Aresty Institute of Executive Education at the Wharton School), have devoted countless hours to developing content and recruiting professional pro bono resources to support these entrepreneurs.

Elise Betz (senior executive director, Alumni Relations) has ensured that a President’s Prize Winner Showcase will be a permanent feature of Homecoming Weekend programming. This year’s virtual session on November 13 at noon will be introduced by Penn President Emerita Amy Gutmann Hon’22, who launched the prizes in 2014. Registration for the session is available on the Penn Alumni Homecoming site: alumni.upenn.edu/homecoming.

Ann Reese CW’74, Rye, NY

Alumni Assets

As the executive director of PennPAC, a community of 2,000-plus Penn alumni working together to strengthen nonprofits through pro bono strategic consulting, I have had the pleasure of working with many of the President’s Engagement and Innovation Prize (PEP/PIP) winners over the years. Each one inspires me—their innovative ideas, intense passion, and true commitment to change is remarkable.

When Rowana Miller C’22, executive director of Cosmic Writers and a 2022 PEP winner, asked me to join a new alumni initiative focused on better supporting PEP/PIP winners, I jumped at the chance. The University possesses the resources to fuel these promising ventures; ensuring winners know how to access them is crucial. In addition, the assets the alumni can offer—their time, experience, networks, and capital—can make all the difference in launching these young entrepreneurs. When our team asked other alumni if they were interested in getting involved, they couldn’t say “yes!” fast enough. 

Working with Rowana, Ann Reese CW’74, Lee Spelman Doty W’76, Leanne Huebner W’90, and Harvey Floyd II on this effort has been a true privilege. I have immense Penn pride in seeing the difference the past PEP/ PIP winners are making—and look forward to hearing about the plans of future winners. The PennPAC community will be ready to support them on their journey from ideas to impact.

Karen Schub Epstein C’92 W’92, Mamaroneck, NY

Not Nothing, Just Something Different

This letter is sent to express gratitude to College senior Lila Dubois, whose essay “My Summer of Nothing” [“Notes from the Undergrad,” Sep|Oct 2024] brought perspective to this Penn alum, who was greatly in need.

Ms. Dubois writes of her summer, and thoughts that she should have done more with her days. That is exactly (and painfully) where I have found myself recently. After 40 years of quite full days devoted to the needs of various employers, I find my days now devoted to my five-year-old granddaughter.

It’s not like I believe the work that filled my days previously was particularly impressive, but—after a drive to Speech class, after the Kindergarten drop-off and pick-up, after buying a gift for a weekend birthday party, after making dinner and time at the park—just a nagging sense of, Really? That’s how I spent the day?

Ms. Dubois’ point is helpful: It’s not a day of nothing; it’s a day of … something different. A child seeking emotional solace by leaving her bed in the middle of the night to sleep on the floor next to Saba is not akin to completing a financial report for the board of directors. It is something different—very different.

My thanks again to Ms. Dubois. And, truly, the photos included in the feature on Harvey Finkle [“The Instrument Is Yourself,” Sep|Oct 2024] that “depicted women nurturing young children”—those were a great help, too.

Hail Pennsylvania!

Matthew Arbit C’83, Highland Park, IL

A View from the (Home Office) Trenches

I read Molly Petrilla’s article “Doom or Boom” [“Gazetteer,” Sep|Oct 2024] and immediately thought of my own situation as a consultant in nanomaterials. I operate completely out of my home, as do many of my friends who are fellow alums in the same situation.

As you will be able to tell from my graduation date below, I have had the time in my career to develop (and to learn how to develop) many contacts from whom I can get a contract. These people are dispersed throughout the world, but with video conferencing it doesn’t matter whether they’re in Perth, Bordeaux, or Toronto. The same is true for my various support services, such as my patent agent, who operates from his home on the Outer Banks in North Carolina. The savings from avoiding the expense of a physical office are considerable, not to mention the tax break I get for using my home office. Of course, in the absence of others, one needs a strong sense of self-discipline to stay focused, but my Penn education provided me with that.

I am working with a group of investors to build a nanomaterials manufacturing plant here in New England, but outside of a handful of production technicians the plan calls for no one else to actually work on-site. The applications engineers, the VP of production, and even the quality control people will all work remotely. So perhaps the trend is expanding well beyond office workers.

Mark Banash C’82, Bedford, NH

Focus On What Matters

Thanks for the article “(Re)introducing In Principle and Practice” [“Gazetteer,” Sep|Oct 2024] on Penn’s new strategic framework.

Question: Under the section Lead on the great challenges of our time, why not list issues that genuinely demand immediate attention? Climate change and other agenda-driven issues are minor in comparison to our looming national deficit and debt; our ever-expanding, unchecked, and ineffective federal government; and, worst of all, the disaster we call our public education system. (Have you been to a school board or committee meeting lately?) I hope the University can focus on what matters. I know others share my concern.

Thanks also for sharing the story of Penn alumnus Rev. Jacob Duché and his run-in with General Washington [“Old Penn,” Sep|Oct 2024]. Penn people’s stories are never tiring, and this one, though old and brief, is no exception. Maybe he spent too much time hanging out with Ben Franklin’s Loyalist son William. I’m curious if Duché knew George Whitefield. 

Bruce Bergwall C’80, Newburyport, CT

Not All the Same, But All Valuable

I read Trey Popp’s article “The Newcomer Dividend” [Jul|Aug 2024] with more than normal interest. For the last 30-plus years, as a volunteer, I’ve been coordinating a mobile feeding program for the Salvation Army in my home county outside of New York City. For the last 20–25 years, almost all of those we serve have been undocumented immigrants from from South and Central America—primarily Guatemala, Ecuador, and El Salvador. We serve about 250 people each week—a combination of jornaleros (day laborers) and families.

Based upon my experiences over the years, I have two comments about the article:

First, I fully agree with Wharton Professor Zeke Hernandez’s comment about pro-immigrant pundits who “paper over the differences. They use slogans like … ‘Deep down, we’re all the same.’ But that doesn’t hold water, because we’re not the same, right?”

We are a nation of immigrants, from our founding to the present. And this has contributed mightily to the richness of the American culture and society. But we are not all the same. Our experience as immigrants has been very much shaped by our region of origin—e.g., Europe vs. Central America—and our ethnicity and race—e.g., white vs. non-white.

Second, the economic contribution of immigrants—particularly those in service rather than professional roles (such as landscape workers, restaurant support staff, etc.)—needs to be better understood and valued by those of us who receive these services. The absence of these services would certainly impact the quality of our lives. It’d be great if Professor Hernandez, with the the support of others, could use existing and possibly newly developed data sets to quantify the economic value of professional and nonprofessional immigrants, sorted as feasible, e.g., region of origin.

Here’s hoping we will be a nation that continues to value and welcome the contribution of immigrants, whatever that contribution is.

Jim Waters WG’71, Pearl River, NY

Keep Up the Fine Work

I receive and read the Pennsylvania Gazette because our daughter received a master’s in bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania. I write now to tell you that I believe the publication that you generate is superb.

The Jul|Aug 2024 issue had a truly information-based comment on immigration [“The Newcomer Dividend”], the article “Supporting Supportive Housing” [“Gazetteer”] was important, and the item involving Ruth Katz [“Our Policies, Our Health”] combined substance with personality. I enjoy substantially all that appears in the Gazette. Please keep up the fine work.

Don Bergman, parent, Westport, CT

Share Button

    Leave a Reply