Penn’s newest college house, New College House West, will have a new name: Gutmann College House, in honor of President Emerita Amy Gutmann Hon’22, the current US ambassador to Germany.
Located at 40th and Walnut Streets, Gutmann College House opened for student residents in August 2021. It is one of 13 College Houses at Penn—and, along with Lauder College House, which opened in 2016, one of two built during Gutmann’s 18-year tenure as the University’s president.
“As Penn’s longest serving president, Amy Gutmann held a deep appreciation for the transformative power of a college education and the value of living and learning together as part of an academic community,” said current Penn President Liz Magill in a statement. “Penn’s intentionally built college houses are not just emblematic of that commitment, they are at the heart of the student experience.”
Scott L. Bok C’81 W’81 L’84, chair of Penn’s board of trustees, said it was “especially fitting to associate Amy Gutmann’s name with one of two new undergraduate residences built during her tenure” and praised her for launching the Second-Year Experience program, which extended the on-campus housing requirements to all second-year students and introduced specific programming for sophomores. “A hallmark of her presidency, it truly enhanced student life at Penn,” Bok said, “and serves as a lasting part of her legacy.”
Gutmann College House includes 445 beds for second-, third-, and fourth-year students, as well as club rooms, communal kitchens, music practice rooms, and classroom and seminar rooms, as well as a fitness and wellness center, a coffee shop, and the Quaker Kitchen (which is a dining hall and demonstration cooking space). The building was recently designated LEED Silver, in alignment with Penn’s sustainability goals.
“I am truly humbled and honored to have this deeply meaningful space bear my name,” Gutmann said. “There will always be a special place in my heart for the diverse and brilliant community of students who now call—and for generations will call—this College House their home.”