A Matter of Trust

Dr. Ira Harkavy saw long ago that the futures of Penn and West Philadelphia are connected. As director of the Center for Community Partnerships, he's led a persuasive campaign to link teaching and research to service and problem solving.

“No Other Life”

The Mourning of Mario Lanza, Chubby Checker's twisting rise and fall, a race riot in North Philadelphia and the Phillies' 1964 "nervous breakdown." Memories of a boyhood in the city.

Rebirth on the River

When the Fairmount Water Works was born in the 19th century, its cutting-edge technology and pleasing gardens drew hordes of tourists. Penn alumni working on a $26 million restoration and environmental-education project at the site hope to create a new life for this half-forgotten landmark that helped a city grow.

High Noon in the ‘hood

Penn sociologist Elijah Anderson writes about life at "ground zero," in the inner city's most blighted areas. In this excerpt from his new book, a reformed drug-dealer turned small-businessman attempts to take back a neighborhood corner from his successor in the drug trade.

Justice in the Bones

When a 15-year-old Philadelphia boy was wrongly accused of rape in a case of mistaken identity, public defender Glenn Gilman C’69 and two Penn anthropologists, Dr. Alan Mann and Dr. Janet Monge Gr’80, combined their expertise to ensure that justice was served.

Squeeze Play

Can the Philadelphia Phillies build a winning team the old-fashioned way? David Montgomery is betting the franchise on it.

Of Things Evil

A century ago, the brutal killing of Law School favorite Roy Wilson White in Powelton Village horrified Philadelphia. But what happened after his death was even crueler.