Activities for the semiquincentennial will continue into the fall, with art exhibits, courses, nationally renowned speakers, workshops, and musical programming.
Mapping Penn and Franklin in Revolutionary Philadelphia
From the Market Street Wharf on the Delaware River, Penn’s founder Benjamin Franklin began making his mark on the city of Philadelphia in 1723, establishing his home and print shop at 3rd and Market Street. At 4th St. and Arch, he founded The College of Philadelphia (now Penn), and signed the Declaration of Independence at the Pennsylvania Assembly House at 4th and Chestnut.
Penn Today spoke with historian Daniel Richter, philosopher Jennifer Morton, and democratic governance expert Claire Finkelstein about the Declaration’s historical context, political ideas, and evolving legacy.
A sister of Philadelphia’s famous Liberty Bell, Penn’s Academy Bell has been secreted from the city during the Revolutionary War, signaled the start of class and the outbreak of fires, hung in a church tower, and stored in basements around Penn’s campus before going on display.
Examining asthma with human lung-on-a-chip technology
Researchers at Penn Engineering developed an ‘asthma-on-a-chip’ system that mimics the mechanical stresses experienced by human airways during an asthma attack. The innovation enables scientists to probe how unhealthy lung tissue responds to compression in ways previously impossible to observe directly in patients.
CAR T cell therapy leads to 10-year remissions in B-cell lymphoma patients
A long-term follow-up from one of the earliest CAR T cell therapy clinical trials shows potential cures in more than one-third of patients treated at Penn Medicine.
As part of the Typography of Independence program, funded in part by a grant from the Philadelphia Collaborator’s Fund, the Common Press will be at the Museum of the American Revolution (MoAR) for Declaration Days. This hands-on demonstration will invite attendees to learn how paper was made in 1776, including how this process was a community effort in 18th-century Philadelphia. Included with MoAR admission.
Nursing the Revolution: 250 Years of The Power of Nurses
Featuring three panel discussions, this webinar features leading historians and contemporary nursing researchers to examine how today’s most pressing nursing challenges—including the often “hidden” value of nursing, workplace safety, and nursing as a pathway for advancement—have deep historical roots dating back to the nation’s founding. “Nursing the Revolution” highlights the lasting importance of nursing while exploring opportunities for innovation, policy advancement, and a stronger future for the profession. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.
A University-wide initiative to shape Penn’s future
Guided by Penn’s strategic framework, In Principle and Practice, Penn Forward launched in September 2025 with six working groups of faculty, staff, students, and postdoctoral scholars who challenged legacy assumptions and proposed bold, actionable strategies to advance Penn’s mission and strengthen operations.
Penn Forward’s initial nine priority initiatives aim to build trust with those we serve, enable bold discovery, and extend Penn’s geographic reach and impact across a lifetime. Learn more about these initiatives and follow along with Penn Today as Penn continues to drive forward.
Penn’s community engagement progress at the turn of the century
The third installment in the limited series ‘Chapters of Change’ explores how Penn has led community engagement efforts in public education, economic development, and neighborhood prosperity during a time of widespread change in the nation’s cities.
Chapters of Change: Thirty years of life sciences transformation at Penn
In the fourth and final installment of the series, ‘Chapters of Change’ highlights another transformational moment in Penn’s past when the evolution of life sciences research sparked the University to commit to investing in new research facilities and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
How the Quaker Commitment empowered one student to create her path at Penn
Gabrielle Fine, a fourth year in the Wharton School and recipient of financial aid from the Quaker Commitment, will graduate in May with an interdisciplinary skillset and new perspectives from a global adventure and local engagement.
Chapters of Change: The blossom of Penn’s professional schools in the 19th century
‘Chapters of Change’ highlights key moments of change in Penn’s history, adapting to shifts in society. In the 19th century, the University faced industrialization and more by creating some of its first professional schools.
Should you go to work during a heat wave? Your productivity suffers, and GDP tanks when it’s hot
“Heat affects everything from students taking important exams to workers,” says R. Jisung Park of the Wharton School and the School of Social Policy & Practice.
“What we're seeing now is a re-engagement of policing a few years down the line. And we continue to see again that crime reduction,” says Jerry Ratcliffe of the School of Arts & Sciences.
What smart people are saying about Comcast spinning off NBC and Sky
“This split makes sense, leads to creation of two more focused, hopefully more profitable businesses,” says Paul Nary of the Wharton School. “That is, until the next opportunity for a media megamerger presents itself.”
Susan Wachter of the Wharton School discusses the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, a uniquely American loan that helped supercharge homeownership in the U.S. after World War II.
