Yearly Archives: 2013

September 11, 2013 · 8:45 am

The Faculty Award of Merit: A Call for Nominations!

Author: Emilie C. K. LaRosa

Penn faculty are are known for their dedication to students, but many of them are equally dedicated to the Penn Alumni population–lecturing at regional clubs, presenting online webinars, or giving tours during Homecoming Weekend. To support and encourage our faculty’s work with Penn Alumni, we are excited to announce a new faculty honor: The Faculty Award of Merit presented by Penn Alumni.

The award will recognize those faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to alumni education and engagement at Penn by sharing their unique scholarship work with the alumni community. Special emphasis will be placed on faculty members who go above and beyond the call of duty by engaging alumni with the University as their intellectual home. The new Faculty Award  of Merit will be presented, for the first time, at the 2014 Penn Alumni Volunteer Leadership Retreat in February. All Penn alumni, faculty, and staff are welcome to submit a nomination before October 15, 2013 HERE.

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Other criteria for the award includes:

  1. Exceeds the expectations of their University appointment by engaging with Penn alumni through a variety of educational and enrichment programs and opportunities.
  2. Embodies the mission of Penn Alumni to inspire, develop, and maintain alumni interest in and engagement with the University by sharing his or her unique scholarship work with the alumni community.
  3. Sets a high standard for faculty outreach and engagement within the alumni community.
  4. Sustains their service to Penn Alumni for a minimum of three years. Serves as a University ambassador to the Penn alumni community.
  5. Acts as an enthusiastic partner to the Alumni Relations office in engaging the Penn alumni community through planning, marketing, and participation in alumni programs.

The awardee will receive $2,500 and a formal citation. This is a great opportunity to honor those faculty members who have made a difference in your life as a Penn alumnus and in your alumni community. So nominate a Penn professor today!

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September 10, 2013 · 10:44 am

A Hometown Adventure

Author: Jonathan Cousins, C’14

I spent this summer at home, in San Jose, CA. I was working part-time at a robotics company in Menlo Park and also volunteering part-time at Stanford University working in sports marketing.  Needless to say, I’m not really sure what I want to do with my life yet. But I’ll save that discussion for another post. Today, I want to tell the story of one specific weekend over the summer.

I got a text from Chris, one of my friends from the Red and Blue Crew at Penn, who said that he was going to be in San Francisco for the day and wanted to know if we could meet up. It sounded like fun, so I drove up to San Francisco and met both Chris and his friend. Now, the relationship between Chris and his friend is something that could only come from a place like Penn. Chris’ friend is from Australia, and they had met when they were both studying abroad in France, and now they were both vacationing together in San Francisco.  It was a cool opportunity to see how far Penn connections can really stretch.

What I thought was going to be an evening in the city turned into more as another friend Chris had planned to meet up with that night got stuck in the Madrid airport. Communication was few and far between, and eventually, I offered to have them stay in my guest room. The next day came, and without a definitive word from their friend, we needed something to do. We ended up at the boardwalk in Santa Cruz, and had a blast walking around and going on rides. That evening, I took them back to San Francisco, where they planned to meet their friend who had finally made it to the U.S.

All in all, it was a really fun, unexpected weekend with friends who I never expected to see in San Francisco. Who knows how many of those experiences I can expect as I enter life as a Penn alumnus next year?

Santa_Cruz_Boardwalk_Pano

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September 9, 2013 · 11:44 am

Moving In

Author: Max Gaines

Campus was abuzz last week as Penn welcomed freshman members of the Class of 2017 – while welcoming back returning undergraduates. All the hallmark signs of a move-in were on display: Boxes, bags, suitcases, carts and excitement.

This year, in a move to curb the anxiety felt by parents and students, photo booths were dotted across campus. There, students and parents alike took a break from all the heavy lifting to commemorate and share their experiences.

The move-in process officially came to an end as members of the Class of 2017 were welcomed at Convocation 2013 held in the Palestra. University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann called on the newest members of the Penn community to embody “knowledge that helps humanity.”\

Here’s the video of the Class of 2017 as they assembled on Franklin Field

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September 6, 2013 · 4:19 pm

Lunch-Time Learning

Author: Emilie C. K. LaRosa

This fall, use your lunch break (or your coffee break) to learn something new and interesting. Penn Alumni Office Hours is offering six great webinars on topics as varied as Burma, self control, and the benefits of pet ownership from renowned Penn faculty members. The best part? They’re all free! The second best part? They’re easy to access; it’s as simple as clicking on a web link. No special software, hardware, or downloads required.

Learn more about our Office Hours online webinar series here or check out our six sessions below. Registration for all webinars is required.

Penn Professor Carol Muller

Penn Professor Carol Muller

Teaching World Music Using New Technology (October 22, 2013 at 3 p.m. EST) With Penn Professor Carol Muller. This webinar will discuss the advantages and limitations of using new technologies–specifically online learning platform for teaching about music of the worlds peoples. This will include classes for conventional Penn students and those in MOOC (massively open online courses) style. You will hear a sampling of the music that students hear in Muller’s classes, from pygmy “hoots” to Australian aboriginal chanting, and think about how new technologies are reshaping the way we access knowledge from around the world.

Lisa and George travel through Burma.

Lisa and George travel through Burma.

Explore Exotic Burma (October 23, 2013 at 3 p.m. EST)  With Lisa Ellen Niver (C’89) and her husband George Rajna, founders of We Said Go Travel. Myanmar holds a special place in the hearts of Lisa and George. They met online because Lisa told George, “The Shwedagon Pagoda is my favorite place on the planet.”  Join them for a webinar on the highlights of this unique and unspoiled land. [Penn Alumni Travel will be visiting Myanmar in November 2014. Click here for more information.]

Amazing Machu Picchu in Peru.

Amazing Machu Picchu in Peru.

The Art and Culture of Peru (October 30, 2013 at 12 p.m. EST) With Larry Silver, the Farquhar Professor of Art History. Professor Silver will discuss the arts and culture of Peru and its extraordinary monument Machu Picchu. [Penn Alumni Travel will be visiting Peru and the Amazon in 2014. Click here for more information.]

Wharton Professor Katherine Milkman

Wharton Professor Katherine Milkman

The Science of Self Control (November 6, 2013 at 12 p.m. EST) With Wharton Professor Katherine Milkman. The obesity epidemic is just one example of a major societal problem that is driven in large part by self-control failures.  Other examples include under-saving for retirement, under-utilization of preventive medical care, and under-investing in education.  This talk will provide a short overview of past research on self-control as well as findings from a new branch of psychology and economics that are being used to help policy makers and individuals reduce the incidence of self-control failures.

Could these little pups increase your life expectancy?

Could these little pups increase your life expectancy?

The Effects of Pet Ownership (Is owning a pet healthy?) (December 3, 2013 at 12:00 p.m.) With Penn Vet Professor James Serpell. More than 30 years ago, the results of a single landmark study appeared to indicate that pet owners were more likely to survive for one year following a heart attack than non-owners. In the ensuing years, continued research has elaborated and expanded upon those original findings, as well as shedding light on some possible mechanisms that could account for the salutary effects of pet ownership on people. This presentation will provide an overview of this developing field and its implications.

Vintage cars in Cuba.

Vintage cars in Cuba.

The Art and Culture of Cuba (December 4, 2013 at 12:00 p.m.) With Penn Professor Ezekiel Dixon-Roman. Professor Dixon-Roman will discuss the history, culture, and economics of the Communist-run island nation of Cuba.

To register for any of these great webinars, simply click on the webinar’s title to be directed to the free registration page.

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Filed under Alumni Benefits, Alumnni Education, Emilie, Penn Alumni Travel, Penn Vet, Travel, Wharton

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September 5, 2013 · 10:21 am

Locust Walk Talk: Healthy Cities, Healthy Women

Author: Casey Ryan, C’95

Penn Nursing is in the middle of executing their biggest symposium tour, around a topic that Dean Afaf I Meleis, PhD, DrPS(hon), is extremely passionate – urban women’s health. Urban women’s health is the intersection of women’s health, the practice of public health and the related effects of living in an urban environment. While much is known about these topics individually, the junction of these topics needs more inspection.  The Healthy Cities: Healthy Women conference series aims to promote discussions about re-envisioning our communities to make them universally safer, healthier and more livable.

Penn Nursing in Botswana

Since its launch in 2009, Penn Nursing has taken their symposia to Miami (November 20, 2009), New York City, (May 5, 2011) and Los Angeles (November 18, 2012). Starting with a city-centric focus, the events featured local experts like Dr. Divina Grossman, Dean, Florida International University College of Nursing & Health Sciences, in Miami, Nicholas D. Kristof, a two-time Pulitzer Prize columnist for The New York Times in New York and Paula Daniels, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Mayor Villaraigosa in Los Angeles.  Yet their messages were global: discussing what the future of Health Care Reform holds for women, combating a “pervasive human rights violation, the oppression of women and girls in the developing world,” and the shedding light on the world-wide issues of domestic violence, poverty and human trafficking. For a taste of the discussion so far, Penn Nursing has created a Healthy Cities, Healthy Women youtube page.

Honorary Committee Member and Former U.S. Commissioner of the Social Security Administration Dr. Shirley Sears Chater with Dean Meleis and Dean Courtney Lyder of the UCLA School of Nursing

The next stop for Healthy Cities, Healthy Women is London on September 17.  Penn Nursing has partnered with The Lancet and King’s College London to bring this discussion to Europe.  Endorsed by the Mayor of London, Healthy Cities, Healthy Women will spotlight the issues of preventing violence against women, providing increased access to services, improving health through improving the built environment and identifying ways to build and sustain a healthy life cycle within a healthier urban community. The message that “women are the pillars of society, playing important and multiple roles as mothers, leaders, students, decision-makers, scholars, lawmakers, business executives, voters, and workers” will be a critical theme to the day’s discussion, as mentioned in Dean Meleis’ recent blog entry for The Lancet. Registration is open for this incredible event.

Invisible Walls: Women, Violence and Safety Panel featuring Dr. Sommers, Dr. Adey Nyamathi, Ms. Kay Buck, and Dr. Anne Teitelman

On the heels of London, the tour returns to the States in Washington, DC – the center of health policy. Focused on the unique challenges and key roles that women play in maintaining good health practices in an increasingly urban world, Healthy Cities, Healthy Women Washington will provide an opportunity to discuss the need to improve the urban environment to strength the health of women, their families and the communities in which they contribute as well as creating practical solutions to improve health through improving the built environment.  The conference aims to address the impact of cities on the health of women and their families. Registration is open for this event as well.

Nick Kristof sharing heartbreaking and inspiring stories at Healthy Cities: Healthy Women.

The last stop of the symposia tour will be in Philadelphia on May 15, 2014 with Health Cities, Health Women: The Global Future.  The details will be forthcoming; please bookmark and return to Penn Nursing’s Healthy Cities, Healthy Women site for information in the near future.

Please note, all of the photos in this entry are available on Penn Urban Women’s Health Facebook page.

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Filed under Alumni Programming, Alumnni Education, Casey R., Locust Walk Talk, Penn Nursing

September 4, 2013 · 11:14 am

Calling all Artsits, Artisans, and Crafters

Author: Sandra Scutt, W’86

All alumni are invited to participate in the annual Penn Alumni Arts Fair to be held on Saturday, November 9 from 10 AM until 5 PM during Homecoming Weekend.  We welcome any medium–from paintings, to sculpture, to crafts or drawings. Although this is not a juried show, vendors include high-caliber professional artists as well as those whose work is a passionate avocation.

This is the fifth year that Penn is celebrating Homecoming Weekend featuring Arts & Culture.  We would love to have our largest group of artists to date!

Not sure if this fair is a fit for you? View images submitted for previous fairs in 2009   and  2010 and see photos from the 2011 and 2012 Arts Fairs.

Register online today! Tables, linens, and lunch will be provided for participants; the booth fee is $30, and there is no commission taken.

We hope you can join us! Have questions? Contact Sandra at sscutt@upenn.edu or 215.746.3239.

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Filed under Alumni Perspective, Fine Art, Homecoming Weekend featuring arts and culture, Sandra

September 3, 2013 · 11:12 am

West Philly Summer Blooms

Author: Stephanie Yee, C’08

I blogged about spring blooms back in April. Now it’s post-Labor Day, and fall is in the air. Here are some photos I took this summer in West Philly. My commute to and from work always take a little longer because I stop to take photos of the beautiful blooms. How can I resist these beauties?

In full bloom

In full bloom

Roses in June

Roses in June

One of my new favorite flowers

My neighbor’s front yard–so green and gorgeous

Pretty in pink

Pretty in pink

 

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September 2, 2013 · 9:55 am

Three Things I’m Looking Forward to this September…

Author: Molly Rand, GEd’13

 1)      Penn vs. Delaware Volleyball Match

Penn Volleyball hosts Delaware on Tuesday, September 10 at 7pm in the Palestra.

As a former Delaware Volleyball student-athlete and active UDVB alumna, as well as a prior staff member with Penn Athletics and Penn Volleyball Development, I am very excited to see the Red & Blue take on the Blue & Yellow!

Who will I be rooting for? Let’s just say I’ll be wearing Blue. You have to come to the game to see the rest…

For the full 2013 Season Penn Volleyball Schedule, visit here.

Penn volleyball

VS.

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2)      Time to Shine NYC and Boston

On September 17 and September 25, I’ll be traveling to NYC and Boston with several Penn colleagues for the Time to Shine Campaign Celebrations. I’m excited to see President Gutmann’s presentation on the Making History Campaign and mingle with many of the wonderful alumni in the region! Don’t forget to visit the Time to Shine website for more information and to register for the event in your local city!

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3)      Regional Clubs Team Retreat

On Thursday, September 19, we will be having our first Regional Clubs Team retreat. I’m looking forward to hearing from our featured guest speaker about strategic planning, leadership development, and ways to enhance engagement of alumni volunteers – I’m also excited about the free breakfast and lunch!

Interested in learning more about the Regional Clubs team? Check out our staff page here.

staff retreat (2)

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August 30, 2013 · 12:48 am

Penn Cares with the Penn Club of Northern California

By Betty Huang, ENG’12, GEN’12, and Jenny Zhan, C’10, W’10

On Saturday, June 15th, we held our inaugural Penn Club of Northern California community service event with eight Penn alumni at the San Francisco Food Bank warehouse in the Potrero Hill neighborhood. The San Francisco Food Bank delivers 100,000 meals worth of food every day to senior and families in need, and relies on volunteers year-round to help package and distribute the resources. Our Penn Cares volunteers spent three hours that Saturday afternoon manning the apple juice table – that is, we were responsible for filling each food donation box with two bottles of apple juice. Packed additionally with cereal, canned fruit, and other pantry staples, these boxes would go out to the 11,000 low-income seniors in San Francisco, where approximately one in four seniors live at the risk of hunger.

NorCal Penn Cares 1

We were blown away by the efficiency of the Food Bank staff in directing all the volunteers, for many of whom this was a first-time experience at the warehouse. We all gathered around an assembly line in an orderly fashion, and worked at such a rapid pace that we had to constantly switch positions because our arms would get sore (lifting bottles of apple juices was quite a workout)! Nevertheless, everybody had a great time, and our three-hour shift passed by quickly as we all chatted away while multi-tasking on the packaging. Volunteers like us work in shifts to provide the Food Bank with the equivalent manpower of 70 full-time workers – this in turn allows the Food Bank to save on salaries and turn 96% of all donations directly to their programs. At the end of our shift, we were asked to guess how many food boxes we had packaged – we were all astonished to hear that together with the other volunteers, we had packed exactly 1,377 boxes in three hours, helping 1,377 seniors for one entire month – It was such an instant gratification knowing that each box we packed would go to one senior and alleviate some of his or her food security-related stress for the next month!

NorCal Penn Cares 2

If you live in the San Francisco area, we encourage you to join the Penn Club of Northern California, and sign up for their free email newsletter to be notified of other Penn Cares events. www.ncpennclub.com

NorCal Penn Cares 3

NorCal Penn Cares 4

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August 29, 2013 · 2:44 pm

Nine Tips for New Students: Making the Most of Your Penn and Philly Experience

Author: Gabriela Coya, C’14

A week ago, I uttered the words “I’m a senior” for the first time and freaked out.

I don’t think I ever felt uncomfortable mentioning my sophomore or junior status, but something about saying the word “senior” felt overwhelming. The real world is officially looming in the background and I’m not sure what I’m going to do once I leave this place I’ve come to call home.

I can’t believe my time at Penn is almost up, but this campus has so much to offer, and before I graduate, I want to be sure I share a few pieces of advice I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way).

1. Explore the campus. There are so many hidden nooks and crannies in this place that it’s easy to limit your knowledge of campus to your dining halls, dorm, and classroom building. But explore! Places like the newly remodeled sixth floor of Van Pelt are gorgeous, and the Penn Museum has awesome exhibits and events for just about anyone; you don’t have to be an anthropology major to enjoy what they offer.

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2. If you live in a college house, attend the house-wide events. I’ve lived on campus the last three years and would only sporadically go to a college house event until last year. I really regret this, as they’re often free and always turn out to be fun. While living in Rodin College House last year, I  had the opportunity to go to New York City for dinner and a show, venture into Old City, and even learn how to cook authentic Chinese food. Attending house events is also a great way to meet the people you live with.

3. Get tickets for the performing arts shows. Despite being best known for its academics, Penn has a vibrant performing arts community — you might be surprised to find out how many talented people are among us. During your four years at Penn, you must go to at least one Mask & Wig show at their clubhouse in Center City, and during the school year, make sure you check out productions of famous plays and Broadway shows (last year, they put on Legally Blonde and Next to Normal and both shows were amazing!). And best of all, you don’t have to pay Broadway prices.

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4. Read the DP (Daily Pennsylvanian) and Under the Button. Both formats offer great ways to find out what’s happening on campus and in Philadelphia, so make sure you pick up your copy from one of the friendly people handing them out all over campus or go online between classes.

5. Take part in restaurant week. Between September 15-20 and 22-27, some of the top restaurants in Philly are offering three-course lunches at $20 and dinners at $35. It’s a great chance to appreciate all the great food Philly has to offer without having to pay the normal much higher price tag.

6. Give back and do community service. Look into possibly joining Community School Student Partnerships (CSSP), Big Brothers Big Sisters, or even a community service frat like Alpha Phi Omega (APO). I was a “Big Sister” to a young girl at a school a few blocks away, and it was so nice to be able to meet people outside of the “Penn Bubble” and make a difference.

7. Join a club to enjoy yourself and meet great people, not just to put something on your resume. It’s great if you find something that’s both entertaining and resume-worthy, but don’t fret if you want to sing in an a cappella group and are not sure how that fits into your pre-med plans. I assure you that by the time you graduate, you will have more than enough things to put on your resume.

8. Get Venmo. It’s a phone app that makes splitting the bill at dinnertime or sharing costs for furniture with your roommate so much easier.

9. And lastly, have fun. Take school seriously, of course, but take the opportunity to meet as many people as possible. You are surrounded by such bright and wonderful people – professors and peers included – so try to learn as much from them, whether it be in office hours or during late 2 a.m. conversations.

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Filed under Gabriela C., Student Perspective