There are few things I like about winter. Cold weather and icy roads? No, thank you. Penn Men’s Basketball? YES, PLEASE! The team brought home a win from the season opener at UMBC, and they almost beat Temple in overtime in the home opener. Boy, that game was exciting! The team looked great, and the crowd welcomed the two new scoreboards in the Palestra. Before the Temple game began, Tony Kornheiser, P’08, appeared on the new big screen to make a few announcements. Yes, Tony Kornheiser. The same Tony Kornheiser who has a Quaker bobblehead behind him on his ESPN set. Kornheiser’s son played Men’s Golf at Penn. Hence, the Quaker bobblehead.
Tony Kornheiser, P’08
I was so excited to see Kornheiser on the big screen supporting Penn basketball, and I assumed the same video message would be played before each game. Now fast forward to the home game against Robert Morris. Before the game began, Maury Povich, C’62, appeared on the big screen wearing a red Penn t-shirt and holding a basketball. MAURY! I love that guy! I briefly sat next to him at a Penn Men’s basketball game in 2009, and now he’s back to cheer on the Quakers from the big screen.
Maury Povich, C’62
Earlier this year, Maury donated $1 million to the Kelly Writers House to establish the Povich Fund for Journalism Programs, and now he is at the Palestra showing his support for Penn Athletics. I love seeing alumni give back to the Penn community! I can’t wait to see who makes an appearance on the big screen tonight at the Penn vs. Wagner game. Hope to see you there at 7 PM! GO QUAKERS!
Homecoming this year was amazing. The fall weekend was glorious with its bright light blue sky slightly dusted with clouds and the crispy cool air keeping any rain at bay. The combination of great weather and engaging programming drew record numbers of alumni back home to Penn. There is my list highlighting some of the incredible events from this past weekend.
10. Pre-Game Coming Home Tribute: From Penn to Princeton — A Dedication to Lenape Land.
Penn and Princeton reside on Lenape soil and to pay tribute to their ancestors, the Association of Native Alumni and Natives at Penn came together for a touching ceremony honoring their land home. The attendees found it poignant that this observance was held on the newest use of Lenape land, Penn Park.
9. 77th Annual Alumni Award of Merit Gala
The event to kick-off the Homecoming Weekend festivities, the Gala is the formal hallmark event of Homecoming. President Amy Gutmann and Board of Trustees Chair, David Cohen, L’81, paid tribute to the following outstanding alumni, classes and club in a black and white game-themed party that accentuated the many years of love and appreciate that these alumni have for Penn.
Edward Anderson, C’65, M’69;
Susanna Lachs, CW’74, ASC’76;
Mae Agnes Pasquariello, CW’53, GRD’85;
Roy Vagelos, C’50; and
Paul Williams, W’67
Calvin Chen, C’97, W’97, Young Alumni Award of Merit
Catherine “Kaki” Marshall, CW’45, Creative Spirit Award
Class of 1986, Alumni Class Award of Merit
Class Award of Merit; Class of 2006, David N. Tyre Class Communications Award
PennClub of LA, Alumni Club Award of Merit.
Festive decor at the Gala.
8. Alumnus Stefan Fatsis, C’85, Celebrates the Creative Powers of Scrabble.
As Words with Friends takes over everyone smart phones, it’s refreshing to take a moment and recall the tiled game that started our love affair with making words. Fatsis and follow alumni enjoyed a lively special discussion in celebration of the tenth anniversary release of his bestselling book, Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players.
7. Alumni Bacchanal/Platt Fifth Anniversary Party
Those in the performing arts at Penn recall the annual Bacchanal, the end of the year costume party, fondly. Capturing those memories, the Platt Student Performing Arts House invited alumni back to revel in the boisterous Alumni Bacchanal to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Performing Arts’ newest home on campus.
Platt House 5 Years at the Alumni Bacchanal
6. Free-at-Noon Concert featuring Frank Turner
WXPN’s weekly “Free-at-Noon” concert at World Cafe Live featured Frank Turner. Turner is an English folk/punk singer-songwriter from Meonstoke, Winchester and formally the lead vocalist of post-hardcore band Million Dead. His musical style seems to be counter to his upbringing – educated on a scholarship at Eton College and studied alongside Prince William. Yet, his current directions are now acoustic-based which have critics calling his work “a fearless venture for an artist with something interesting to say.”
For the “Free-at-Noon” concert in its entirety, visit NPR: here.
5. Feature Film Screening: Thunder Soul Presented by the Penn Alumni Film Festival
The pinnacle of Penn’s newest Homecoming tradition, the Penn Alumni Film Festival, this feature film did not disappoint. Jamie Foxx’s rousing documentary tells the story of Conrad O. Johnson, a music teacher at a predominantly black high school in Houston. Johnson replaced the mundane standards that students of the Kashmere Stage Band were learning to play with contemporary funk, jazz, and original compositions. He not only got their attention and their active participation in class, he changed their lives forever.
A darkened auditorium watching Thunder Soul
4. Old Guard Brunch
This is the perennial favorite event for those in Alumni Relations and alumni alike. Our distinguished alumni who have passed their 50th reunion are invited to this buffet brunch. Our staff is enchanted by the stories of the Woodland Avenue Trolley, Althea Kratz Hottel, the Mungermen, and Rowbottoms, told so vividly by our alumni that they could have happened yesterday. Fellow alumni are always excited to see and catch up with old friends as welling as making a new one along the way. The gathering always ends with festive singing and cheering before folks head over to the game.
Our revered alumni enjoying each other’s company
3. QuakerFest
The weather couldn’t have been better on this perfect fall day. Music filled College Green and tents for food and tables for groups to meet up dotted Blanche Levy Park. Partnered with the Penn Alumni Arts Fair, QuakerFest was the place to be to tailgate before kickoff. In time for the game, the Quaker mascot joined the crowd to lead alumni and friends to Franklin Field!
College Green full of Penn Pride
2. Taste of Penn: A Global Celebration
Taste of Penn is the flagship festival of the Penn Alumni Diversity Alliance. This year’s party was a tour de force celebrating Penn’s cultural diversity – accentuating its global scope. Complete with a globe centerpiece with all roads leading to Philadelphia, alumni and friends danced to hip-hop, rock, reggae, salsa, and pop as well as enjoying the flavors from these rich cultural identities in savory entrees and refreshing cocktails.
Peruvian courtship dance by Cynthia Paniagua, who the subject of “Soy Andina,” directed by Mitch Teplitsky, W'80, and featured in this Homecoming’s Penn Alumni Film Festival
1. Penn Football: Homecoming Game vs. Princeton
We have a saying in Alumni Relations, “Homecoming isn’t just about the game, but it IS about the game.” This is always the biggest draw for the weekend. Alumni and friends travel from New York, Washington, Boston, and beyond to be back in Franklin Field and cheer on our football team. The Quakers Homecoming victory over the Tigers continues to give Pennsylvania the chance of being Ivy Champs this year. It was a thrilling match up, but thankfully, a definitive win, which fueled our hope for another Ivy Title.
Below, you can view for yourself the post game press conference given by head coach Al Bagnoli, wideout Ryan Calvert, C’12, and linebacker Erik Rask, W’12, held to celebrate the Quaker’s fifth straight win over Princeton.
Thanks to everyone who returned and we hope to see you back on campus for Alumni Weekend 2012, May 11-14!
Today, I got an email from the Philadelphia Orchestra (nerd alert – I’m on their mailing list!) advertising a visiting orchestra coming to town and the fact that they’d be playing an all-Beethoven program, including my two favorite symphonies – Eroica and the 5th. I had a major, all-out nerd attack. In the span of two minutes, I called my husband, made sure that he was on board with the ticket purchase, ordered us two seats (after memorizing the seating layout in the Kimmel Center, including doing some Google image searches, to make sure the seats were acceptable), and exuberantly ran into another employee’s office telling her about my AMAZING purchase. Let’s just say that her reaction did not come close to matching my level of enthusiasm. I’m a classical music nut and I’m proud of it! I owe almost all of this love to the University of Pennsylvania’ s Department of Music.
As a freshman at Penn, I signed up for a first year seminar called “History of the Symphony.” I was intrigued by the title and thought it might be a good chance to learn something new. I sang in select choirs all through high school and was in the shows, plus I enjoyed musical things like Broadway. My dad is a classical music fan, and I’d always have to listen to classical music in his car when he’d drive me places. He give me the choice of riding with no music and actually…gasp…talking, or listening to classical music and, to me, the choice was clear. I’d pretend to hate it, but deep down, I thought it was beautiful. I liked how listening to classical music stirred my imagination, painted a mood for me, and let me be peaceful and reflective. I didn’t get to take any classes about classical music in high school, so when I got to Penn, it made sense to me to learn more about it. I loved my symphony class and before I graduated I took two more music classes, including a music history course and a course entirely on Beethoven.
I’ve talked in this blog before about how Penn is very pre-professional and how I was constantly worried that I didn’t know what I was going to do for the rest of my life. That’s true – except for the time I spent in music class. In music class, my fears about what would happen to me, my worries that what I was learning wasn’t applicable to the real world at all, faded away. I would watch my professor map out a symphony, feeling like I was learning a secret, beautiful code. I learned what motivated Beethoven to write such deeply meaningful pieces. I spent hours in the music library, learning how to identify parts of the symphony like the introduction, recapitulation, bridge and coda. Soon, I was mapping symphonies on my own. By the end of my classes, I could hear a few seconds of any Beethoven symphony, at any point, and correctly name it. It was amazing. I didn’t care how or when I used this knowledge, but for one of the only times in my life I was learning for the joy of learning. And I was happy.
I didn’t become a music major or even a minor. I never worked for a symphony or played for one. But what I gained from my three music classes was so valuable. I gained a love and knowledge of a true art form, which I will carry with me throughout my entire life. I learned the power of music to inspire true creativity and emotion. In learning this, I really think I became a better, more well-rounded person. When it comes down to it, I think that’s what a good college education should be about.
In July, Penn Alumni Travel is once again offering Coastal Life Along the Adriatic Sea, a cruise along the beautiful Dalmatian Coast. Beginning in Venice, the trip makes stops in Sibenik, Split, Hvar, Korcula, Pula, Rovinj, and Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor Montenegro; and Boznia-Herzegovina. The featured guest speaker on the trip is Gen. Wesley Clark, (ret), NATO Supreme Allie Commander Europe, who led military operations during the Kosovo War.
The Dalmatian Coast is a beautiful coastline – with limestone buildings, palm tree-lined streets, and glistening blue water of the Adriatic.
Here are some photos from my trip there in 2008. This series is from Dubrovnik.
This photo was taken in Hvar, Croatia.
And finally, Korcula.
You too can experience and wonder for yourself next July.
For all my love of Penn places, I had never been to the Morris Arboretum. You might say that is because it is not on campus. Or the fact that it is on the edge of Philadelphia city limits. Either way – living with a car in the city for the last few years and even in the Northwest section of the city – I had no excuse.
I waited until a beautiful fall weekend (it feels like I might have caught the last fall weekend before the snow). Every day, I kept an eye on the trees in my neighborhood in anticipation of my excursion.
After arriving on the grounds (and finding out that I got in for free with a Penn Alumni card) I drove up the winding road to the parking lot. Already, the scenery was beautiful.
First, we checked out the visitors center and picked up the map to discover just how expansive the place was. Immediately I wanted to check out the exhibit, Out on a Limb, that I had read about in The Gazette (read the article here). This exhibit gave a truly unqiue perspective and both children and adults had a chance to be up in the trees. While I am not always one for heights, the very secure exhibit gave such a unique vantage point over the park. From there, I knew we had a lot to explore.
The place was expansive and had a multitude of gardens. I enjoyed the rose garden and a groundhog sighting. You know you live in the city when you get excited to see groundhogs!
My favorite spot was the Pennock Flower Walk—a beautiful flower garden set behind gates that was originally part of the entry way to the Morris mansion. The brightly colored flowers and the walkway made the garden a little oasis in the midst of a very large park.
I highly recommend this Penn treasure and only wish I had discovered it earlier. I’ll be returning for the Holiday Garden Railway.
I had the opportunity to host an Alumni Relations gathering in Boston this October featuring Eric J. Furda, Dean of Admissions. In conjunction with the Admissions Office’s “Introduction to Penn” program the night prior, Alumni Relations partnered with the dean for a general reception. Our event was open to all alumni in the Boston area and we were thrilled by the great response.
The Pru Building as seen from Back Bay
In my last Top Penn List post, I alluded to going into more detail about this great evening in Boston. Our room in the Marriott was set up in Penn navy to contract the reds in the carpet. With a few simple touches, the reception was the subtly Penn themed-background for the evening.
Excited alumni started showing up 15 minutes early and were enthusiastic to engage in conversation with older friends and new acquaintances. I was delighted to feel the enthusiasm of our Boston alumni and I was happy that two of my colleagues, Cat from Admissions and Brett from Wharton, were present to mingle and join in the exchange.
Event Set Up
As soon as the Dean showed up, he entered the lively conversations, learning what was of interest to our alumni that evening. I followed him into the room where he was greeted by groups of alumni huddled around in chat. Energy in the room of the great, engaging discussions that folks were having was so impressive.
Almost apologetically, Eric asked for everyone’s attention to give an update on the Admissions process as well as the state of the student body. The rapt crowd appreciated the insider’s view of life at Penn and eagerly awaited the right time to ask their questions. Folks were inquisitive and ask direct questions. The Dean answered the queries with aplomb and encouraged the interaction. The allotted time for remarks was doubled and almost tripled as alumni wanted to know more.
The energy of the room
After Eric spoke, I was able to slip into the event. I had the rare opportunity to be an alumnus at an event that I just happened to be running. In working behind the scene, I don’t get to experience the impact of these events. However I was able to find two classmates: Clé, a fellow reunion volunteer, and Ari, one of my Class’s Vice Presidents. We had a wonderful time catching up.
Both we’re candid about the event. They told me how impressed they were at the Dean’s message and earnest his work is. Also, they were very interested in staying updated on the Dean’s mission. I was encouraged that they will be at later events. It was great to see them and we made plans for one of the next times I’m up in Boston.
The Dean chatting with alumni
I know why our alumni events are so important – to inform us about Penn, to provide access to our thought leaders and to reconnect with our Penn friends. Now, I have a greater appreciation for our work since having the quick occasion to see an event like this from the alumni side and enjoying its great energy.
It’s that marvelous season again… Flu season! Ryan Leonard, C’10, and Mel Kearney, RN (an ER nurse at HUP) devised a fun way to encourage people to get their flu shots. This video features the amazing acting ability of HUP staff, accompanied by the melodious voices of PennYO, a student a cappella group. Who knew public health education could be so kooky?
Did you know that the Du Bois College House has undergone an amazing renovation? It’s been a little while now, but some people still haven’t seen the changes to the residence where I stayed overnight when I first visited Penn, where I rehearsed with The Inspiration, where I watched The Cosby Show and A Different World on Thursdays (Cosby Night!), and where I stayed up all night playing spades. I was a “lifer” in this House (4 years!), and proudly served on the House Council. After countless programs, discussions, and celebrations, there is just no way to separate my experience at Penn from this more-than-a-dorm which offered academic and social resources in-house, and served as the model for the University’s entire College House system.
Du Bois College House was founded in 1972 for students interested in African-American scholarship and culture. What’s not in the official description is how the House has served as a home away from home for generations of students since then. With residential programs like Consciousness in Black Film and Theatre and Politics & Cultural Pluralism/American Indian Cultures, and a Du Bois Fit program to encourage healthy living, the House has more to offer to students today than ever before.
Let’s take a little stroll through the House in its newly renovated state, shall we? Special thanks to Ms. Trish for showing me around and letting me take these pictures.
At the entrance with Du Bois College House Dean Ms. Patricia Williams, aka “Ms. Trish.” She oversaw the entire renovation project.
Check out these beautiful new windows in the Multi-Purpose Room! Amazing the difference more natural light can make.
These student lounges are now on every floor. With these, plus the library, plus Seminar Rooms A & B, plus the computer lab, there is no shortage of space to work on that group project or get all that homework done.
These signs are over the trashcans. Penn is doing an impressive job with going “green,” and Du Bois is no exception.
Can you believe this? Gameroom. This is what the basement looks like now. Well, one side of the basement…
…the other side looks like this! And this isn’t including the weight room and cardio facilities down there now. I tell ya, back in my day, the basement was scary, and we didn’t have air conditioning in our rooms! These kids don’t know how good they have it! (waving cane)
Check out more photos of the renovated Du Bois College House on the official page. Enjoy, and try not to lament that all this happened after we graduated.
The Penn community has something to be excited about this October. A great piece of our University’s history and culture is turning 20! WXPN’s flagship program the World Cafe with David Dye is celebrating two decades programming all month long. I think all Penn students, faculty, staff and alumni will be surprised to know just how special this program truly is to our community.
The World Cafe has brought something really special to our campus. We house public radio’s leading popular music program. That’s pretty awesome considering that the program first aired out of WXPN’s original location which was a converted row home on 39th and Spruce and was distributed to only five radio stations throughout the country. Today, the program is produced in XPN’s beautiful facility at 30th and Walnut Streets and is nationally syndicated to more than 230 radio stations.
The show has been responsible for bringing so many musical legends to our neck of the woods. Elvis Costello paid a visit to our old station and had to borrow a keyboard from the guys across the street at Pi Lam fraternity. David Dye has interviewed legends like Herbie Hancock, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Steve Miller, Tim Robbins, (Penn alum) John Legend, Dave Matthews, Willie Nelson, and Michael Stipe all right on our campus! Now how many Universities can say that!?
We’ve also had many major artists visit the XPN studios for a World Cafe session at the start of their careers. Some of our first timers include Sheryl Crow, Ray LaMontagne, Feist and Adele. Thanks to the World Cafe, the Penn community has some great bragging rights and can say that we heard them first. To check out some more of our first timers, you can visit our 20th anniversary webpage.
WXPN and the World Cafe have served as great learning experiences for many Penn students through their internship program. I started working at XPN as an intern and a few of my colleagues are also Penn grads who started as interns, including our World Cafe line producer Beth Warshaw-Duncan. It’s been an exciting journey working on the World Cafe and I encourage Penn students to continue getting involved with our internship program- if you are interested you can find more info on the internship program here.
Now for the fun stuff… We’re having a month-long party over at XPN and we want you to celebrate the milestone with us!
You can tune into our show Monday through Friday from 2-4 PM to hear some fascinating programming that features the best interviews and artists that have appeared on the show. You can also visit our home on the NPR Music site to check out these themed programs that we have been broadcasting throughout October or to hear a mix of songs recorded for the World Cafe over the last twenty years. If you love these one-of-a-kind performances, we have created a 20 song sampler for the taking here.
WXPN's Host, David Dye
As much as we are looking back, we are also looking forward. We would love to share another sampler with you- 20 bands we have chosen as up-and-coming talent as a part of our daily World Cafe: Next feature. You can grab that music here.
We’re going to culminate our month-long celebration during the World Cafe Weekend Celebration from Friday, October 28 through Sunday, October 30 at World Cafe Live. We have some amazing artists coming to visit and pay tribute to the show and David. Throughout the weekend, you can catch performances by the Indigo Girls, John Hiatt, The Little Willies, Feist, Dawes, Amos Lee, Rhett Miller and Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks. It’s going to be a blast and we hope you that you can join us. Click here to learn more about the event and buy tickets!
We hope to keep the World Cafe going for another 20 years! We thank all of our fans and the Penn community for supporting us and helping us grow. As a listener supported station, we literally couldn’t have done it without you.
For more information on what’s happening during the anniversary month, click here. We sincerely hope that you’ll be able to join us as we celebrate this milestone and thank you for your continued support!
Join us in Los Angeles for awesome Penn Club events. Our Quaker spirit needs you!! There are over 9,000 Penn alumni in our vast city alone and we’re looking for you go join us.
President Melissa Wu, pictured here at our annual summer dinner on the beach at the Jonathan Club with TJ, Kevin, Lisa, George and Kiera.
The club is run by President Melissa Wu and a group of alumni leaders who are active, engaged, and fiercely loyal to Penn. Together, we support Penn’s interests and goals, acting as the primary alumni connection with the University, and engaging as many alumni as possible through social, networking, and educational activities.
You don’t even have to take my word for it. Recently, the club learned that it would receive the prestigious Alumni Award of Merit for its outstanding merits. To quote from the citation: “For creative events, unstoppable energy, uncorked enthusiasm for all things Penn and, most of all, for not letting a 2,400-mile distance diminish its passion for the University, Penn Alumni is proud to present PennClubLA with the Alumni Club Award of Merit for 2011.”
In addition, the club regularly hosts fun and thought-provoking events for our members. Recently, our club was part of the National Event, Meet Plan Go! to inspire career break travel. A sell-out crowd of over 100 participants gathered at India’s Oven to hear from a panel including Richard Bangs (PBS Adventure with a Purpose), Jennifer Leo (LA Times), and Lisa Napoli (KCRW).
Standing Room Only
Local leaders have noticed our efforts. I am proud to say that City Council member, Bill Rosendahl, recently honored me and my partner, George Rajna, along with our group, We Said Go Travel, for our leadership and community building with group and events alongside the Penn Club of LA.
The Certificate
Participating in Meet Plan Go for the first year, the Los Angeles meet-up was one of the biggest events of all seventeen cities. The October 18 event was the fourth event planned by my husband and me this year. I hope you will join us for our next club-affiliated event on November 29 at Century City’s X-Bar with the theme: Travel With Technology: “My Favorite Travel App.” App designers from Ship Mate and Studio Mini will be in attendance. For more information on all our events, visit www.wesaidgotravel.com or contact me directly.
You can also see what’s happening at the Penn Club of LA by going to www.pennclubla.com.
Frankly Penn 