June 20, 2012 · 1:00 pm

Creating Canopy

Author: Kelly P. O’Connor

If you didn’t get a chance register for a tree this spring, make sure you do next year!

Penn’s Green Campus Partnership program is in its second year of a Creating Canopy, a tree giveaway for Penn faculty and staff.

The University partnered with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation on the free tree giveaway. They provide you with everything you need to know to plant and take care of your tree.

I chose an Eastern Redbud which can grow up to 30 feet high. I loaded the tree in my car and brought it to its new home in Delco.

And here it is, all safely planted in my yard and growing taller every day.

To learn more, visit the Green Campus Partnership website or go directly to the tree giveaway.

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Kelly P., Sustainability at Penn

June 19, 2012 · 12:37 pm

Intentional Communities

Author: Lisa Marie Patzer


The difference between an intentional and non-intentional community has been on my mind a lot recently.  This is because I am directing and producing a short film, called a.k.a. Profile Glitch, about three women who meet at an intentional community.

Even though Marty, Maeve, and Johanna are from completely different backgrounds with wildly different personalities, they become good friends because of the unique social environment at the intentional community.

The characters eventually leave the commune and reconnect online.  Their friendships are pulled into question by the different dynamics the online environment creates.

At Penn, there are many strong intentional communities.  Which ones do you intentionally partake in?

Leave a comment

Filed under Lisa Marie Patzer

Tagged as

June 18, 2012 · 4:02 pm

Artistic Monday

Author: Aimee LaBrie

It’s Monday. That means that we may all need a nudge of inspiration and serenity in our lives as we face the work week. I found mine by looking at some images available via the Penn Digital Archives on the Penn Libraries website. Here are my random  top 5  choices for today:

1. Mary Binner Wheeler Image Collection (from website): “The Mary Binney Wheeler collection of photographic slides is one of the largest individual collections of its kind in the United States. Amassed over the course of fourteen trips to India and Sri Lanka, the collection provides us with over 9,000 images of an astounding diversity of people, places, and events from nearly every corner of the Indian Subcontinent.”

Gal Vihara, 12th century A.D., Monumental recumbent Buddha achieving parinirvāna, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.

2. Fine Arts Library Image Collection:(from website): “The Fine Arts Library Image Collection, available to all Penn students, faculty and staff, offers an expanding database of over 180,000 digital images as well as records documenting 271,000 of the 500,000 slides housed in the Fisher Fine Arts Library.”

Photo of artist, Georgia O’Keefe by Halsman, Philippe 1906-1979 (American)

3. Furness Theatrical Image Collection (from website): “The Furness Image Collection comprises more than 2,000 prints and photographs. The majority date from the nineteenth century, but the Collection also holds earlier and later images. These images illustrate and interpret Shakespeare’s plays and also document theatrical performers and performances of works by Shakespeare and other dramatists.”

Westminster Kennel Club’s Seventeenth Annual Dog Show,
Publisher: Courier Lith. Co.

4. University Archives Digital Image Collection (from website): “The University Archives Digital Image Collection offers an expanding database of over 5,700 digital images of items found in the collections of the University Archives and Records Center.

Skimmer Program, Color Illustration
Year: 1955 April 23

5. Also from the Furness Theatrical Image Collection

Theatrical Poster, She Couldn’t Marry Three
Publisher: Siebert and Bro. Co.

Leave a comment

Filed under Aimee L., Library, The Arts, The Arts at Penn

June 15, 2012 · 6:03 pm

Winning Photo

Author: Liz Pinnie

ImageA couple of weeks ago, the entire DAR staff met for a retreat featuring several options for classes as well as an Engaging Minds type forum with guest speakers and Penn Integrates Knowledge Professors, Jonathan D. Moreno and Ezekiel Emanuel.  We also heard a very moving speech by Dean Richardson of the Penn Vet School who spoke about treating the famous race horse, Barbaro. The presentations were awesome, the food was delish, and the icing on the cake was that Alumni Relations won the photo contest. Just so you’ll understand what we did, the name of this year’s conference was The Kentucky DAR-by (n part because the Kentucky Derby was happening right around that time). So, a few members of our staff got together and brainstormed how we could do a photo around this theme. Below are the results Thanks to everyone on the DAR Planning Committee–we all had a great time, got to connect with one another and to meet new people, and  I think all felt even more Penn pride by the end of the day.

Image

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , ,

June 14, 2012 · 9:15 am

Penn Alumni Travel: Dispatches from Abroad

Author: Emilie Kretschmar on behalf of Art Caplan, Emmanuel and Robert Hart Director of the Center for Bioethics

This is a busy month for Penn Alumni Travel. We have Penn alumni and friends traveling to the National Parks, the Italian Lake District, the Baltic Sea countries, the British Isles, and the Adriatic coast. June is certainly a popular time to travel! Director of the Center for Bioethics Art Caplan is traveling as our faculty host on our alumni trip to the Baltic Sea and, thanks to WiFi on today’s cruising ships, is sending us reports from sea. Here is his latest dispatch to our office:

Having a great time. Sixteen alums and spouses on the trip through the Baltics. Heard a very insightful talk by [Mikhail] Gorbachev to lead off the cruise. He counseled patience in dealing with Putin, crony capitalism and corruption issues in Russia today. St. Petersburg is the most beautiful of the Russian cities. The buildings of Peter the Great and his Tsarist successors are stunning. We needed more time at the Hermitage. The Bolsheviks hated this example of exploitation of the serfs and the poor but now, open to the public, they seem more gifts than places that would trigger revolution. On we have gone to Helsinki, Talinn, and the quiet surprise of the trip so far–Riga, Latvia. The Penn contingent agreed to a person that this city is amazing in terms of parks, architecture, and churches. Much of the city escaped destruction in WWII and the Soviets did not succeed in ruining its appearance either.

St. Petersburg

Riga, Latvia

We have had marvelous weather. Calm seas. Had a Penn dinner last night that went into the wee hours. Things may take a turn for the worse tomorrow–I speak to those on the cruise before we see Gdansk, Poland!

I think I can confidently say that Professor Caplan will only enhance the experience with his lecture before Gdansk, Poland. Traveling with your fellow Penn alumni and a Penn faculty host is one of the most rewarding ways to experience the world. If this dispatch has sparked your interest in Penn Alumni Travel, visit us on our website and check out the schedule for what remains of 2012 as well as the newly released trips for 2013. We hope to see you on a future Penn Alumni Travel trip!

1 Comment

Filed under Alumni Programming, Emilie, Travel

Tagged as

June 13, 2012 · 1:52 pm

Tweetin’ Sweeten

Author: Liz Pinnie

Many of us spend our days sitting at a desk in front of the computer.  If you’re like me, every once in a while, you need to re-charge your batteries.  To do this, I often look on the Internet to get re-inspired; if you do the same, you know that there is no shortage of inspiration on the web!

One of my favorite things to do is check out the people I follow on Twitter.  There is nothing like 140 characters worth of silly/helpful/interesting to get me revved up and ready to put my nose to the grindstone.  Because of this interest, I recently started tweeting for our Alumni Twitter handle, which has been a fun challenge.  Because I have a weird love for categories, we decided that my Tweets should follow a set of hashtags for the week.

They are as follows:

#MuseumMondays          Highlights of the many fantastic exhibits happening at the museums around Penn’s campus.

#TriviaTuesday                Tidbits of trivia about both Penn and the Alumni office.

#WestPhillyWednesday  News about what’s going on in our amazing and vibrant neighborhood.

#ThrowbackThursday       Archived photos from vintage Penn- there are some awesome shots!

#WeekendRoundup           Our favorites for what’s happening both at Penn and in Philly for the weekend.

So, if you find yourself needing to press the refresh button at work, or are just looking for some interesting information about Penn or Philly, check us out on Twitter @Pennalumni or @yPennalumni!

Leave a comment

Filed under Liz P., Social Networking

June 12, 2012 · 9:01 am

Minneapolis Half Marathon

Author: Stephanie Yee, C’08

I was in Minneapolis last weekend to attend my Penn classmate’s wedding. The morning of the wedding, I ran the Minneapolis half marathon. Perhaps waking up early to run a race before an evening of celebration and dancing was not the best idea, but it was fun! It was my first time in Minneapolis, and running a long race through the city was a fun way to see the sights of a new city. The majority of the half marathon course was along the Mississippi River, which was beautiful! At the end of the race, there were state flags lined up along the finish area. How welcoming! Here I am post-race with the Pennsylvania flag. Hurrah, hurrah Pennsylvania! All in all, I ran a great race, saw a new city, and best of all, got to spend time with fellow Penn alumni to celebrate the marriage of a fellow Quaker.

1 Comment

Filed under Alumni Perspective, Stephanie Y.

June 11, 2012 · 10:00 am

In the year 2040…

Author: Jason Strohl

While looking through old yearbooks for pictures to accompany Sweeten’s holiday card this past winter, I came across the photo above in the yearbook for the Class of 1939, presumably captured during that year’s Alumni Day. While there is no holiday theme and the picture was unsuitable for our card, I scanned it anyway because it fascinated me. Even now, in 2012, 2040 seems far away and futuristic; the stuff of robotic butlers and flying cars and meals served in pill form. In 1939 or 1938, whenever this photo was taken, 2040 must have seemed even farther away. Sadly, the photo was uncaptioned, so we will never know who this little boy was, who he became, and the things he accomplished. However, I would like to think that in 2010 he attended his 50th Penn reunion, and in 30 years  he will return for his 80th reunion. I would also like to believe that  I will be here to greet him, myself an old man at that point. So, my friend, I ask you, in 2040 I will be back…will you?

1 Comment

Filed under Alumni Weekend, Jason S., Yearbook Fun

June 8, 2012 · 7:58 pm

The Year Isn’t Over Yet…

Author: Kelly Graf

This is what I, and many of my annual fund colleagues, can be heard saying throughout the month of June. With the excitement of Alumni Weekend and Commencement a month behind us, many believe the “year” is done and we are now just waiting for another reunion cycle and another freshman class to start things up again.

Alas, the fiscal year goes straight through to June 30. For Penn Funders like myself, this means we still have 22 days to reach our donor and dollar goals! These goals are not just arbitrary numbers we strive to reach but rather milestones that make a difference for students and alumni. The dollars directly support our undergraduate students – their financial aid, residences, campus, and classrooms. The donors represent the strength of our alumni support and are used to help determine rankings in national publications.

This year, our goal is 27,000 donors to The Penn Fund. Join us today and help us to reach this impressive goal! Your gift before June 30 will help to demonstrate the power of Proud Penn Alumni.

The year isn’t over yet – commemorate your time at Penn today!

1 Comment

Filed under Kelly G., The Penn Fund

June 7, 2012 · 1:37 pm

Penn’s Senior Auditing Program

Author: Kristina Clark

Penn’s Senior Auditing Program started in the 1970’s as a noncredit offering open only to retired Philadelphia schoolteachers.

One of Penn’s most devoted alumna and life-long learners, Mae Pasquariello, CW’53, GRD’85

The program soon expanded to include anyone older than 65.  Classes currently cost $500 a course – all of which goes toward funding scholarships for undergraduates in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies – and over 160 seniors are currently enrolled.

The program invites life-long learners aged 65 and older to audit undergraduate lecture classes in Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences at a reduced tuition rate. Senior auditors may enroll in a maximum of two classes per semester.

Enrich your life.  Learn new skills. Be engaged, energized and intellectually stimulated. Make new friends. Attend classes with brilliant young minds. Have fun. These are a few reasons that we’ve heard as to why the Senior Auditing Program is so worthwhile.

One of Alumni Relations’ most devoted volunteers is alumna, Mae Pasquariello, CW’53, GRD’85, age 81, who registers each semester for a class.  As Mae puts it “I’m committed to being a lifelong learner. I’ll be doing this as long as I can walk into a classroom.”

Over the last 30 years, Mae has studied women and religion, Italian cuisine and culture, 20th-century American poetry, and she even took a course about gun control that had her practicing on a shooting range.

For information on Penn’s Senior Auditing Program, please email: senioraudit@sas.upenn.edu.

1 Comment

Filed under Academics, Alumni Perspective, Alumni Profile, Alumni Programming, Alumnni Education, Kristina C., Uncategorized

Tagged as