May 23, 2023 Volume 69 Issue 35

Penn President Liz Magill has announced that Michael X. Delli Carpini has been named interim dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, effective June 1, 2023.

Dr. Delli Carpini, the Oscar H. Gandy Emeritus Professor of Communication and Democracy at the Annenberg School, served as the Walter H. Annenberg Dean of the Annenberg School from 2003 to 2018. He is currently concluding a term as the inaugural faculty director of Penn’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Paideia Program.

John L. Jackson, Jr., the current Walter H. Annenberg Dean of the Annenberg School and Richard Perry University Professor, will begin his appointment as Penn’s 31st Provost on June 1. An international search to identify Dr. Jackson’s successor was launched in late February.

“As we continue to search for the next permanent dean of the Annenberg School, we are so fortunate that Michael Delli Carpini will take on this critical interim leadership post,” said President Magill. “Michael embodies what it means to be a good Penn citizen. Time and again, from his 15-year tenure as Annenberg dean to his inspired leadership of the SNF Paideia Program, Michael has answered the call of service.”

Dr. Delli Carpini’s interim appointment will be short-term, with a potential start date for a permanent dean as early as fall 2023.

“I owe Penn a tremendous debt, from my time as a first-generation undergraduate student to over 20 years as a faculty member and dean,” said Dr. Delli Carpini. “Stepping in as interim dean is a small way for me to repay that debt, and I look forward to working again with the school’s great faculty, staff, and students.”

Dr. Delli Carpini’s leadership of the Annenberg School from 2003 to 2018 saw the hiring of world-class faculty members at the junior and senior ranks, building upon traditional areas of strength like health communication, media institutions, and political communication, while blazing new trails in areas such as digital media, global communication studies, and technology and society. Dr Delli Carpini presided over a major growth in Annenberg’s physical footprint, successfully steered the school through the 2007-08 economic downturn, and helped to make Annenberg an ever-more welcoming place for faculty, staff, and students of all backgrounds.

“Michael was a transformative dean,” said Provost-Designate Jackson. “I am grateful, both personally and on behalf of Penn and Annenberg, to Michael for the stability and continuity that he will provide as interim dean. He could not be better prepared and positioned to lead with a steady hand during this transitional time.” 

Dr. Delli Carpini’s research and teaching explores the role of the citizen in democratic politics, with particular emphasis on the impact of mass media and information and communications technologies on public opinion, public deliberation, political knowledge, and political participation. A decorated scholar, Dr. Delli Carpini received the 2008 Book Award from the American Association for Public Opinion Research for What Americans Know About Politics and Why It Matters (Yale University Press, 1996) and the 2008 Murray Edelman Distinguished Career Award from the Political Communication Division of the American Political Science Association. He was elected a fellow of the International Communication Association in 2018.

Before joining Annenberg as dean in July of 2003, Dr. Delli Carpini was director of the Public Policy program of the Pew Charitable Trusts (1999-2003) and a member of the political science department at Barnard College and graduate faculty of Columbia University (1987-2002), serving as chair of the Barnard department from 1995 to 1999. He began his academic career as an assistant professor in the political science department at Rutgers University (1980-1987).

Dr. Delli Carpini is a Penn alumnus, having received his BA in political science and English literature and his MA in political science from the School of Arts and Sciences, both in 1975. He received his PhD in political science from the University of Minnesota in 1980.

Penn Carey Law recognized six faculty members with teaching awards for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Matthew Duncan: Experiential Teaching Award

Matthew Duncan’s work teaching legal skills is recognized with this year’s Experiential Teaching Award.

An experienced litigator, Mr. Duncan, L’03, received his undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Bucknell University and his JD cum laude from Penn Carey Law. After serving as a clerk for the Honorable Anthony Scirica of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, he practiced class action and complex antitrust litigation at the firm Fine, Kaplan, and Black from 2005 to 2018.

In 2014, Mr. Duncan received the American Antitrust Institute’s award for Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement by a Young Lawyer for his role in the Steel Antitrust Litigation. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and devotes his pro bono practice to representing abused and neglected children in Philadelphia family court proceedings.

What his students say: “Professor Duncan is an incredible writer and orator. He is extremely skilled at everything he teaches, and he is brilliant at teaching. He has pushed us all to become better writers, orators, and law students. He has encouraged us to keep our voice, what makes us special, while also pushing us to be the best version of ourselves we can be.” “Professor Duncan does everything and more to make that work feel relevant and empowering for those entering the profession. Moreover, he acts as an incredible role model for those who are just beginning to cognize themselves as lawyers.” “Professor Duncan emphasizes professionalism, and it shows in his interactions with students. He treats everyone with respect.”

William Ewald: LLM Award for Teaching Excellence

Chosen by the LLM Class of 2023, Dr. Ewald received the LLM Award for Teaching Excellence.

Dr. Ewald is a widely-cited and internationally-recognized scholar of legal philosophy and comparative law. He is currently working on a book, The Style of American Law, which will examine the distinctive character of American law from a comparative perspective.

Importantly, his course, Foundations of US Legal Systems, provides the incoming LLM class with an intensive introduction to the American legal system, discussing topics including American legal history, the Constitution, basic civil procedure, torts, and legal theory.

Dr. Ewald holds a BA and AM in mathematics, a JD from Harvard University, and a DPhil from Oxford University.

What his students say: “[Dr. Ewald is a] brilliant, very knowledgeable professor who clearly cares for the issues and thus articulates them very thoroughly.” “[Dr. Ewald is] very approachable. I felt that the professor was really concerned with students’ well-being in class and out of the classroom.” “Professor Ewald definitely knows the subject; he is passionate about it and explains it really well. He is a great person from what we could tell and an extraordinary teacher.” “He hosted amazing coffee chats outside of class and answered all of our questions. He hosted a review session online and answers emails quickly.”

Jean Galbraith: Robert A. Gorman Award for Excellence in Teaching

Ms. Galbraith has received the Robert A. Gorman Award for Excellence in Teaching for her outstanding teaching of the course Federal Courts.

A scholar of public international law and U.S. foreign relations law, Ms. Galbraith has published extensively on the separation of U.S. foreign affairs powers and on the design of international treaty regimes.

After graduating from law school, she was a clerk for the Honorable David S. Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, for Justice John Paul Stevens of the Supreme Court of the United States, and for Judge Theodor Meron of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. She practiced as an associate at Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin, and from 2019 to 2021, she litigated appellate cases as the co-director of Penn Carey Law’s Appellate Advocacy Clinic.

Ms. Galbraith received her BA summa cum laude from Harvard University and her JD from UC Berkeley Law, where she was editor-in-chief of the California Law Review.

What her students say: “Professor Galbraith is brilliant and uses the Socratic dialogue masterfully. The cold calls are never too harsh, but they make students think on their feet and prepare for class.” “Professor Galbraith makes complex material accessible and always invites a robust interrogation of what the doctrine is, why it came to be this way, and how it could be different.” “Professor Galbraith encourages independent thinking in every one of her Socratic dialogues with students. She is extremely passionate about the material and engages students in a way that brings Federal Courts to life.” “Professor Galbraith’s teaching is some of the best I’ve ever had, and she does a great job leading us through complicated doctrine.”

Jasmine E. Harris: A Leo Levin Award

Ms. Harris has received the A. Leo Levin Award for Excellence in her Access to Justice course, taught this spring.

Ms. Harris is a law and inequality legal scholar with expertise in disability law, antidiscrimination law, and evidence. Her work seeks to address the relationship between law and equality with a focus on law’s capacity to advance social norms of inclusion in the context of disability.

Ms. Harris has published extensively in academic journals, including the Columbia Law Review, New York Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and Yale Law Journal Forum. She also writes frequently about disability and equality law for popular audiences and is regularly interviewed and has been widely quoted in publications and media outlets such as The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, and Forbes.

Ms. Harris graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College with a bachelor’s degree in Latin American and Caribbean studies. She received her JD from Yale Law School.

What her students say: “Professor Harris does a great job stimulating interest in the subject matter. She offers up cutting-edge scholarship for debate and does not require that we agree with all of the arguments, but rather that we engage with them and come to our own perspectives. Thoughtful disagreement is encouraged.” “Prof. Harris approaches hard discussions (and students) with compassion, respect, and humility.” “Prof Harris’ stimulation of interest was amazing. She led some great class discussion and brought in so many outside speakers who were obviously experts in their fields. I also really appreciated being able to explore my own independent thoughts in our papers.” “Professor Harris is an exceptional professor with a demonstrated deep knowledge and passion for the subject. She consistently fosters interest in the subject and helps us grapple with the topics, encouraging every one of us to engage with the subject matter…Overall, Professor Harris was phenomenal.”

Sophia Z. Lee: Harvey Levin Award for Teaching Excellence

Chosen by the JD Class of 2023, Dr. Lee has received the Harvey Levin Award for Teaching Excellence.

Dr. Lee is a legal historian who studies the intersections of constitutional and administrative law. Effective July 1, 2023, Dr. Lee will serve as the dean of Penn Carey Law (Almanac April 11, 2023). Her pioneering work has illuminated administrative agencies’ role in shaping constitutional law. She has written extensively about civil rights and labor advocates’ challenges to workplace discrimination during the early Cold War, has published on conservative legal movements in the post-New Deal era, and is the author of The Workplace Constitution from the New Deal to the New Right.

In recent years, Dr. Lee has taught admin- istrative law, history of privacy and the law, and employment law to the JD Class of 2023. Dr. Lee earned her BA and MSW from the University of California at Berkeley and her JD and PhD in history from Yale.

What her students say: “A true admin wiz! And so approachable.” “Professor Lee brought vibrancy and enthusiasm to each lecture, and it was a joy to learn from her.” “Professor Lee did an outstanding job of commanding interesting legal and policy discussions in an online format. Definitely my favorite professor best all-online law school course thus far.” “Professor Lee is always available to students outside of class.” “Sophia Lee makes every possible effort to connect with her students, both on the material and as students at the Law School.” “Professor Lee is absolutely fantastic. She’s an incredibly kind, smart, gracious professor and was extremely accessible to students from the outset. She was compassionate in recognizing the tough semester we are all facing with Zoom/quarantine fatigue, and that made it such a warm, and comforting learning environment.” “Professor Lee is absolutely brilliant, and I cannot say enough good things about this class. I have come away with such a nuanced, deep appreciation for the history of American constitutional privacy. The class opened up a whole world of fascinating constitutional history that helped me make sense of doctrine, rights claiming in the United States, and ongoing litigation before court. It’s a perspective on the intersections of history, law, society, culture, and politics that is so often absent from law school classes.” “[Dr. Lee is] the kindest, most intellectually generous professor I have had in law school. She created a community of respect in our class that helped all students feel comfortable joining the conversation. She was very willing to meet with me mid-semester to discuss my writing and engagement in class and offered helpful feedback. I am genuinely going to miss spending Tuesday afternoons with this class.” “Professor Lee is one of the best professors I’ve had at Penn Carey Law. I like that she keeps the real-world implications of these doctrines at the forefront of each lecture.” “Professor Lee is accessible, welcoming, kind, and generous with her time. She makes herself available almost to a fault. Despite her busy schedule, I’ve always felt welcome to drop in with a question or to ask for clarification.” “Dean Lee is an amazing lecturer and academic, and future Penn Carey Law students will really be at a disadvantage since she probably won’t be able to take on teaching Admin Law during her deanship.”

Andrea Tosato: Adjunct Teaching Award

Dr. Tosato has received the Adjunct Teaching Award for his work teaching the courses- blockchain in the law and consumer finance.

Dr. Tosato is a leading private law scholar with internationally recognized expertise in the intersection between commercial law and new technologies.

In the United States, he serves as the associate research director of the Permanent Editorial Board of the Uniform Commercial Code; he is also the chair of the subcommittee for UCC and Emerging Technologies of the American Bar Association Business Law Section. In the United Kingdom, he has advised the Law Commission of England & Wales. Internationally, he regularly serves as an expert advisor to the UN Commission on International Trade Law and the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law.

Presently, Dr. Tosato is engaged in several international legislative reform projects dealing with the impact of blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies on commercial law. In the United States, he was a key contributor to the ULC/ALI Uniform Commercial Code and Emerging Technologies Committee that drafted the 2022 Amendments to the Uniform Commercial Code and Article 12.

Dr. Tosato is an associate professor of commercial law at the School of Law of the University of Nottingham. His research has been published in leading law journals and has received international awards.

What his students say: “Professor Tosato was an incredibly knowledgeable and engaging instructor. He was able to break down complex topics in a very digestible manner and did a great job facilitating classroom discussion.” “I cannot express strongly enough how grateful I am to have had Professor Tosato for two separate classes at Penn Carey Law and would be very sad to see him go.” “Professor Tosato is the consummate professor.” “Professor Tosato is extremely knowledgeable in the topic area; he is also accommodating to different levels of knowledge different students possess in the class. He covers the fundamentals but also provokes active and in–depth thoughts and discussions in class. Professor Tosato would always bring in his international background into the class, which I extremely appreciated to learn and understand the international landscape of the law.”

The Weitzman School will welcome Sanya Carley, currently the O’Neill Professor at the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and associate vice provost of faculty and academic affairs at Indiana University (IU). Beginning July 1, 2023, Dr. Carley will hold an appointment in the department of city & regional planning and an affiliation with the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy. She will also hold secondary appointments in the department of business economics and public policy at the Wharton School and at the School of Social Policy & Practice.

“I’m honored and excited to forge connections across the University to contribute to the lively conversation and impressive body of knowledge the Kleinman Center has facilitated,” said Dr. Carley, who will teach courses on the topics of evidence-based decision-making, energy economics and public policy, and energy justice. In addition, she will serve as faculty co-director with Mark Alan Hughes, the Kleinman Center’s founding faculty director, in 2023-2024 before stepping into the role of faculty director.

“Sanya’s research is critical to navigating a just transition to an energy system capable of meeting the immensely complex challenge of expanding shared prosperity and security while reversing a century of accelerating climate change wrought by the existing energy system,” said Dr. Hughes, the founding faculty director of the Kleinman Center. “The Kleinman Center is committed to policy design and implementation at the intersection of energy, climate, and society and we are thrilled to welcome Sanya’s expertise to Penn to advance this important endeavor.”

“When you have schools of design, business, and social policy and practice come together for a faculty appointment, you know you’re dealing with an exceptional thinker,” said Fritz Steiner, dean and Paley Professor at the Weitzman School. “I’m confident Sanya will find enthusiastic collaborators on the faculty and I know her work will be inspirational to our students.”

Dr. Carley’s research focuses on energy justice and policies aimed at advancing the innovation of low-carbon and efficient energy technologies in both the electricity and transportation sectors. In her most recent policy digest, published while she was a 2022-2023 Kleinman Center Visiting Scholar, she evaluates the incidence and implications of energy insecurity and utility disconnections for low-income families during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her ongoing work examines the equity and justice dimensions of the US energy transition, including research on coal communities, autoworker communities, and American households that face utility hardship. Dr. Carley also has researched the design and effectiveness of various electricity and transportation policies such as renewable portfolio standards and corporate average fuel economy standards. She co-directs the Energy Research Lab at Indiana University and hosted a limited-run podcast, Just Energy.

Dr. Carley is the third faculty recruit to Penn facilitated by the Kleinman Center, following the 2020 hire of carbon capture expert Jennifer Wilcox, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and Energy Policy, who is currently on leave from Penn to serve in the Department of Energy as principal deputy assistant secretary in the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (Almanac February 2, 2021), and the 2021 hire of Shelley Welton, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Law and Energy Policy. All three hires were made possible by an anonymous $30 million dollar gift to the Kleinman Center in 2019 (Almanac April 30, 2019), as well as by generous Penn support.

A member of the faculty at IU since 2010, Dr. Carley is a former director of the master of public affairs program there and an award-winning instructor of courses on energy economics, energy policy, energy justice, research design, and evidence-based decision-making.

Dr. Carley chairs the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Technical Advisory Committee and is a member of the National Academies’ Innovation Policy Forum and the Roundtable on Macroeconomics and Climate-related Risks and Opportunities. She is an author of the 5th National Climate Assessment Report, an authoritative source on climate change impacts in the US. She has served as a consultant for the Environmental Protection Agency and the World Bank Group, among others.

Dr. Carley has a PhD in public policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; an MS in urban and regional planning and a master’s certificate in energy analysis and policy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She also holds BAs in economics and sustainable development from Swarthmore College.

Mark Devlin, the Reese W. Flower Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics in the School of Arts and Sciences, and colleagues have been awarded a Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure-2 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Dr. Devlin will be the principal investigator, with co-investigators at Princeton University and the University of Chicago and collaborators at other institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Mathew Madhavacheril, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy, and James Aguirre, an associate professor of physics and astronomy, will also be instrumental in the project.

The $52.66 million grant will fund a major infrastructure upgrade to the Simons Observatory (SO). Located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile at an altitude of 5,200 meters, SO provides scientists an unprecedented glimpse into the nature of fundamental physical processes that have governed the origin and evolution of the universe since the dawn of time itself. SO uses an array of four telescopes, which will have 100,000 detectors on-sky, more than any other cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiment.

A five-year project phase will result in the completion of the upgraded Advanced Simons Observatory (ASO). These updates will double the mapping speed of the Large Aperture Telescope (LAT) receiver and offer myriad improvements to instrumentation, efficiency, and sustainability as it relates to the observatory, and community-focused data sharing. The project phase will be followed by five years of observations (through 2033), which will produce a legacy large-scale millimeter-wave survey of the sky.

“The NSF award for the Advanced Simons Observatory will provide resources to make the Simons Observatory the most capable instrument studying the millimeter-wave sky for the coming decade,” said Dr. Devlin, who has made over 50 trips to Chile and led the construction of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and LAT. “The results will have far-reaching impacts across multiple astronomical areas from our solar system all the way to the beginning of the universe. I cannot imagine a more exciting area for discovery.”

The ASO upgrade will facilitate improved methods of study of the very early universe, as well as many other phenomena. This includes tools that will open a new window into the time domain of the universe, which will help researchers examine events like stellar flares, gamma ray bursts, and tidal disruptions—instances of a star being “eaten” by a black hole. In addition, ASO will improve magnetic field measurement, allowing scientists to better understand how stars are formed, and allow for more sensitive mapping of stellar feedback, which will create a clearer picture of galaxy evolution.

ASO will also revolutionize how the community will be able to access and interact with survey data. It will process eight times the data volume in one quarter the time compared to ACT, and provide analysis tools and training events to make legacy maps accessible to the community.

On the sustainability front, ASO will establish a new standard in green observatories at remote sites, replacing 70 percent of the power at the site with solar energy, which will save up to 2 million kilograms of CO2 emission per year and allow for more observation with more sensitive results.

The grant also advances Penn-wide and school-specific commitments to data science. Large-scale survey projects like those that will be undertaken at ASO exemplify the ways in which researchers are harnessing big data to make groundbreaking discoveries. The public nature of survey data and the collaborative atmosphere encouraged by such sharing means that ASO findings will go on to fuel student projects and papers, creating future leaders in the field.

“Research infrastructure is the essential workhorse behind America’s global leadership in science and engineering,” said NSF director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “NSF’s partnership with the Simons Foundation on the Advanced Simons Observatory demonstrates how public and private organizations can effectively join forces to create innovative research infrastructure needed for tomorrow’s breakthrough discoveries, while simultaneously strengthening our scientific workforce.”

The updated Three-Year Academic Calendar for 2023-2024 through 2025-2026 is now available.

Graduate and professional programs may follow their own calendars; check the website for each school or program. The University’s Three-Year Academic Calendar is subject to change.

In the event that changes are made, the latest, most up-to-date version will be posted to Almanac’s website, almanac.upenn.edu/penn-academic-calendar. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Election Day in November, the first two days of Passover and Good Friday are holidays that affect large numbers of University community members and that fall during the academic year.

To view the University’s policy regarding these and other holidays, please visit https://catalog.upenn.edu/pennbook/secular-religious-holidays/.

Barbara E. Grandstaff, GR’06, a former lecturer at Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine, died on February 6. She was 74.

Born in Ithaca, New York, Dr. Grandstaff received her bachelor’s degree in geology from Millersville University, followed by a master’s degree in geological and geophysical sciences from Princeton University, where she was a member of one of the first female cohorts. In 1987, she joined Penn Vet’s faculty and served there for over 25 years, organizing the Gross Anatomy course. She also mentored students in the department of Earth and environmental science in the School of Arts and Sciences. She traveled extensively for research and to scientific meetings, and published extensively on fossil fish, mammals, and dinosaurs and on biomechanics and skeletal pathologies. She was a member of several academic societies, including the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology and Sigma Xi. In 2006, she earned her PhD from Penn in Earth and environmental science.

In 2018, Dr. Grandstaff won Penn Vet’s V’21 Laboratory Teaching Award (Almanac May 22, 2018). A student commented, “she is a wonderful person both in and out of the classroom. Snow or shine, you know she’ll be in class, and when she is out of the class, you can count on her to answer emails until the wee hours of the night. Dr. Grandstaff has become famous for her unfathomable wealth of anatomical knowledge as well as her positive attitude, always ending interactions with a comforting ‘You betcha!’ or ‘Hope that helps!’ No matter what class she is involved in, it is obvious that she genuinely cares about her students and their successes. She always finds very clear and distinct ways of explaining complex ideas to us, often using her cats Shadow and Argy as examples. We most likely will not miss the workload of anatomy or neuro labs, but we will certainly miss working with Dr. Grandstaff in class.”

She is survived by her husband, David Grandstaff; her daughter, Catherine Grandstaff; her mother, Esther Smith; her brother, Bruce Smith; and her sister, Cheryl Staherski. A memorial service was held at Penn Vet on April 27.

Robert G. “Bob” Ousterhout, an emeritus professor in the history of art in the School of Arts and Sciences, died on April 23. He was 73.

Dr. Ousterhout received his BA from the University of Oregon, his MA from the University of Cincinnati, and his PhD from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He taught in the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois from 1983 to 2006, and at the University of Pennsylvania from 2006 to 2017. A recognized specialist in Byzantine architecture, he researched  the documentation and interpretation of the architectural heritage of the eastern Mediterranean, particularly the Byzantine architecture, monumental art, and urbanism in Constantinople and Cappadocia.

Upon joining the faculty at Penn in 2006, he supervised and mentored over twenty PhD students at Penn and beyond, organized exhibitions at the Penn Museum, directed the center for ancient studies, and was graduate chair of the history of art and the art & archaeology of the Mediterranean world departments. As a co-director of the Cappadocia in Context summer program in Turkey from 2011 to 2022, Dr. Ousterhout trained generations of budding Byzantinists from around the world. Dr. Ousterhout wrote numerous books, covering subjects ranging from architecture in Istanbul to ancient Byzantine settlements. For his book Eastern Medieval Architecture: The Building Traditions of Byzantium and Neighboring Lands (2019), he received the 2021 Haskins Medal of the Medieval Academy of America.

At Illinois, he was honored as a University Scholar, an Outstanding Faculty Member in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, and an associate at the Institute of Advanced Study. He has also held Fulbright and Dumbarton Oaks fellowships, and served as a senior fellow at the Dumbarton Oaks Museum. He served as president of U.S. National Committee for Byzantine Studies and the Byzantine Studies Association of North America.

He is survived by his husband, C. Brian Rose; his sister, Jean; and his brothers Neil and Doug.

A memorial service will take place on Saturday, September 9, 2023 at the Penn Museum.

Donald Voet, an emeritus associate professor of chemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences, died on April 11. He was 84.

Dr. Voet earned his BS in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1960 and his PhD in chemistry from Harvard University under William N. Lipscomb, Jr. in 1967. Two years later, he finished his postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the laboratory of Alexander Rich. Also in 1969, he joined Penn’s chemistry department as an assistant professor, and soon after his arrival, he became involved in Penn’s governance, serving on the University Council. In 1974 he was promoted to associate professor, a role he occupied for 35 years. While at Penn, Dr. Voet and his laboratory researched crystallography, using X-rays to understand structure-function relationships in proteins, and received multiple rounds of funding from the University Research Foundation (URF) to support this work.

Dr. Voet was a visiting scholar at Oxford University, the University of California San Diego, and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, and was on the board of editors of the journal Biochemical and Molecular Biology. In 1999, Dr. Voet published the first edition of Fundamentals of Biochemistry, cowritten with his wife, Judith Voet, and Charlotte Pratt. The book quickly became a classic of its genre and has since been reprinted four times. In 2005, Dr. Voet chaired Penn’s Faculty Senate Committee on Committees. He retired and took emeritus status in 2009. In his free time, Dr. Voet enjoyed scuba diving, swimming, hiking, and skiing. He traveled to all seven continents, summited Mount Ranier and Mount Whitney, and hiked the Everest Base Camp trail and numerous trails in the Rockies, White Mountains and Sierras.

Dr. Voet is survived by his children, Wendy and Doug; his wife, Judith (Judy); his son in law, Lex; his daughter in law, Sue; his grandchildren, Maya, Lizzie, Leo and Cora; his brother, Martin; his sisters, Loesje and Marion; and sisters and brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends.

On May 12, the Penn Board of Trustees held meetings of its Executive Committee and Budget & Finance Committee.

Trustees chair Scott Bok introduced a resolution to elect Julie Beren Platt as vice chair of the Board of Trustees, effective May 1, 2023, which was approved.

Penn President Liz Magill gave the president’s report and Interim Provost Beth A. Winkelstein the academic report, which included a resolution on faculty appointments and promotions—which was approved.

Senior Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli gave the financial report. For the consolidated University, the total net assets were $29.4 billion as of March 31, 2023, an increase of $633 million, or 2.2%, over March 31, 2022. The change in net assets from operations reflected an increase of $934 million through March 31, 2023; $259 million, or 21.7%, below last year. The total revenue of $11.2 billion was $623 million, or 5.9%, above last year. Expenses of $10.3 billion were $882 million, or 9.4%, above last year.

For the academic component, the change in net assets from operations for the University reflected a $729 million increase versus a $1 billion increase last year. Total revenue of $3.8 billion was $33 million, or .9%, above last year. Expenses of $3 billion were $320 million, or 11.8%, above last year. Capital expenditures totaled $215 million as of March 31, 2023, $50 million, or 30.6%, above last year. These expenditures include recent notable projects like the construction of the Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science & Technology, Amy Gutmann Hall and Ott Center for Track and Field; the Graduate School of Education expansion; and renovations to Stouffer College House and the Quad.

J. Larry Jameson, executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and dean of the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM), presented the Penn Medicine report. The change in net assets from operations reflected an increase of $160 million through March 31, 2023, $23 million higher than last year. Excluding non-recurring unbudgeted HHS payments and prior period Medicare GME and chemotherapy payments, the operating income before transfers was $100 million, or 1.3%. Operating revenue increased $570 million, or 8.4%, from $6.8 billion as of March 31, 2022 to $7.4 billion as of March 31, 2023. Expenses increased $547 million, or 8.2%, from $6.7 billion as of March 31, 2022 to $7.2 billion as of March 31, 2023.

Adjusted admissions of 233,350 through nine months were 5.5% above last year. Capital expenditures totaled $311 million as of March 31, 2023, $195 million, or 38.5%, below last year, with the decrease primarily attributable to the completion of the Pavilion at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Trustee Dhananjay Pai presented the Budget & Finance committee report. He presented a resolution to authorize repairs to Spruce 38 Parking Garage repairs in the amount of $5,025,000, which was approved.

Mr. Bok presented a resolution to appoint Sozi Tulante to the Board of Managers of the Wistar Institute, which was approved. He had been nominated for membership by the Board of Trustees of the Wistar Institute at its quarterly meeting on March 24, 2023. The interim basis is from March 24, 2023 until the 2024 annual election of the Wistar Institute Board of Trustees.

The next meetings of the Board of Trustees will be held from June 15-16, 2023.

The following is published in accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules. Among other purposes, the publication of SEC actions is intended to stimulate discussion among the constituencies and their representatives. Please communicate your comments to Patrick Walsh, executive assistant to the Senate Office, either by telephone at (215) 898-6943 or by email at senate@pobox.upenn.edu.

Report from the Tri-Chairs. Faculty Senate chair Vivian Gadsden offered a recap of the second roundtable event, Enhancing the Quality of Life for Children and Families in Urban Communities: A Systems-Focused Discussion, which is part of the series Taking a Stand for Local Engagement. Both roundtables can be viewed at https://provost.upenn.edu/senate/roundtable. Each school, through its dean, is asked to continue the work of community engagement during the coming year; a letter was circulated to dean’s offices earlier that morning.

2023-2024 University Council Steering Committee Faculty Representatives. SEC members were invited to self-nominate to serve as a faculty representative for the 2023-2024 University Council Steering Committee.

Proposal from Annenberg School for Communication to Add the Senior Lecturer Track. Faculty Senate chair Vivian Gadsden introduced a motion on behalf of the Senate Committee on Faculty and the Academic Mission (SCOF) to approve a proposal from the Annenberg School for Communication that would add the senior lecturer track in the school, capped at 14% of the size of its standing faculty. SCOF members had unanimously voted to approve the proposal at its most recent meeting. Following a second and no discussion, SEC members voted unanimously to approve the proposal as presented.

Report from the Senate Select Committee on the Institutional Response to the Climate Emergency (“CIRCE”). Faculty Senate past chair and CIRCE chair Bill Braham reported on the recent work of CIRCE and its four subcommittees: Operations, Research, Community Policy, and Medicine. Its report will be published in an upcoming issue of Almanac.

Update from the Division of Public Safety. Kathleen Shields Anderson, Vice President for Public Safety, offered an overview on the Division of Public Safety (DPS) and its innovations in the past two years.

Cyber Security on Penn Owned and Managed Computers. Chief Information Security Officer Nick Falcone, in response to new business raised during the March 2023 SEC meeting, discussed the role that the CrowdStrike computer security program plays on Penn-owned and -managed computers. SEC members discussed the tradeoffs between computer security and user privacy with Mr. Falcone.

Passing the Torch. Professor Gadsden recognized Professor Braham for his three years of service as a tri-chair of the Faculty Senate by presenting him with a gift of appreciation. Professor Gadsden introduced Eric Feldman as 2023-24 chair-elect of the Senate. She also recognized the service of SEC members whose terms are ending. Professor Gadsden then yielded the floor to Tulia Falleti. SEC members welcomed Professor Falleti as chair of the Faculty Senate for the 2023-24 year.

Pursuant to the Faculty Senate Rules, formal notification to members may be accomplished by publication in Almanac. The following is published under that rule.

TO: Members of the Faculty Senate
FROM: Claire Mitchell, Chair, Nominating Committee
SUBJECT: Senate Nominations 2023-2024

In accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules, official notice is given of the Senate Nominating Committee’s partial slate of nominees for the incoming Senate officers. The nominees, all of whom have indicated their willingness to serve, are:

Chair-elect:
Eric Feldman (Law)

Also in accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules, you are invited to submit additional nominations, which shall be accomplished via petitions containing at least twenty-five valid names and the signed approval of the candidate. All such petitions must be received no later than fourteen days after circulation of the nominees of the Nominating Committee by email to the Faculty Senate, senate@pobox.upenn.edu. That deadline for the above slate is 5 p.m. EDT on Monday, June 5, 2023.

Under the same provision of the rules, if no additional nominations are received, the above slate nominated by the Nominating Committee will be declared elected.

The remaining slate of nominees will be published in a future edition of Almanac.

The Undergraduate Assembly (UA) is the elected, representative branch of Penn Student Government, charged with improving life for all students through lobbying, representation, togetherness, services, and funding. The purpose of the Annual Report is to hold the Undergraduate Assembly accountable to the student body and to the promises that we as an organization make in furthering our goals. We are committed to working to improve the student experience at Penn, and we welcome any and all feedback that students wish to provide.

To read the 2022-2023 report, visit https://pennua.org/annual-reports.

—Undergraduate Assembly Executive Board

To read Almanac's 2023 Commencement supplement, featuring the full texts of speeches given at Penn's 2023 Commencement and Baccalaureate and photos from both events, click here.

The Policy on Secular and Religious Holidays guides instructors and students in those circumstances when significant observances occur during the period that classes are in session. Anyone with further questions or concerns is encouraged to contact the Office of the Chaplain, which serves as an important resource for all members of the Penn community and can help if any student’s observance seems to conflict with academic expectations.

The policy has been updated to clarify that no examinations may be given and no assigned work may be required on the days of Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, or Spring Break for programs that follow the main University Academic Calendar, with the exception of clinicals, global experiences, and approved academic experiences.

As a reminder, Jewish holidays begin at sunset. This year, Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset on Friday, September 15 and ends in the evening on Sunday, September 17. Yom Kippur begins at sunset on Sunday, September 24 and ends in the evening on Monday, September 25.

—Beth A. Winkelstein, Interim Provost

Policy on Secular and Religious Holidays

1. The University recognizes/observes the following secular holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, July 4, Thanksgiving and the day after, Labor Day, and New Year’s Day.

2. The University also recognizes that there are several secular and religious holidays that affect large numbers of University community members, including Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Election Day in November, the first two days of Passover, and Good Friday. In consideration of their significance for many students, no examinations may be given and no assigned work may be required on these days. Students who observe these holidays will be given an opportunity to make up missed work in both laboratories and lecture courses. If an examination is given on the first class day after one of these holidays, it must not cover material introduced in class on that holiday.

Faculty should realize that Jewish holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the published date of the holiday. Late afternoon exams should be avoided on these days. Also, no examinations may be held on Saturdays or Sundays in the undergraduate schools unless they are also available on other days. Nor should seminars or other regular classes be scheduled on Saturdays or Sundays unless they are also available at other times.

Additionally, no examinations may be given or assignments due on the days of Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, or Spring Break for programs that follow the main University Academic Calendar, with the exception of clinicals, global experiences, and approved academic experiences.

3. The University recognizes that there are other holidays, both religious and secular, which are of importance to some individuals and groups on campus. Such occasions include, but are not limited to, Sukkot, the last two days of Passover, Shavuot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, Lunar New Year, the Muslim New Year, Diwali, Navaratri, Rama Navami, Paryushan, and the Islamic holidays Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. Students who wish to observe such holidays must inform their instructors within the first two weeks of each semester of their intent to observe the holiday even when the exact date of the holiday will not be known until later so that alternative arrangements convenient to both students and faculty can be made at the earliest opportunity. Students who make such arrangements will not be required to attend classes or take examinations on the designated days, and faculty must provide reasonable opportunities for such students to make up missed work and examinations. For this reason it is desirable that faculty inform students of all examination dates at the start of each semester. Exceptions to the requirement of a make-up examination must be approved in advance by the undergraduate dean of the school in which the course is offered.

Members of the inaugural cohort of fellows in the Center for Innovation and Precision Dentistry (CiPD)’s NIDCR T90/R90 Postdoctoral Training Program have been recognized for their research activities with fellows receiving awards from the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR), the Society for Biomaterials, and the Osteology Foundation.

Zhi Ren won first place in the Fives-Taylor Award at the AADOCR Mini Symposium for Young Investigators. A postdoctoral fellow in the labs of Hyun (Michel) Koo at Penn Dental Medicine and Kathleen Stebe at Penn Engineering, Dr. Ren researches how bacterial and fungal pathogens interact in the oral cavity to form a sticky plaque biofilm on teeth, which gives rise to severe childhood tooth decay that affects millions of children worldwide. In his award-winning study, titled “Interkingdom Assemblages in Saliva Display Group-Level Migratory Surface Mobility,” Dr. Ren discovered that bacteria and fungi that are naturally present in the saliva of toddlers with severe decay can form superorganisms able to move and rapidly spread on tooth surfaces.

Justin Burrell won second place in the AADOCR Hatton Competition postdoctoral category for his research. Dr. Burrell works with Anh Le in Penn Dental Medicine’s department of oral surgery/pharmacology and D. Kacy Cullen of Penn Medicine. Together, their interdisciplinary team of clinician-scientists, biologists, and neuroengineers have been developing novel therapies to expedite facial nerve regeneration and increase meaningful functional recovery.

Marshall Padilla earned third place at the Society for Biomaterials Postdoctoral Recognition Award Competition for his project, “Branched lipid architecture improves lipid-nanoparticle-based mRNA delivery to the liver via enhanced endosomal escape.” Dr. Padilla was also a finalist in the AADOCR Hatton Award Competition, presenting on a separate project titled “Lipid Nanoparticle Optimization for mRNA-based Oral Cancer Therapy.” Both projects employ lipid nanoparticles, the same delivery vehicles used in the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine technology. A postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Michael Mitchell of Penn Engineering, Dr. Padilla’s research focuses on developing new ways to enhance the efficacy and safety of lipid nanoparticle technology and its applications in dentistry and biomedicine. He works in collaboration with Shuying (Sheri) Yang and Anh Le in Penn Dental Medicine.

Dennis Sourvanos, GD’23, DScD’23, was the recipient of the Trainee Travel Grant award of the Osteology Foundation (Lucerne, Switzerland). Dr. Sourvanos presented his project titled “Validating Head-and-Neck Human-Tissue Optical Properties for Photobiomodulation and Photodynamic Therapies” at the International Osteology Symposium in Barcelona, Spain and at the 2023 AADOCR/CADR Annual Meeting. Dr. Sourvanos has worked with Joseph Fiorellini in Penn Dental Medicine’s department of periodontics and Timothy Zhu in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania’s department of radiation oncology and the Smilow Center for Translational Research.

The fellows are halfway through CiPD’s two-year NIDCR T90/R90 postdoctoral training program, which aims to specifically focus on the oral microbiome, host immunity, and tissue regeneration. Each of these topics ties into different aspects of oral health, from tooth decay and periodontal disease to the needs of head and neck cancer patients.

“We are so proud of the outstanding work of all our fellows,” said Dr. Koo. “They are collectively helping to make great strides in exploring new technologies to advance oral health innovations and improve patient care.”

Jing (Jane) Li, the Eduardo D. Glandt Faculty Fellow and an asociate professor in the departments of electrical & systems engineering and computer & information science in Penn Engineering, has received the 2023 Benjamin Franklin Key Award from the Philadelphia Section of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).

The Benjamin Franklin Key Award is given annually to an engineer in the Philadelphia section of the IEEE for outstanding technical innovation and technological contributions that have had significant practical applications. The award emphasizes technical innovation, such as a system (design and application), a significant improvement to a system, or patents of clear practical values. Emphasis is put on tangible technical and technological achievements that demonstrate intellectual, industrial, economical or human benefits during the selection process.

Dr. Li received this award “for her foundational contributions to innovative memory and memory-driven computing” at the IEEE Annual Awards Gala celebrating IEEE 60 years’ excellence, held on April 22, 2023.

Four faculty from the University of Pennsylvania have been elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences (NAS). They are David Brainard of the School of Arts & Sciences; Duncan Watts of the Annenberg School of Communication, School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Wharton School; and Susan R. Weiss and Kenneth S. Zaret of the Perelman School of Medicine.

They join 120 members and 23 international members elected by their peers this year to NAS. Recognized for “distinguished and continuing achievements in original research,” this new class brings the total number of active members to 2,565 and of international members to 526.

David Brainard is the RRL Professor of Psychology, director of the Penn Vision Research Center, and associate dean for the natural sciences in the School of Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on human vision, using both experiments and computer modeling of visual processing to understand how the visual system deciphers information about objects from light entering the eye. Specifically, he and his lab are interested in color vision, conducting psychophysical experiments to investigate how the appearance of color is affected by an object’s surface properties and ambient light, and how color perception aids in identifying objects.

Duncan Watts is the Stevens University Professor and 23rd Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor at Penn. In addition to his appointment at the Annenberg School, he holds faculty appointments in the department of computer and information science in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the department of operations, information and decisions in the Wharton School, where he is the inaugural Rowan Fellow. He also holds a secondary appointment in the department of sociology in the School of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Watts is a computational social scientist interested in social and organizational networks, collective dynamics of human systems, web-based experiments, and analysis of large-scale digital data, including the production, consumption, and absorption of news.

Susan R. Weiss is a professor and vice chair of the department of microbiology and co-director of the Penn Center for Research on Coronaviruses and Other Emerging Pathogens at the Perelman School of Medicine. She has worked on many aspects of coronavirus replication and pathogenesis, making contributions to understanding its basic biology and organ development and virulence. Her recent research has focused on coronavirus interaction with the host innate immune response and viral innate antagonists of double-stranded RNA-induced antiviral pathways. Dr. Weiss’ other research interests include the activation and antagonism of a certain antiviral enzymatic pathway, Zika virus-host interactions, and pathogenic effects of host endogenous double-stranded RNA.

Kenneth S. Zaret is the Joseph Leidy Professor in the department of cell and developmental biology at the Perelman School of Medicine, director of the Penn Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and a member of the cell and molecular biology graduate program. His research focuses on gene regulation, cell differentiation, and chromatin structure, with a goal of elucidating these phenomena in the context of embryonic development and tissue regeneration. Pinpointing these aspects of development at the cellular level will help develop future therapeutics and experimental models that further scientists’ ability to understand and cure disease.

Virginia Man-Yee Lee, the John H. Ware 3rd Endowed Professor in Alzheimer’s Research in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine, and Roy H. Hamilton, a professor of neurology and physical medicine & rehabilitation, and director of the brainSTIM Center, both from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, were recognized for their achievements by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) at the 2023 Annual Meeting in Boston.

Dr. Lee received the Sheila Essey Award for her research contributions to the search for the cause, prevention of, and cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In addition to her research of the brain and the mechanisms that cause it to fail, Dr. Lee is also recognized for her long track record of mentoring the next generation of researchers. Together with her late husband, John Q. Trojanowski, a professor of geriatric medicine and gerontology in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine at Penn (Almanac March 1, 2022), Dr. Lee discovered abnormal clumping of DNA binding protein TDP-43, and its role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS. She demonstrated that cell-to-cell transmission of these pathological proteins explains how each disease progresses.

This research has opened up new avenues of research to identify targets for drug discovery to develop better treatments for patients with these disorders. Crucially, Dr. Lee and Dr. Trojanowski established a brain bank, which stored brains from patients with neurodegenerative diseases, as well as from people without them, allowing for the comparison between the sets to determine which proteins were involved in the diseases and what brain regions were affected.

Dr. Hamilton received the AAN Changemaker Award for his dedication to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within the department of neurology at Penn Medicine. As vice chair for inclusion and diversity, Dr. Hamilton developed Penn neurology’s Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism, and Equity (IDARE) Program, which advocates for individuals in all departmental roles. IDARE programs include initiatives to enhance recruitment efforts, staff clinics in underserved communities, partner with Black community leaders and organizations, and ensure institutional policies create fairer departmental working conditions.

Dr. Hamilton’s work with IDARE also aims to expand existing pipeline programs to bring neuroscience to underserved groups through mentorship and enrichment programs, such as the Neuroscience Pipeline Program, the Penn Memory Center (PMC) Minority Scholars in Aging Research program for medical students, and the PMC Aging Summer Research Internship for regional African American undergraduate students. These programs were all spearheaded by Dr. Hamilton and have engaged thousands of students.

Penn’s Projects for Progress program, unveiled in June 2020 and overseen by Penn’s Office of Social Equity & Community (SEC), is growing with its third cohort of fund recipients. This year, three interdisciplinary teams of faculty, staff, and students have been awarded for their initiatives, which aim to help address systemic racism, promote educational equity, and reduce health disparities in Philadelphia.

“Projects for Progress was created during a challenging year as a way to encourage initiatives that advance the University’s aim of a more inclusive society,” said President Liz Magill. “I am proud of the 2023 awardees, who will work alongside various communities in Philadelphia and use innovative Penn research to develop their initiatives.”

Each team receives up to $100,000 to support their projects. Nine teams (consisting of 18 students, eight faculty members, and five staff members) submitted applications this year, which were due at the end of January. As in the past, projects needed to demonstrate strong potential for real-world impact, and all awardees are required to begin their work within six months of being named a recipient.

“I can’t emphasize enough how much the SEC team appreciates everyone who has applied for the award over the past three years,” said Nicole Maloy, director of the Office of SEC, who is coordinating the initiative. “There are so many people at Penn who embrace the importance of playing an active role in the world, and this award is just one way to affirm that.”

This year’s Projects for Progress recipients include:

The Breathing Room: A Wellness Space for Youth at Sayre High School

The Breathing Room will create an outdoor wellness space at Sayre High School that is built collaboratively by Penn students and Sayre students. They will study the effect of that space on health and include teenagers in all aspects of data collection and analysis, to propel wider action on racial disparities in public school infrastructure and social determinants of health.

The team:

• Dyan Castro, Stuart Weitzman School of Design—project manager and research associate, Penn Praxis
• Joseph Brand, Netter Center for Community Partnerships—site director, Sayre University-Assisted Community School
• Heather Klusaritz, Perelman School of Medicine—director, Division of Community Health
• Amanda Peña, Weitzman School of Design—graduate student, master of city planning

Positioned for Success

Positioned for Success is an initiative aimed at providing academic support and enrichment, high school preparation, and mentoring services to middle school-aged students in Philadelphia who are in the child welfare system and have been affected by gun violence and/or parental incarceration to increase their educational attainment and break the pattern of vulnerable Black youth entering the juvenile justice system.

The team:

• Taussia Boadi, College of Arts & Sciences—undergraduate student, sociology
• Cheryl Nnadi, College of Arts & Sciences—undergraduate student, criminology
• Ariane Thomas, Graduate School of Education—director, professional counseling program

UCC: A Clinic Portal to Address Healthcare Disparities in Philadelphia

United Community Clinic addresses and combats disparities in accessing care for minority and immigrant populations in west and southwest Philadelphia by working in conjunction with local leaders and organizations to facilitate health screening, primary care, and women’s healthcare directly within these communities, regardless of citizenship or insurance status. Penn Projects for Progress funding would provide transformative expansion of services for these marginalized populations.

The team:

• Michael Beers, Perelman School of Medicine—Robert L. Mayock & David A. Cooper Professor of Medicine, pulmonary & critical care division
• Cindy Christian, Perelman School of Medicine—assistant dean, community engagement and director, interprofessional education
• Megan Doherty, Perelman School of Medicine—director of operations and programming, Center for Global Health
• Richard Wender, Perelman School of Medicine—professor and chair of family medicine and community health; executive director, Center for Public Health Initiatives

Is your upcoming retirement on your mind? To help you prepare for the next phase of your life, Penn will host a series of Thinking About Retirement presentations on May 31, starting at 9 a.m. at Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall (SHDH).

Specially designed for Penn staff and faculty, Thinking About Retirement offers three different concurrent workshops, each covering an important aspect of retirement benefits: “Penn Benefits and Medicare,” “5 Steps to Creating Your Retirement Income Plan,” and “Social Security Benefits Planning.”

At the “Penn Benefits and Medicare” session, representatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, along with benefits specialists from human resources, will explain the Rule of 75, retiree healthcare options, and how they integrate with Medicare.

At the “5 Steps to Creating your Retirement Income Plan” session, a TIAA retirement plan counselor will discuss such topics as budgeting in retirement, income options, and investments to help you get the most out of your 403(b) plan.

At the “Social Security Benefits Planning” session, a representative from TIAA will share valuable details about how this program impacts your plans for retirement. You will also get an overview of Social Security benefits, eligibility rules, how to apply, benefits for your spouse, and more.

Benefits specialists from Penn Human Resources will be available throughout the event to answer your questions about Penn’s retirement savings plans, healthcare benefits, and other aspects of retiree benefits for you and your dependents.

To register for the presentations, click on the topic name in the table below or visit www.hr.upenn.edu/thinkretirement.

For more information about retirement, visit the Retiree Benefits webpage.

—Division of Human Resources

Exhibits

Penn Museum

In-person tours. Info: https://www.penn.museum/calendar.

27        Rome Gallery Tour; 11 a.m.

28        Mexico & Central America Gallery Tour; 11 a.m.

Fitness & Learning

31        Understanding Global Health Research Funding; hear from representatives from several key global health funding organizations, as well as several robust panels of researchers, who will share information about funding from top organizations; 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/cgh-workshop-may-31 (Center for Global Health).

Special Events

26        Garden Railway: Public Gardens; opening of an exhibit at Morris Arboretum’s iconic Garden Railway that spotlights miniature replicas of iconic structures at some of America's most famous public gardens; Morris Arboretum; admission info: https://www.morrisarboretum.org/. Through October 10.

Talks

23        Addressing Sensitivity-Induced Challenges in Modeling Rigid-Body Systems with Frictional Impacts; Mathew Halm, mechanical engineering & applied mechanics; 10 a.m.; room 337, Towne Building (Mechanical Engineering &Applied Mechanics).

24        API Heritage Month: Fireside Chat; Anne Lee Benedict, WestCap; Daphne Tong, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP; 11:30 a.m.; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/benedict-tong-may-24 (Carey Law School).

30        Progress on Templates for Spined and Tailed Legged Robots; Shane Rozen-Levy, mechanical engineering & applied mechanics; 10 a.m.; room 337, Towne Building (Mechanical Engineering &Applied Mechanics).

This is an update to the May AT PENN calendar, which is online now. To submit an event for a future AT PENN calendar or weekly update, email almanac@upenn.edu.

The next meeting of the WXPN Policy Board will take place Thursday, June 1, 2023 at noon at WXPN, located at 3025 Walnut Street.

For more information or to RSVP, email abbyn@xpn.org.

University of Pennsylvania Police Department Crime Report

Below are the Crimes Against Persons, Crimes Against Society and Crimes Against Property from the campus report for May 8-14, 2023. View prior weeks’ reports. —Ed.

This summary is prepared by the Division of Public Safety and includes all criminal incidents reported and made known to the University Police Department for May 8-14, 2023. The University Police actively patrol from Market St to Baltimore and from the Schuylkill River to 43rd St in conjunction with the Philadelphia Police. In this effort to provide you with a thorough and accurate report on public safety concerns, we hope that your increased awareness will lessen the opportunity for crime. For any concerns or suggestions regarding this report, please call the Division of Public Safety at (215) 898-4482.

18th District

Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 5 incidents (2 robberies, 1 aggravated assault, 1 assault, and 1 rape) with 1 arrest were reported for May 8-14, 2023 by the 18^th District, covering the Schuylkill River to 49th St & Market St to Woodland Avenue.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) are tax-advantaged accounts that let you use pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible healthcare and dependent care expenses. Using FSAs can save money, however the amount of unused dollars that will roll over—or stay in your account from one plan year to the next—is limited. If you have a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA) or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA), you are encouraged to spend down your balance before June 30, 2023 to avoid losing unused funds. Here are some important details about HCFSAs and DCFSAs to help you plan accordingly. 

Health Care FSA 

If you have a HCFSA, you will be able to roll over up to $610 of all unused funds from the 2022-2023 plan year to the 2023-2024 plan year. All unused funds over the $610 limit will be forfeited. Effective July 1, 2023, the maximum amount you can contribute to the Health Care FSA is $3,050. 

You must incur all expenses between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. Claims must be submitted to Penn’s HealthEquity/WageWorks portal by September 30, 2023. All rollover funds will be available in November.

Dependent Care FSA

You must use all available funds by the end of the 2022-2023 plan year deadline or you will forfeit any remaining balance. You have until September 15 of the following plan year to incur expenses, and until September 30 of the following plan year to submit eligible claims. Claims must be submitted to Penn’s HealthEquity/WageWorks portal.

For example, if you enroll in a Dependent Care FSA during the 2023-2024 plan year, you’ll have until September 15, 2024 to incur expenses and until September 30, 2024 to submit eligible expenses for reimbursement. 

Visit the Flexible Spending Accounts webpage for more FSA details and single-sign-on access to HealthEquity/WageWorks.

—Division of Human Resources

Another tip in a series provided by the Offices of Information Security, Information Systems & Computing and Audit, Compliance & Privacy

We live in a world where we often rely upon online access to our financial institutions for purchases, investments, retirement plans, mortgages, and other online financial transactions. However, cybercriminals are increasingly targeting individuals’ accounts for their own monetary gain.  

Although financial institutions are legally required to protect your personal financial information on their systems, you should also take the following additional steps to protect your financial accounts:

1. Use a strong password, with multiple characters, and enroll in two-step verification (also known as multifactor authentication) where available. Two-step verification offers a second layer of security in protecting access to your online accounts. A password manager can also be a useful tool, generating complex passwords and helping you keep track of multiple account passwords. 
2. Secure your computing devices by installing antivirus software and be sure to run software and browser updates as soon as they become available. 
3. Avoid accessing your financial accounts while using publicly available internet. Wireless networks at airports, airplanes, restaurants, and hotels are generally not secure, so consider using your home network or your mobile banking application when needed.
4. Be vigilant and skeptical when receiving emails, texts, or calls claiming to come from your financial institution that asks you to verify your account information. Financial institutions will never ask for your account information, such as your bank account number, Social Security number, or password, in a text message or email. Contact your financial institution directly to verify suspicious emails, texts, or calls.  
5. Back up your data. It is good practice to back up your financial data on an external password-protected hard drive and keep that drive in a locked location. 

Resources:

[1] Antivirus for desktops and laptops https://www.isc.upenn.edu/how-to/antivirus-desktops-and-laptops

[2] Desktop Security https://www.isc.upenn.edu/security/aware/desktop