March 2006

March 31, 2006
Did You Know... that the University of Pennsylvania will provide grants for undergraduate students of families earning less than $50,000? President Gutmann recently announced that Penn is expanding its effort to alleviate the financial burden on low- and middle-income students and to continue attracting top students with diverse economic backgrounds. This coincides with a $6.3 million increase in the University's undergraduate financial aid budget for the coming academic year, with those funds targeted to middle- and low-income families, reaffirming Penn's commitment to need-blind admissions and meeting the full need of all students. "By providing financial aid packages without loans to students whose parents earn $50,000 or less, we can ease their financial concerns, not only throughout their education but also after graduation, enabling them more freedom to choose the most satisfying careers," Gutmann said.

Learn more about this Penn initiative.

In honor of Ben Franklin's 300th Birthday on January 17, 2006, we offer a year of notable Franklin quotes:

"God, Parents and Instructors can never be requited."

--Benjamin Franklin, Wit and Wisdom

March 24, 2006
Did You Know... that Penn junior Matt Valenti won the 133 lb NCAA Wrestling Championship last weekend? In addition to Valenti’s championship, the Penn Wrestling Team placed 12th overall at the championships, their highest finish since 2002. Valenti has also been named the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association's Wrestler of the Year. Another junior on the team, Matt Herrington, finished fifth at 174 pounds on Saturday morning, to become an All-American for the first time.

"It was a great day for Penn wrestling. Our history touched us today," Head Coach Zeke Jones said. "Matt Valenti winning goes without saying. He is carrying on the proud tradition of Penn wrestling and he deserves it."

For more info on these outstanding student-athletes, please visit the Penn Athletics website.

To read the DP article in depth, please visit the Daily Pennsylvanian online.

In honor of Ben Franklin's 300th Birthday on January 17, 2006, we offer a year of notable Franklin quotes:

"No Gains without Pains"

March 17, 2006
Did You Know... that the Center for Educational Leadership in Penn's Graduate School of Education has received a $4.9 million grant from the Annenberg Foundation? The purpose of the grant is to launch the Distributed Leadership Initiative, a four-year collaboration with the Philadelphia School District to promote shared leadership at the individual school level.

"Like many districts, Philadelphia has made educational leadership a significant part of its improvement plans," Center Executive Director John DeFlaminis said. "Distributed leadership is an effort to create more leaders in complex urban schools to improve instruction and advance student achievement."

Learn more about the grant and the Center for Educational Leadership at the Graduate School of Education.

In honor of Ben Franklin's 300th Birthday on January 17, 2006, we offer a year of notable Franklin quotes:

"The noblest question in the world is What Good may I do in it?"

--Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac, 1737

March 3, 2006
Did you Know... that two Penn Alumni are nominated for an Academy Award? OUR TIME IS UP, a short film written and directed by Rob Pearlstein, C'95, and produced by Loren Mendell, C'95, has been nominated for Best Live Action Short Film. The awards will be televised on Sunday night March 5th.

Find out more.

Also, did you know... that two-time Academy Award Winner Jodie Foster will deliver the Commencement Address at Penn's 250th Commencement ceremony on Monday, May 15th? Ms. Foster, internationally acclaimed actress and producer, will receive an honorary doctor of arts degree. See the complete list of honorary degree recipients and more information.

In honor of Ben Franklin's 300th Birthday on January 17, 2006, we offer a year of notable Franklin quotes:

"Great beauty, great strength, and great riches are really and truly of no great use; a right Heart exceeds all."

-- Benjamin Franklin

March 20, 2006
Penn graduate Dennis Spivack says he wants to prove the idealism that defined his generation isn't lost. He intends to do it by running for Delaware's sole seat in the House of Representatives, even though he has never held elected office. Spivack, who graduated from the University in 1969, is a real-estate lawyer and a Wilmington, Delaware, native. He made the decision to run last summer, after reading about the state of American health care, the war in Iraq and a recent Delaware business merger which cost the state numerous jobs. [more]

March 17, 2006
Penn Linguistics professor Bill Labov recently co-authored the Atlas of North American English, a resource of pronunciation and vowel sounds from across the continent. But though his research spans far and wide, he has a special knack for Philadelphia linguistics. [more]

March 16, 2006
Since its opening in 2003, Broadway musical Wicked, produced by College alumni Marc Platt '79 and David Stone '88, has won three Tony Awards and six Drama Desk awards. Wicked also recently broke the record for the highest week-long box office gross of any show in Broadway history. [more]

March 2, 2006
John Doyle and Kira Baker C’97 GEd’99 are the founding partners of John and Kira’s Jubilee Chocolates, the West Philadelphia-based, socially conscious line of hand-crafted chocolates. Partners in business and romance, Doyle and Baker founded Jubilee Chocolates in 2000, initially testing and tasting in their West Philadelphia apartment. He had left an investment-banking firm in New York to chase his altruistic inclinations and salve his entrepreneurial itch. She was a student teacher. [more] See what John had to say at the Wharton 2002 Entrepreneurship Conference.