University of Pennsylvania

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University of Pennsylvania
Image:Wikipedia Penn Shield.jpg
Motto Leges sine Moribus vanae (Laws without morals are in vain.)
Established 1740
School type Private
President Amy Gutmann
Location Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Campus Urban, 269 acres (1.1 km²)
Enrollment 10,047 undergraduate,
9,218 graduate
Faculty 4,499
Mascot Quakers
Endowment $4.3 billion
Official website www.upenn.edu

The University of Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn or UPenn, although the former is the preferred and recognized nickname of the University) is a private, nonsectarian, research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The fourth oldest institution of higher education in the U.S., and the nation's first university, it is also a member of the Ivy League. Penn is considered to be among the nation's most prestigious universities. 　It is a leader in the sciences, the humanities, law, medicine, education, engineering and business [1].

The University of Pennsylvania is one of the nation's only private universities to be named for the state in which it is located (others include the University of Southern California and New York University). Because of this, it is sometimes confused with the Pennsylvania State University (also known as "Penn State"), a public research university whose main campus is located in the geographic center of Pennsylvania in State College.

Contents

Overview

A faculty of about 4,500 professors serves about 10,000 undergraduate and 9,000 graduate and professional students; the research community includes 1,000 faculty, 1,000 postdoctoral fellows, 3,000 graduate students, and 5,000 support staff, with a budget of $4.25 billion, annually, alongside a payroll of $2.183 billion. Penn has the largest budget within the Ivy League.

Admitting 20.8 percent of applicants to the Class of 2009, Penn has the second highest undergraduate acceptance rate in the Ivy League, behind only Cornell University. This is largely due to the fact that Penn has four undergraduate schools with varying acceptance rates. Typically, the Wharton School of Business and the College of Arts and Sciences have lower acceptance rates (around 13% and 17%, respectively) than the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the School of Nursing. According to US News & World Report and the Carnegie Foundation, Penn has the eleventh lowest admission rate among all US doctoral institutions, behind Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, Stanford, Brown, MIT, Dartmouth, Washington University in St. Louis, and Georgetown. In 2002, The Atlantic Monthly ranked it as the eighth most selective college in the United States (after MIT, Princeton, Caltech, Yale, Harvard, Stanford and Columbia). Since 2001, Penn has been ranked among the top five universities by the annual US News & World Report Best College Survey. In the 2005 and 2006 issues, Penn held the number four spot, after only Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. The undergraduate business program at Penn's Wharton School was rated No. 1.

Penn also has a diverse student population. About 41.4% of students accepted for admission to the Class of 2008 are Black, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American. Women comprise 50.8 percent of all students currently enrolled. A total of 2,440 international students applied for admission to Penn’s undergraduate schools for the Class of 2008, and 489 (20%) were accepted. More than 13% of the first year class are international students. Of the international students accepted to the Class of 2008, 15.8% were from Africa and the Middle East, 48.1% from Asia, 0.4% from Australia and the Pacific, 11.7% from Canada and Mexico, 10% from Central/South America and the Caribbean, and 14.1% from Europe. Penn had 4,192 international students enrolled at all levels in Fall 2004.

Some of Penn's more notable programs are its School of Veterinary Medicine, Wharton School of business, School of Medicine, School of Arts and Sciences, Law School, Nursing School, Annenberg School for Communication, School of Engineering and Applied Science, School of Design, School of Education, and School of Social Policy and Practice. It also contains many well-known departments including English, History, Economics, Philosophy, Computer Science, Political Science, Biology, Psychology and Anthropology. It is also noted for its Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Undergraduate students at Penn may also take courses at area colleges participating in the Quaker consortium. The member colleges include Swarthmore, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr.

Penn is an international leader in interdisciplinary programs. In addition to numerous cross-disciplinary majors and joint-degree programs, Penn is home to interdisciplinary institutions such as the Institute for Medicine and Engineering, the Joseph H. Lauder Institute for Management and International Studies, the Institute for Research in Cognitive Science, the Executive Master's in Technology Management Program, the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business, and the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology

The first medical school in the United States was founded at Penn in 1765. In 1786 Penn was chartered by the state as the first "university" in America. Penn hosts the country's second college of veterinary medicine, and the only college to offer the degree 'VMD' instead of 'DVM' for its veterinary graduates. The world's first all-electronic computer, ENIAC was built at Penn's Moore School of Electrical Engineering.

Located in downtown Philadelphia for over a century, the campus was moved across the Schuylkill River to West Philadelphia in 1872, where it has remained. The present campus covers over 260 urban acres (1 km²). Recent improvements to the surrounding neighborhoods include the opening of several restaurants, a large grocery store, and a movie theater on the western edge of campus.

Penn has been noted for its strong student culture, particularly award-winning a cappella groups, which range from jazz (Counterparts), to traditional groups such as PennSix and Off the Beat to Penn Masala — the world's premier Hindi group, which has received global acclaim. Penn is also recognized for its premier, all-male a cappella group, the Pennchants. The University of Pennsylvania Glee Club is the oldest continually-performing collegiate performance group in the United States, having been founded in 1862. Penn Singers is the only collegiate group in the United States to have performed all but one of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. The Philomathean Society, Penn's student literary society, was founded in 1813 and is the oldest continuously-existing collegiate literary society in the United States. Mask and Wig, founded in 1889, is the oldest performing comedy group in the nation, and the Pennsylvania Punch Bowl is one of the nation's oldest humor magazines. The Daily Pennsylvanian, consistently ranked as one of the best student newspapers in the country, has been published since 1885. The University's Political Science Department is known for publishing a semesterly scholarly journal of undergraduate research called "Sound Politicks." The journal is student-run and is widely noted for the originality and quality of the articles it publishes. It accepts submissions from Penn students year round.

University of Pennsylvania borders Drexel University. Also nearby is the University City High School.

History

In 1749, eager to create a college to educate future generations, Benjamin Franklin wrote and circulated a pamphlet titled "Proposals for the Education of Youth in Pensilvania." Unlike the other three American Colonial colleges that existed at the time -- Harvard, William and Mary, and Yale -- Franklin's new school would not focus on education for the clergy. He advocated an innovative concept of higher education, one which would teach both the ornamental knowledge of the arts and the practical skills necessary for making a living and doing public service. The proposed program of study became the nation's first modern liberal arts curriculum.

Ben Franklin assembled a board of trustees from among the leading citizens of the city, the first such non-sectarian board in America, and looked about for the least costly way to build a campus.

In 1740, a group of working class Philadelphians had decided to erect a great preaching hall for the evangelist George Whitefield. It was the largest building in the city, and it was also planned to serve as a charity school for "the instruction of poor children." The fundraising, however, for both the building and the school had fallen short and the plans for both chapel and school were suspended. Franklin saw an opportunity to open his Academy quickly and inexpensively and in 1751 the Academy, using the great hall at 4th and Arch Streets, took in its first students. A charity school also was opened in accordance with the intentions of the original "New Building" donors.

Penn has continued that innovative tradition with the founding of the first university teaching hospital in 1874; the creation of the Wharton School, the world's first collegiate school of business, in 1881; the construction of Houston Hall, the first American student union building, in 1896; and the building of ENIAC, the world's first electronic, large-scale, general-purpose digital computer in 1946.

Nobel prize winners

Athletics

Penn's sports teams are called the Quakers. They participate in the Ivy League and Division I (Division I-AA for football) in the NCAA. In recent decades they often have been league champions in football (12 times from 1982 to 2003) and basketball (21 times from 1970 to 2004). The Quakers are also part of the Big Five traditional basketball rivalries, along with Temple, Villanova, Saint Joseph's, and LaSalle.

Penn's home court, the Palestra, is an arena used for Big Five contests as well as high-school sporting events, and Franklin Field, where the Quakers play football, hosts the annual collegiate track and field event "the Penn Relays," and once was the home field of the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles. It was also the site of the early Army-Navy football games. Franklin Field, the oldest stadium still operating for football games, was also the home to the first commercially-televised football game, and was also the first stadium to sport two tiers.

Traditions

Toast throwing

As a sign of school pride, crowds of Quaker fans perform a unique ritual. After the third quarter of football games, spirited onlookers unite in the singing of "Drink a Highball." In years long past, students would literally make a toast to the success of Penn's athletic teams. During Prohibition, stubborn students insisted on keeping their tradition - since they could not use alcohol, they had no choice but to literally "toast" Penn. As the last line, "Here's a toast to dear old Penn," is sung, the fans send toast hurling through the air onto the sidelines. In another version of the origins of toast throwing, in 1977, current band leader and then drum major, Greer Cheeseman threw the first slice of toast after being inspired while attending a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show where members of the audience throw toast at the screen. In more recent years, some students have become more creative in their choice of projectiles, and it is not rare to see a hail of bagels or donuts, or even a loaf of French bread come flying down from the stands. A continuing myth which has been passed down by the undergraduate admissions department to their guides is that the Penn athletic department owns a toast "Zamboni," created by an Engineering student as a Senior Project. This statement is false. The athletics department has purchased several industrial street sweepers built by Tenant Inc. The latest is a 6400 Rider Sweeper used for cleaning the concourses and track area of the stadium.

Befriending Ben

Penn students show love to the founder of their school, Benjamin Franklin, by paying special attention to the statues and monuments throughout campus. Students and tourists often take pictures sitting on Ben's lap or in other fun and friendly poses.

Goal post tossing

In past years, the Penn Quakers have won the Ivy League championship, sending the jubilant fans into a frenzy. In celebration, the fans ripped down the goal posts and tossed them into the Schuylkill River. This is one Penn tradition that the administration hopes is short-lived.

Econ scream

At midnight on the eve of the first Microeconomics 001 midterm, students ease their frustrations by participating in a campus-wide shout! Some brave students have even been known to streak through the Quad . . .

Class Day and Hey Day

In April, several class traditions are celebrated. Class Day, which began in 1865 to supplement the final graduation exercises, celebrates the progression of all classes and the departure of the seniors. In 1916, this day merged with Straw Hat Day and became the "day of two events." In 1931, Hey Day arose from these two celebrations. On this day, the juniors gather on Hill Field for a picnic, don straw "skimmers" and canes, and march triumphantly through campus. The procession tradition began in 1949. When the procession reaches College Hall, the students make an arch with their canes to greet the President of the University. The outgoing and incoming senior class presidents then give speeches, and the juniors are "officially" declared seniors. In recent years, the current senior class pelts the juniors with shaving cream, chocolate sauce, flour, painful vinegar, and other condiments.

The Сompass

Showcasing their superstitious side, Penn students avoid stepping over the tiled compass on the scenic Locust Walk. Supposedly, the compass serves to guide freshmen through their first year; stepping on will put a student in danger of failing midterms or finals. According to popular myth, the only way for a freshman to reverse the "curse" is to have sex under the sculpture of a button in front of the Van Pelt library.

The Button

It is an oft-proclaimed goal of Penn undergraduates to have sex underneath the large split-button sculpture in front of Van Pelt library sometime before they graduate.

Ivy Day

One of the oldest Penn traditions is Ivy Day, when the graduating class plants ivy by a building, and an "Ivy Stone" is placed on the building to commemorate the occasion. In 1981, the day was officially moved to the Saturday before Commencement. Also on this day, the prestigious Spoon, Bowl, Cane, and Spade awards are given, honoring four senior men; and the Hottel, Harnwell, Goddard, and Brownlee awards are presented to honor four senior women. During the celebration, a noted individual who is chosen by the class gives an address. Recent Ivy Day addresses have been presented by Penn Parent Joan Rivers, former Philadelphia Mayor and current Governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell, and basketball player Julius Erving

"Red and the Blue"

Penn students have a special version of the school anthem (not to be confused with alma mater), "The Red and The Blue." The song is sang especially loud when competing against Ivy school rival Princeton University

Lingo

  • The Keg - Name used for Jon M. Huntsman Hall, the primary education building for the Wharton School of Business. References the circular dominance of the building.
  • The Button - Nickname for the enormous button sculpture outside of the Van Pelt - Deitrich Library. It is believed that Ben Franklin founded the school where his button landed.
  • DPS - Acronym for what the staff at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania calls Drunk Penn Students.
  • Hup - H.U.P., Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where aforementioned DPS end up
  • Quaker - somebody affiliated with Penn
  • DP - The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn's free daily newspaper
  • The Walk - Locust Walk, the campus' central pedestrian thoroughfare and social artery of the undergraduate body
  • FroGro - Fresh Grocer, the 24-hour supermarket on the northwestern corner of Penn's campus.
  • TriDi - The Triangle Diner (now defunct), replaced with Tony Luke's Sandwiches
  • Flungover - a play on the oft-suffered hangover when it occurs during Spring Fling
  • The Dueling Tampons - an enormous red metal sculpture outside the high-rises
  • Ghettomagic - The now-defunct movie theater Cinemagic, formerly infamous for its dilapidated facilities
  • Smoke's - Smokey Joe's, a popular bar on 40th Street
  • Whore-ton - derogatory (in jest) moniker for Wharton used by non-Wharton students.
  • Steiny-D - Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, former home of the Wharton School of Business
  • ABP - Au bon Pain, the café chain fondly known for its sheer multitude of locations inside Wharton buildings
  • The Old Guard - Alumni who have graduated more than 50 years ago
  • Stwinger - A Penn student who has lived in the Science & Technology Wing (STwing) residential program, and is inevitably a fantastic geek
  • Baby Quad - The small southeastern section of the Quadrangle that looks like a miniaturized verison of the rest
  • Superblock - old name for the large city block containing Penn's three residential high-rise buildings
  • M&T - A student enrolled in the Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, earning a degree from the Wharton School and the School of Engineering. The epitome of the overworked student
  • J.Ro - Nickname for former Penn president Judith Rodin
  • The Nipple - The circular southwestern corner of the Quad, which when viewed from a map bears resemblance to a human nipple. This is also the location used to smuggle alcohol into the Quad during Spring Fling
  • Penntrification/McPenntrification - term used to describe Penn's attempts at expanding Penn's campus and gentrification of West Philadelphia. Derogatory if used by locals, neutral/positive if used by most of the student body
  • The Death Star - nickname for Jon M. Huntsman Hall, for its huge scale, partially round shape, and being home to the Wharton School
  • Jewniversity of Pennsylasia - playful (non-derogatory) nickname for the University of Pennsylvania, derived from Penn's historically high population of Jewish and Asian students in relation to peer institutions
  • Sugardaddy - the nickname of Oasis manager Chris Johnson

Noted alumni

See also: List of University of Pennsylvania people

Some noted University of Pennsylvania alumni include real estate mogul Donald Trump, Cisco Systems co-founder Len Bosack, linguist and activist Noam Chomsky, numerous other past and present U.S. Ambassadors, members of congress, governors, and cabinet members, and corporate leaders. Refer to List of University of Pennsylvania people for a detailed list.

Notable professors

Main article: List of University of Pennsylvania people

Majors

Penn offers almost 90 majors across its four undergraduate schools:

College of Arts and Sciences:

School of Engineering and Applied Science:

Wharton School of Business:

Nursing School:

  • Nursing and Health Care Management
  • Nursing and Technology

Joint-degree programs

Penn offers specialized joint-degree programs, which award candidates degrees from multiple schools at the University upon completion of graduation criteria of both schools:

Dual Degree programs are also available, although they sometimes lack the flexibility of the Joint-Degree Programs.

See also

External links


Ivy League
Brown University | Columbia University | Cornell University | Dartmouth College
Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania | Princeton University | Yale University 		Image:IvyLeague 100.png

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