University of Pennsylvania

For more than two centuries, the University of Pennsylvania has been committed to excellence in scholarship, research and service. From its highly regarded undergraduate, graduate and professional schools to its wide-ranging program of interdisciplinary research and scholarship, Penn takes pride in being a place where students and faculty can pursue knowledge without boundaries, a place where theory and practice combine to produce a better understanding of our world and ourselves.

We invite you to explore this great university and take advantage of all it has to offer.

At the University of Pennsylvania, you'll find a historic, Ivy League school with highly selective admissions and a history of innovation in interdisciplinary education and scholarship. You'll also find a picturesque campus amidst a dynamic city and a world-class research institution.
Intellectual rigor and a practical outlook

Penn carries on the principles and spirit of its founder, Benjamin Franklin: entrepreneurship, innovation, invention, outreach, and a pragmatic love of knowledge. Franklin's practical outlook has remained a driving force in the university's development.
Top students

Today Penn is home to a diverse undergraduate student body of nearly 10,000, hailing from every state in the union and all around the globe. Admissions are among the most selective in the country and Penn consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Another 10,000 students are enrolled in Penn's 12 graduate and professional schools, which are national leaders in their fields. The Wharton School is consistently one of the nation's top three business schools. The School of Nursing is one of the two best in the U.S. The School of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School of Education, Law School, School of Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, and Annenberg School for Communication all rank among the top 10 schools in their fields.
A singular campus

With its green lawns and landmark architecture, our beautiful West Philadelphia campus houses all of Penn's activities, from student life, athletics, and academics to research, scholarship, and cultural life. All of Penn's 12 schools are located within walking distance of one another. This geographical unity, unique among Ivy League schools, supports and fosters Penn's interdisciplinary approach to education, scholarship, and research.
A vibrant city

Penn's picturesque campus is situated near the heart of Philadelphia, a vital and lively city. Our students and faculty enjoy both campus life and the expansive cultural offerings of the city. Penn makes a substantial investment in its surrounding neighborhood and offers ways for students and faculty to make community service part of their educational experience.
Crossing boundaries

True to our roots, Penn encourages both intellectual and practical pursuits. On our unified campus, this flexible mindset makes Penn a national leader in interdisciplinary programs, crossing traditional academic and professional boundaries to engage participants in the pursuit of new -- and useful -- knowledge. 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, and the Management and Technology Program.
Powerful research

With 174 research centers and institutes, research is a substantial and esteemed enterprise at Penn. As of fiscal year 2006, the research community includes more than 4,200 faculty and 870 postdoctoral fellows, nearly 3,800 graduate students and 5,400 academic support staff and graduate assistants, and a research budget of $660 million. The scale and interdisciplinary character of our research activities make Penn a nationally-ranked research university.

Penn traces its origins to 1740 when a trust was formed to establish the Charity School of Philadelphia. Later, in 1749, Benjamin Franklin presented his vision for a new type of learning institution, that unlike other American Colonial colleges, would not focus on education for the clergy, but would instead prepare students for lives of business and public service. The proposed program of study would become the nation's first modern liberal arts curriculum. When, in 1750, Franklin and the first Trustees purchased Penn's first campus, they also assumed responsibility for the Charity School (though it had never opened, the Trust was still alive and well). Both the Academy and the Charity School opened in 1751.

More than 250 years later, Penn continues to blaze trails in education. It is home to the nation's first medical school, which added as early as 1874, a university teaching hospital. The University is also the birthplace of technological invention. In 1946, Penn introduced ENIAC, the world's first electronic, large-scale, general-purpose digital computer.

In addition to ushering in new ideas, Penn has welcomed countless leaders through its doors. Nine signers of the Declaration of Independence and eleven signers of the Constitution are associated with the University. Eadweard James Muybridge, who pioneered motion photography, began his experiments under the University's auspices. Since 1923, fifteen Penn scholars have been awarded Nobel Prizes. In 1994 Judith Rodin became the first woman to be inaugurated President of an Ivy League institution.

Penn's heritage is likewise reflected in its environs, where its 269-acre, urban campus boasts many notable landmarks. These include Houston Hall, the nation's first student union; the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, one of the finest museums of its kind in the country; Franklin Field, the oldest collegiate football field still in use and the country's first double-decked college stadium; plus buildings by noted architects Frank Furness, Louis Kahn, Eero Saarinen, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown.

Recognized as America's first university, Penn remains today a world-renowned center for the creation and dissemination of knowledge. It serves as a model for research colleges and universities throughout the world.

Benjamin Franklin is well-known for his many inventions, including bifocals, the lightning rod and the Franklin stove. We like to think of Penn as one of Franklin's biggest and best inventions—and one that continues to flourish centuries after its founding. In his "Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania" (1749), Franklin outlined a progressive college: one that would offer practical as well as classical instruction in order to prepare youth for real-world pursuits. Franklin’s spirit of free inquiry and learning in the service of society continues to guide the University today.

Franklin (1706-1790) was a true Renaissance man, known for his devotion to education, support for intellectual pursuits and commitment to the public good. He was a successful entrepreneur and printer, and could boast a remarkable number of “firsts” to his name, including publishing America’s first political cartoon in the "Pennsylvania Gazette".

Franklin lived his dictum: “Energy and persistence conquer all things,” whether he was launching civic service projects to pave, clean and light Philadelphia’s streets or founding America’s first subscription library. He is also remembered as a respected statesman who argued in 1754 for a plan to unite the colonies and later co-drafted the Declaration of Independence and signed the Constitution. Franklin’s influence reached overseas, establishing his reputation as a great international ambassador.

Franklin asserted, “Either write things worthy reading; or do things worth the writing.” Franklin is remembered as both a skilled writer and a prolific doer, whose vision and projects still resonate throughout Philadelphia and the nation. The links below will guide you through some of this remarkable man’s achievements and contributions.

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• Feb 19

  

   

  Category: Career

  Key positions that will be in demand under President-elect Barack Obama's initiative to rebuild "crumbling roads, bridges and schools" include construction manager, project manager, civil engineer, computer-aided drafting specialist and telecommunications engineer. As an...

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