University of Pennsylvania Archives

The first issue of the The University Magazine, predecessor to The Daily Pennsylvanian, was published on this week in 1875. Learn more about the history of The University Magazine and view all issues in our online exhibit:

We write to provide you with the University’s current plans for the spring semester, which will begin on January 20, 2021. The current fall semester has given u...s essential information and insights into how best to manage campus life as the pandemic continues its worldwide spread. With a limited number of students on campus and in West Philadelphia this fall, we have been able to successfully minimize risk to our community through effective testing and tracing systems, rigorous enforcement of the guidelines enacted to protect the health of our community and, most importantly, the conscientious commitment of students, faculty and staff, for which we are grateful. As we approach the spring semester, we have been working with Penn Medicine to dramatically expand our testing capacity. With additional testing available, we are confident that we can support increased numbers of students returning to campus in January. Students who choose to return to campus will be able to engage in a variety of small-group interactions and have access to library study space, outdoor athletic facilities, and other extracurricular activities, all subject to public health guidelines and our Student Campus Compact. The hybrid educational experiences for all students in the spring are likely to be similar to this fall: most classes will be delivered remotely, with limited exceptions, including courses with clinical experiences and in-person research required for graduation. Adherence to the guidelines for conduct during the pandemic as outlined in the Student Campus Compact will continue to be required of all students. Among other conditions outlined in the Compact, students are required to receive a flu shot before their return. Proof of immunization to the flu will be a condition of attendance. To maximize our ability to protect the community from the coronavirus, all undergraduates will be required to be tested for COVID-19 twice per week upon their return to campus, and all graduate and professional students engaged in research activities on campus or living in the area once per week. Full announcement linked below.

The founding meeting of Penn's Zelosophic Society was held on this day in 1829. More on Zelo: https://archives.upenn.edu/collections/finding-aid/ups44_2 Image: Minutes of the founding meeting of the society by members of the Class of 1831 (https://library.artstor.org/publ/SS7732016_7732016_12444567)

Dedicated on Oct. 24, 1970, the Class of 1923 Penn Ice Rink is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Penn Today reflects on a half-century of the facility, its service to the University community, and how it has grown and transformed over the years.

During the October University Council meeting held online, Provost Wendell Pritchett, Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli, & Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé provided an update on the efforts of Penn’s recovery planning group & COVID-19’s impact.

Charles Patterson Van Pelt Library dedication ceremony, October 22, 1962 #ThrowbackThursday #TBT Image: https://library.artstor.org/publ/SS7732016_7732016_12330512

The University Archives is pausing today to remember all who have been lost to COVID-19. #PennRemembers

from campus #FightOnPenn

Penn's Towne Building was dedicated on this day in 1906. Image: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/community.22109187

We are still accepting submissions to the Penn COVID-19 Community Archiving Project. Learn more here: https://archives.upenn.edu/covid-19-project

"In some significant way, we '68ers have been guided and shaped by our wonderful Penn faculty, those teachers who have made a difference in our lives from the 1...960s and beyond," writes Lee Gordon C'68. Here, the Class of 1968 shares memories of those influential professors in the Favorite Penn Professor Project. Compiled by Gordon, it includes 75 faculty memories covering 44 professors in 23 different academic departments. https://bit.ly/33Wlru5

On this day in 1890, Penn's School of Architecture (now University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design) opened within the Towne Scientific School. More on the development of the School of Design in the Office of the Dean Records: https://archives.upenn.edu/collecti/finding-aid/upb8_4laird

The Gazette is saddened to learn of the passing of professor emerita Renée C. Fox, who was recently interviewed in our May|Jun 2020 issue. Gazette contributor J...ulia Klein spoke with Fox, a leader in the field of medical sociology, about her latest essay collection "Explorations of a Mind-Traveling Sociologist," published last year before her 92nd birthday. Read the Gazette article here: https://thepenngazette.com/mind-traveler/

The Philomathean Society was founded on this day in 1813. A brief history: https://archives.upenn.edu/exhibi/penn-history/philomathean