Advancing Our Commitments:
Building Community, Countering Hate, and Supporting Every Member of the Penn Community

In May 2024, the University Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community submitted their final reports, culminating months of extensive consultation with faculty, students, staff, alumni, and external experts.

Over the past year, the University of Pennsylvania has undertaken extensive efforts to implement actions in response to the recommendations from both groups’  reports. Our progress has been guided by Penn’s Statement of University Values, which affirms our commitment to excellence, freedom of inquiry and expression, and respect. Naming, embracing, and nurturing these values was a shared priority of both the Task Force and the Commission. As such, they are central to Penn’s identity and our institutional response. The progress highlighted below illustrates the many ways Penn is advancing our values in meaningful and lasting ways.

Across new programs, policies, and partnerships, Penn is building enduring structures that embed our values more deeply into every aspect of campus life, from the moment students, faculty, and staff arrive, through their development as engaged University citizens. These efforts expand our collective capacity to prevent and counter hate, foster understanding and mutual respect across difference, strengthen community, and advance education.

Framed around Penn’s values, the examples that follow are not intended to be exhaustive; they demonstrate the breadth and depth of Penn’s sustained commitment to meaningful cultural change, now and in the years ahead. 

Setting a New Standard

  • Launched in 2024, the nation’s first university-based Office of Religious and Ethnic Interests (OREI) positions Penn as a national leader in Title VI compliance. OREI sets a new standard for addressing discrimination based on religion, ethnicity, and shared ancestry through education, investigation, mediation, and institutional accountability.

Academic and Educational Innovation

  • The University is launching new academic offerings that foster nuanced, global dialogue, including Comparative Perspectives on Democracy in Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East (PSCI 1995), a Fall 2025 course taught by Visiting Scholar Dahlia Scheindlin as part of Penn’s Global Middle East Distinguished Visiting Scholar Initiative.
  • A deepened collaboration with the SNF Paideia Program integrates dialogue, civic engagement, and wellness into the undergraduate experience through fellowships, innovative coursework, and co-curricular programming that promotes thoughtful citizenship and civil discourse.
  • A new, required New Student Orientation session was introduced in Fall 2024, co-developed with the SNF Paideia Program, featuring real-world case studies on identity, dialogue, and bias. The session includes facilitated discussion groups and resource sharing to foster early engagement with Penn’s values and community expectations.
  • In Spring 2025, College Houses and Academic Services (CHAS) hosted Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Being an Effective Leader in a Rapidly Changing World at Gutmann College House to foster shared intellectual experiences across lines of difference. Building on this foundation, CHAS, undergraduate deans, and faculty are developing new seminar-style offerings, including preceptorials and co-curricular dialogues, to expand opportunities for engagement across perspectives.
  • Undergraduate Deans have reintroduced the Penn Reading Project as a shared experience for all incoming undergraduates in Fall 2025. In recognition of the upcoming America 250 celebration, which commemorates the American Revolution and the founding of the United States, the 2025: Revolution at Penn? exhibit, currently on view at Penn Libraries, will serve as the centerpiece of this initiative. The exhibit connects national history with Penn’s longstanding tradition of reflection and self-improvement.

Scholarly Leadership and Global Engagement

  • In March 2025, Professors Joshua Teplitsky and Simcha Gross convened Scales of Suffering, an international conference exploring sorrow and resilience in Jewish history. Supported by the Department of History, Global Medieval & Renaissance Studies, the Middle East Center, and a gift from Marc and Sheri Feigen, the event affirmed Penn’s leadership in advancing globally engaged Jewish scholarship. This builds on a program Professor Teplitsky convened in April, 2024, entitled, “Confronting Antisemitism: A Symposium on Its Past and Present.”
  • The Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies established a new postdoctoral position focused on the study of contemporary antisemitism. The position reflects Penn’s leadership in producing scholarship that is both rigorous and responsive, with contributions to undergraduate and graduate education, public programming, and scholarly networks.

Faculty and Instructor Development

  • The University expanded faculty development through targeted initiatives, led by the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Innovation (CETLI). New instructor-facing workshops launched in 2024 focus on navigating bias, fostering constructive dialogue, and supporting respectful classroom environments.
  • STEM faculty and academic leaders participated in tailored workshops designed to strengthen classroom culture and foster a sense of community and belonging for all students.
  • Integrated CETLI-led training into onboarding programs for teaching assistants, new faculty, and College House RA/GRA roles—ensuring shared expectations and consistent support for educational environments across schools and residential communities.

Updated Guidelines for Campus Expression

  • Issued new Temporary Standards for Campus Events and Demonstrations (Summer 2024) to provide clearer, more consistent guidance on time, place, and manner of expressive activity on campus. These standards reflect Penn’s ongoing commitment to protecting open expression while promoting campus safety, transparency, and mutual respect during periods of heightened activity.
  • Convened a faculty-led Task Force to review and modernize Penn’s Guidelines on Open Expression, in alignment with recommendations from the University Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission. Co-chaired by Professors Lisa Bellini and Sigal Ben-Porath, the group has been charged with strengthening policies, clarifying procedures, and ensuring structures support robust, respectful discourse. The Task Force is advisory to the President and Provost, and recommendations are currently under review.

Public Affirmations of Institutional Position

  • Adopted a formal University Statement of Values, affirming Penn’s foundational commitments to excellence, freedom of expression, and mutual respect. This shared statement, developed with input from across the Penn community, now serves as a unifying touchstone for institutional decision-making and culture.
  • Issued a University statement, Upholding Academic Independence, in Fall 2024, publicly affirming Penn’s enduring commitment to institutional autonomy and free academic inquiry. This underscores that Penn is an academic institution, guided by its core values, but it does not take political positions.
  • Reaffirmed Penn’s opposition to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, emphasizing that such actions are incompatible with academic freedom and the University's educational mission. Penn has consistently stated that it does not support divesting from, boycotting, or sanctioning Israel, aligning with Pennsylvania state law and the University's commitment to fostering open dialogue and mutual respect.

Global Discourse and Thought Leadership

  • Hosted the 2024 Silfen Forum, “Waging Peace: Dialogue and Diplomacy in the Middle East,” featuring a substantive conversation between former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Itamar Rabinovich, moderated by NPR correspondent Michele Kelemen (C ‘89). The dialogue explored pathways to peace, governance challenges, and the role of international actors, and illustrated Penn's commitment to fostering informed, respectful discourse on complex global issues.
  • Established the Penn Global Middle East Distinguished Visiting Scholar Initiative to bring leading scholars from the region to campus, advancing rigorous, regionally grounded academic inquiry on democracy, conflict, and political development. The program expands opportunities for students and faculty to engage directly with diverse perspectives through teaching, public dialogue, and scholarly collaboration.

Training and Capacity-Building Across Campus

  • Expanded Penn’s capacity for education through the Office of Religious and Ethnic Interests (OREI), launched in 2024. In partnership with CETLI, University Life, and academic units, OREI is developing campus-wide training modules for faculty, students, and staff to strengthen belonging and inclusion across identities.
  • Enhanced staff capacity for dialogue and identity-based programming, adding new roles within the SNF Paideia Program and Restorative Practices @ Penn to support sustained, community-wide engagement across lines of difference.
  • Foundational coordination and open dialogue with Jewish and Muslim/Arab/Palestinian student groups provided critical community insights and appreciation of lived experiences that informed implementation efforts.
  • In Spring 2025, OREI facilitated a Title VI workshop for Penn’s senior academic leadership, including the President, Provost, Vice Provosts, and school deans, underscoring shared responsibility for upholding institutional values and ensuring a respectful, accountable campus climate.

Student Experience and Campus Life

  • In Fall 2024, Penn eliminated the Kosher dining surcharge at Falk Dining Hall, making Kosher meals accessible at no additional cost.
  • Ongoing security enhancements are being implemented at religious and cultural spaces across campus, following a comprehensive security review by an external security expert.  The improvements include structural and technological enhancements to religious spaces. The University is providing funds to cover all related expenses. 
  • Penn was selected to participate in the 2025 Frieze Family Foundation Summer Institute on Antisemitism in Higher Education at Brandeis University. A cross-divisional team will develop new programming to enhance collaboration between University Life, Admissions, and partners, with a focus on outreach and support for admitted and incoming students.
  • Jewish student life continues to be supported through cultural and residential communities, including Rodin College House’s dedicated Jewish Cultural Studies community.
  • A new term position was created to support students from Middle Eastern and Arab backgrounds, with staffing coordinated by University Life and the Chaplain’s Office. A similar term position is being conceived in University Life that would partner with that role to coordinate support for Jewish students and support ongoing initiatives bridging differences and supporting new programs and workshops.
  • Expanded programming for graduate and professional students is in development, including improved coordination across school-based orientations to foster early connection, inclusion, and a shared sense of community.

Community Engagement and Dialogue

  • Perry World House and OREI co-hosted “The Role of Business Leaders in Addressing Bias and Hate” at Perry World House in Spring 2025, featuring CEOs Stanley Bergman and Farooq Kathwari, co-chairs of the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council. Moderated by journalist Deborah Amos, the event explored how business leaders can actively combat hate, emphasizing that addressing bias is both a moral imperative and essential for inclusive economic success.
  • Co-curricular initiatives such as Conversations for Community and Dinners Across Differences bring students, faculty, and staff together over shared meals to foster dialogue across difference, build empathy, and strengthen community through open, respectful exchange.

Accountability and Assessment

  • Expanded and clarified pathways for reporting bias and seeking support, including the Office of Religious and Ethnic Interests (OREI), the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs (OAA/EOP), the Center for Student Advocacy (CSA), and a confidential helpline.
  • Strengthened transparency and tracking of campus climate concerns, with the Center for Community Standards and Accountability increasing the frequency and detail of its public reporting, and cross-office teams—including OREI—developing new dashboards and tools to monitor trends and improve response protocols.
  • Launched a new undergraduate climate survey in Spring 2025, focused on belonging, safety, and religious and ethnic inclusion. The survey will serve as a key tool for longitudinal assessment and data-informed interventions to strengthen campus climate.

A Foundation for the Future

Through new structures, aligned systems, and sustained commitment from leadership, Penn is putting its values into action in ways that generate momentum, deepen capacity, and expand community impact. Our progress is evolving, collaborative, and designed to endure.

As we move forward, these efforts will continue to shape a stronger, more connected University, where every member of our community feels a sense of purpose and belonging, and can truly thrive.