Undergraduate Education and Innovation
Ensure that our students are prepared for lives situated in complexity, and equipped for personal fulfillment and societal contribution.
Penn Forward
Penn Forward is a University-wide initiative to shape Penn’s future.
For nearly three centuries, Penn has adapted to the world’s changing needs—innovating in education, research, and service. Now, higher education faces new challenges and opportunities: shifting funding, rapid advances in virtual learning and artificial intelligence, new research tools, rising skepticism, and opportunities to reach learners worldwide.
Six working groups (see below) of faculty, staff, students, and post-doctoral scholars will challenge legacy assumptions; propose bold, implementable strategies; and remain grounded in Penn’s values. Success means clear, executable initiatives to match our moment’s significance. Our institution will act wisely, move with purpose, and stay true to our mission.
We invite the entire Penn community to contribute ideas and ask questions as we shape this future together.
Penn Forward working groups
Graduate and Professional Training
Prepare graduate and professional students for emerging and evolving fields and careers faster and less expensively, create more flexible pathways toward their goals, and support professional readiness across a wider spectrum of opportunities.
Research Strategy and Financing
Secure new forms of support for our research ambitions and reimagine approaches to innovation, while protecting the freedom and creativity essential for progress.
Global Opportunity and New Markets
Think across place and time—broadening Penn’s reach geographically and serving learners, alumni, and partners throughout their lives.
Access, Affordability, and Value
Make Penn be and feel more welcoming to those who can benefit from what we have to offer, clarify the cost and value of a Penn education, and more powerfully communicate its purpose and impact.
Operational Transformation
Redesign and simplify Penn’s business and financial operations, and position administrative staff for the opportunities ahead.
Share your thoughts on Penn Forward
Frequently asked questions
Penn Forward is a strategic initiative to reshape how the University fulfills its missions of education, research, and service in a rapidly changing world. We are not starting from scratch, but we are not tinkering at the margins either. The effort will examine fundamental aspects of how Penn operates, how we engage with learners, how we generate knowledge, and how we sustain excellence. Our goal is to design a future for Penn that is academically vibrant, financially viable, publicly engaged, and organizationally sound.
No. In Principle and Practice remains our strategic foundation. Penn Forward is how we put that framework into motion—developing the structures, investments, and commitments necessary to deliver on its vision.
Many of the forces affecting higher education today, such as declining public trust, skepticism about cost and value, increasing regulatory complexity, and unstable research funding, have been building for years. Others, like the rapid emergence of generative AI, have arrived more suddenly. In this shifting landscape, Penn has an opportunity and a responsibility to help define what excellence in higher education looks like for the decades ahead. That means acting now, and with intention.
Penn Forward has been organized and set in motion by the President, the Provost, and the Executive Vice President with direct support from faculty and staff leaders. Each of the six topical domains has working group leads—members of the Penn community with deep knowledge and institutional experience. Those working groups are at the heart of the initiative, and will lead the process. They comprise faculty, staff, senior leaders and thinkers, students and post-doctoral scholars in regular consultation with the organizers and the University Board of Trustees. The overall effort is coordinated by Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and John Morgan Professor, David A. Asch, and Senior Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer, Thomas Murphy.
No. Our goal is to transform how Penn operates, making it easier and more efficient for work to get done across the University’s multilayered administrative structures. We will need to carefully manage the University’s finances through the new external finance pressures and uncertainties, including the endowment tax, declining federal funding support, and tariffs. However, this effort is focused on ensuring Penn’s operational processes and systems, and the staff who use them, are best positioned to manage the increasing complexity and scale of our work over the long term.
Working groups are composed to reflect a wide range of perspectives, and there will be structured opportunities for engagement, feedback, and idea-sharing throughout the fall. We recognize that Penn is a pluralistic institution, and good strategy must emerge through dialogue and deliberation.
Success is generating strategic clarity and executable choices—for example: reimagined undergraduate curricula, new financial models for research, a more purposeful international footprint, or a meaningful expansion of lifelong learning. These aren’t predetermined outcomes, but they represent the kinds of bold, future-focused directions we aim to explore and shape together.
Working groups began meeting in August and will deliver findings in early 2026. Some initiatives will begin rolling out even sooner, particularly where early accomplishments are possible. Throughout the year, we will continue sharing updates and inviting your feedback.
Undergraduate Education and Innovation
Ensure that our students are prepared for lives situated in complexity, and equipped for personal fulfillment and societal contribution.
Working group members
Russell J. Composto
Chair
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Max Annunziata
Chair External, Student Committee on Undergraduate Education; Degree Candidate ‘26
College of Arts & Sciences
Jennifer Canose
Director for Education and Academic Administration
D. Dennis Flores
Class of 1942 Endowed Associate Professor in Nursing
School of Nursing
Celina Gray
Senior Director of Academic Affairs, Undergraduate Division
Wharton School
Molly McGlone
Deputy Dean of Undergraduate Studies
School of Arts & Sciences
Nia Matthews
President, Undergraduate Assembly; Degree Candidate '27
Wharton School
Matthew Neff
Director of Undergraduate Fine Arts and Design
Stuart Weitzman School of Design
Desmond Upton Patton
31st PIK University Professor, School of Social Policy & Practice; Waldo E. Johnson Jr. Professor, Annenberg School for Communication
Secondary Appointments: Department of Psychiatry - Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia & Perelman School of Medicine; Founding Director, SAFElab; Founding Faculty Director, Penn Center for Inclusive Innovation & Technology; Chief Strategy Officer, School of Social Policy & Practice
Gary Purpura
Associate Vice Provost for Education and Academic Planning
Michael R. Roberts
William H. Lawrence Professor; Professor of Finance
Wharton School
Florian Schwarz
Professor & Undergraduate Chair of Linguistics
School of Arts & Sciences
Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw
Inaugural Faculty Director, Arthur Ross Gallery; James and Nan Wagner Farquhar Professor of History of Art
School of Arts & Sciences
Sunny Shin
Professor of Microbiology
Perelman School of Medicine
Lyle H. Ungar
Professor of Computer and Information Science
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Graduate and Professional Training
Prepare graduate and professional students for emerging and evolving fields and careers faster and less expensively, create more flexible pathways toward their goals, and support professional readiness across a wider spectrum of opportunities
Working group members
Kelly L. Jordan-Sciutto
Chair
Vice Provost for Graduate Education; Professor of Oral Medicine
Perelman School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine
Faizan Alawi
Vice Dean of Academics; Professor of Pathology
Perelman School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine
Jennifer Canose
Director for Education and Academic Administration
Amy C. Durham
Professor of Pathology; Associate Dean for Education
School of Veterinary Medicine and Perelman School of Medicine
Malitta Engstrom
MSW Program Faculty Director; Associate Professor
School of Social Policy & Practice
Roberto G. Gonzales
Richard Perry University Professor, Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
School of Arts and Sciences and Graduate School of Education
Leslie Hurtig
Vice Dean for Administration and Chief of Staff
Stuart Weitzman School of Design
Jennifer R. Kogan
Vice Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education; William Maul Measey President's Distinguished Professor in Medical Education
Perelman School of Medicine
Rachit Kumar
Medical Scientist Training Program
Perelman School of Medicine
Boon Thau Loo
Senior Associate Dean; RCA Chair Professor of Computer and Information Science
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Julie Nettleton
Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Education
Dan Premauden
President for Graduate Student Government; Doctoral Candidate
School of Arts & Sciences
Janine Remillard
Chair, Learning, Teaching, and Literacies Division Director; Online Masters in Educational Studies Program; Chair, Penn Forum for Women Faculty and Gender Equity (PFWFGE); PI, Advancing Mentor Teachers’ Practices through Collaborative Pedagogical Reasoning (NSF – DRK-12)
Graduate School of Education
Julie A. Sochalski
Associate Dean for Academic Programs
School of Nursing
Luke Taylor
John B. Neff Professor in Finance; Professor of Finance Co-Director; Rodney L. White Center for Financial Research; Coordinator of Finance PhD Program
Wharton School
Polk Wagner
Michael A. Fitts Professor of Law; Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs and Innovation
Penn Carey Law
Kelly Walsh
Director of Student and Academic Affairs
School of Arts & Sciences
Beth S. Wenger
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies; Moritz and Josephine Berg Professor of History
School of Arts & Sciences
Meridith Wooten
Executive Director, Graduate Student Center
Research Strategy and Financing
Secure new forms of support for our research ambitions and reimagine approaches to innovation, while protecting the freedom and creativity essential for progress.
Working group members
David F. Meaney
Co-Chair
Vice Provost for Research; Solomon R. Pollack Professor of Bioengineering
School of Engineering and Applied Science
E. Michael Ostap
Co-Chair
Professor of Physiology; Senior Vice Dean and Chief Scientific Officer
Perelman School of Medicine
José A. Bauermeister
Albert M. Greenfield Professor of Human Relations
School of Nursing
Sanya Carley
Presidential Distinguished Professor of Energy Policy and City Planning
Stuart Weitzman School of Design
Caitlyn X. Chen
Degree Candidate '26
College of Arts & Sciences and School of Engineering and Applied Science
Bhuvnesh Jain
Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor in the Natural Sciences
School of Arts & Sciences
Myra F. Laird
Assistant Professor, Department of Basic and Translational Sciences
School of Dental Medicine
Alexis Ogdie
Professor of Medicine
Perelman School of Medicine
Elizabeth (Missy) Peloso
Senior Associate Vice Provost; Senior Associate Vice President for Research
Office of Research Services
Aswin Punathambekar
Professor of Communication; Associate Dean
Annenberg School for Communication
Gabby Scher
Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Microbiology
Perelman School of Medicine
Phillip Scott
Professor of Immunology; Vice Dean for Research and Academic Resources
School of Veterinary Medicine
Eric A. Stach
Robert D. Bent Professor of Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
School of Engineering and Applied Science
John S. Swartley
Chief Innovation Officer
Christopher Woods
Professor of Assyriology and Sumerology; Avalon Professor in the Humanities; Williams Director
Penn Museum
Ludwig Zhao
Doctoral Candidate, Bioengineering Graduate Group
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Global Opportunity and New Markets
Think across place and time—broadening Penn’s reach geographically and serving learners, alumni, and partners throughout their lives.
Working group members
Ezekiel J. Emanuel
Co-Chair
Vice Provost for Global Initiatives; Levy University Professor
Perelman School of Medicine and Wharton School
Megan S. Ryerson
Co-Chair
UPS Professor of Transportation
Stuart Weitzman School of Design and School of Engineering and Applied Science
Veronica Baladi
Degree Candidate '27
School of Arts & Sciences
Betty Chandy
Director for Online Learning at Catalyst
Graduate School of Education
Peter Decherney
Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Term Chair in the Humanities
Annenberg School for Communication
Benjamin Dibling
Associate Vice Provost for Research; Managing Director
Penn Center for Innovation
Amy E. Gadsden
Associate Vice Provost for Global Initiatives
Kathryn (Kate) Griffo
Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations
Rebecca (Becca) Hayward
Executive Director, Office of Academic Innovation
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Nora E. Lewis
Vice Dean for Professional and Liberal Education
School of Arts & Sciences
Andres Mondragon
MSE Candidate '26
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Scott M. Moore
Managing Director, Global Initiatives, Research, and Strategy, Penn Global; Practice Professor of Political Science
School of Arts & Sciences
Ariel Schwartz
Managing Director, Center for Social Impact Strategy
School of Social Policy & Practice
Nicholas Smith
Director of Financial Planning & Analysis
Director of Financial Planning
Harsha Thirumurthy
Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy
Perelman School of Medicine
Karl T. Ulrich
CIBC Endowed Professor
Wharton School
Access, Affordability, and Value
Make Penn be and feel more welcoming to those who can benefit from what we have to offer, clarify the cost and value of a Penn education, and more powerfully communicate its purpose and impact.
Working group members
Sara (Sally) Bachman
Co-Chair
Dean
School of Social Policy & Practice
Patrick T. Harker
Co-Chair
Rowan Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions
Wharton School
Rachel B. Baker
Associate Professor, Policy, Organizations, Leadership, and Systems Division
Graduate School of Education
Angela L. Bostick
Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
Wharton School
Brighid Dwyer
Vice Dean for Academic Excellence and Engagement; Professor of Practice
School of Arts & Sciences
Emmanuel (Manny) Fernandez
Doctoral Candidate
School of Nursing
Trevor C. Lewis
Interim Vice President for Finance & Treasurer; Vice President of the Office of Budget Planning & Analysis
Budget Planning and Analysis,
Division of Finance
Marc A. Lo
Executive Director
Penn First Plus
Meiling Mathur
Degree Candidate '27
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Joann Mitchell
Senior Vice President for Institutional Affairs
Benjamin Nathans
Alan Charles Kors Endowed Term Professor of History
School of Arts & Sciences
Laura W. Perna
Vice Provost for Faculty; GSE Centennial Presidential Professor of Education
Graduate School of Education
E. Whitney Soule
Vice Provost; Dean of Admissions
Penn Admissions
Mariana Valdes-Fauli
Associate Vice President
Student Registration & Financial Services
Heather Weiss Frattone
Vice Dean for External Affairs
Penn Carey Law
Operational Transformation
Redesign and simplify Penn’s business and financial operations, and position administrative staff for the opportunities ahead.
Visit the Operational Transformation Initiative website.
(PennKey required)
Working group members
Tom Murphy
Chair
Senior Vice President; Chief Transformation Officer
Joshua Beeman
Interim Vice President of Information Systems & Computing and Interim Chief Information Officer
Information Systems and Computing
Mark Dingfield
Executive Vice President
John L. Jackson, Jr.
Provost
Vijay Kumar
Nemirovsky Family Dean
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Matt Lane
Associate Provost for Finance and Planning
Trevor C. Lewis
Interim Vice President for Finance & Treasurer; Vice President of the Office of Budget Planning & Analysis
Budget Planning and Analysis,
Division of Finance
Christopher D. Masotti
Senior Vice Dean of Finance and Operations
Perelman School of Medicine
Elizabeth (Missy) Peloso
Senior Associate Vice Provost; Senior Associate Vice President for Research
Office of Research Services
Jason Presley
Vice Dean, Finance and Administration
Graduate School of Education
Mark Trodden
Dean; Thomas S. Gates Jr. Professor
School of Arts & Sciences
Felicia Washington
Vice President of Human Resources
Division of Human Resources