Standing Strong Together: Penn's Commitment to Our Foundational Values
April 30, 2025
Dear Colleagues,
This week, Penn President J. Larry Jameson shared reflections on a recent series of roundtable discussions with the University’s 74 academic chairs, as well as deans, members of the Faculty Senate, student groups, alumni, Penn parents, and legislators.
We write today to share some of his thoughts, and our own vantage point amidst the increasingly complex landscape of both higher education and academic medicine. Please know that as our University community and our peers in higher education across the nation face profound threats to our mission and values, we are standing strong together, and there must be no doubt about where we stand. As President Jameson wrote:
Penn upholds academic freedom, open inquiry, and principled non-discrimination as essential commitments. Especially in times of uncertainty or challenge, our University Values guide our actions and shape the environment where learning and discovery can thrive. These values are not negotiable – they are foundational. Our strength as a university lies in our diversity of thought, background, and experience. We will continue to ensure we cultivate a community where we are stronger, more innovative, and more effective as a place of learning because we bring different skills and allow every person to flourish. We are defending the vital work of our faculty, staff, and students through our institutional advocacy and are standing firm in protecting the legal rights of our institution and the academic community.
At Penn Medicine, these commitments cement each of our missions, from our laboratory benches to the classroom to our hospitals and clinics. With nearly 60,000 faculty, staff, and trainees across the health system and the Perelman School of Medicine and almost 2,000 students, we are a vital part of the Penn community. In spite of today’s challenges, our work together is a powerful fuel for good.
We share President Jameson’s view that the work ahead includes both powerful opportunities and significant risks for all of higher education. But the horizon is clear. In lifting our heads up – and in lifting up one another on hard days – we can see that history is being made each day in our institution.
As events unfold in the weeks and months ahead, we will continue to share updates and information. Some of the issues before us – contract and grant terminations, federal investigations, and financial pressures associated with reimbursement changes – will take time to address and resolve. These are daily areas of focus for our leadership team and colleagues across the University.
For you as individuals and leaders, we want to echo President Jameson, who called this “a time for Penn to focus on elements under our control,” when we must stay true to our mission and values. We are also eager to hear your questions and concerns, and – as we blend challenges and opportunities – your ideas for how we can reimagine the way we work and allocate our resources. Thank you for all you do.
