Penn President Amy Gutmann is a national advocate for affordable education, an architect of the Penn Compact 2022, and co-author of Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die.
The Penn Compact “expresses our boldest aspirations for higher education—a compact based on our shared understanding that ‘Divided we fail. United we flourish.’”
Dr. Gutmann works with the deans of Penn’s 12 schools and senior administrators across the University to establish and advance Penn’s highest strategic priorities.
Convocation 2021
At Penn, thinking creatively and being curious about others, that’s what leads to breakthroughs.
News Highlights
Penn President Amy Gutmann and Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor Jonathan Moreno discussed their new book Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven But Nobody Wants to Die at the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Ten years after releasing its original Climate Action Plan, the University of Pennsylvania has launched the Climate & Sustainability Action Plan 3.0, outlining Penn’s goals for improved environmental performance from 2019 to 2024.
In a ceremony, President Amy Gutmann celebrated the naming of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design and Stuart Weitzman Plaza.
Penn was built on the concept of innovation, a notion that holds true today. Innovation is fostered by a combination of faculty, collaboration, facilities, and resources.
President Gutmann in the News
UPenn president nominated for German ambassadorship
Inside Higher Ed | 2021-07-07 Amy Gutmann has been nominated by President Biden to serve as U.S. ambassador to Germany.
Inside Higher Ed | 2021-07-07 Amy Gutmann has been nominated by President Biden to serve as U.S. ambassador to Germany.
Joe Biden is sending an academic to Germany. Here’s why it might pay off
The Washington Post | 2021-07-07 An op-ed by Elisabeth Piller, a German professor, considered the long-standing tradition of sending U.S. scholars and university presidents to Germany as ambassadors. Amy Gutmann’s “standing as an esteemed political philosopher and university president uniquely positions her to help achieve Biden’s goal of rebuilding alliances,” Piller wrote.
The Washington Post | 2021-07-07 An op-ed by Elisabeth Piller, a German professor, considered the long-standing tradition of sending U.S. scholars and university presidents to Germany as ambassadors. Amy Gutmann’s “standing as an esteemed political philosopher and university president uniquely positions her to help achieve Biden’s goal of rebuilding alliances,” Piller wrote.
Paul Farmer is awarded the $1 million Berggruen Prize
The New York Times | 2020-12-16 President Amy Gutmann spoke about Paul Farmer, the recipient of the 2020 Berggruen Prize, for which Gutmann was juror. “Dr. Farmer’s call to improve public health systems is a matter not only of science but also of politics, economics, and ethics,” she said. “In this crisis, like the ones that preceded it, our knowledge far outpaces our will to put effective solutions into action.”
The New York Times | 2020-12-16 President Amy Gutmann spoke about Paul Farmer, the recipient of the 2020 Berggruen Prize, for which Gutmann was juror. “Dr. Farmer’s call to improve public health systems is a matter not only of science but also of politics, economics, and ethics,” she said. “In this crisis, like the ones that preceded it, our knowledge far outpaces our will to put effective solutions into action.”
University of Pennsylvania vows $100 million to fix Philadelphia school building hazards
Associated Press | 2020-11-17 Penn has pledged $100 million over 10 years to the School District of Philadelphia. The gift aims “to significantly improve the learning environment for Philadelphia’s schoolchildren in a way that will have a long-lasting impact on the health, safety, and wellbeing of our entire city,” said President Amy Gutmann.
Associated Press | 2020-11-17 Penn has pledged $100 million over 10 years to the School District of Philadelphia. The gift aims “to significantly improve the learning environment for Philadelphia’s schoolchildren in a way that will have a long-lasting impact on the health, safety, and wellbeing of our entire city,” said President Amy Gutmann.