Interim President J. Larry Jameson’s Remarks for the University of Pennsylvania's Class of 2028 Convocation

Convocation Address 2024

By J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD

August 26, 2024

Dean Soule and Reverend Howard, thank you. 

To the Class of 2028 and transfer students, a warm welcome to Penn – and by warm, I mean very warm. Be happy you’re not wearing robes out there.

Even in the August heat, we put these robes on with a smile. They are symbols, ushering you into academia and foreshadowing the day when you don robes of your own and graduate from this esteemed institution. 

We look forward to this ceremony as one of the most exciting and memorable days of the whole year at Penn. Convocation is when we officially welcome you to your University. 

You now join an exceptional community, hundreds of years in the making. As a class, you will come to share many things. 

For example, some of you will share a school – and each school claims to have the most school spirit. 

Can I hear from the Penn Engineering students? Let’s try that again.   How about Nursing?   Wharton?   The College?

Some of you will share a major or a club, a sport or participation in the arts. 

You may share College Houses or classes. 

Over time, you will share memories and laughs, triumphs and speedbumps, discovery and purpose.

You will share this University’s incredible history. After all, you now join fellow Quakers like our founder, Benjamin Franklin; 8 signers of the Declaration of Independence; and 9 signers of the U.S. Constitution. 

You will also share this University’s calling, to create and spread knowledge to improve the world and create a better future.

But all of that is ahead, and there’s no need to rush. 

For now, I want you to look around. Celebrate your hard work and the achievements that have brought you here. Enjoy this moment.

While you’re taking it in, I also want to share with you a few insider tips – four tips, to be exact – for thinking about your new home. 

The opportunities here are almost endless, and adjusting to any new place takes time. Call these stars to steer by. Life hacks for Penn. 

Whatever you call them, they are quintessential. They are who we have always been and where we are going. These, we all share.

First, Penn is anchored. In front of College Hall, there is an enormous elm tree. It is rooted deeply in a particular place, inseparable from its surroundings, dynamic, and alive. 

Everything at Penn is anchored by our people and our campus. From this origin, we branch out to partner with, and improve life, for our neighbors, our city, and the world. We are anchored in history; anchored in Philadelphia; anchored by our values; and anchored by the legacy of our alumni.

Penn is also interwoven. Here, you will find that teamwork is key. In the classrooms, in research, in your dorms, and on our sports teams. Our tight-knit, compact campus is a hallmark of Penn. It takes about 10 minutes to walk to any of Penn’s 12 world-class Schools and countless campus resources. Even shorter with a scooter. 

A breezy stroll can land you an unexpected partnership, an electrifying interdisciplinary project, or a new friendship. I encourage you to take that stroll often, contribute to the spirit of teamwork and collaboration, and reap all the benefits.

Third, Penn is inventive. Remember when I mentioned Benjamin Franklin? Yes, that kind of inventive. Broad-ranging, crazy curious, pragmatic, and boldly facing great challenges – and finding solutions! We pursue knowledge to understand and create a better world. Penn is in fact repeatedly ranked as one of the most inventive universities, ranking first in licensing and more than twice that of #2 – the entire University of California system. 

It’s not only Penn’s faculty, staff, and graduate and professional students who drive this pursuit. It’s undergraduates like you. If you haven’t done so yet, check out the President’s Engagement and Innovation Prizes. You’ll see what I mean.

Finally, Penn is engaged. From Day 1, what set Penn apart from our peers was our founding purpose to be in, of, and for the world. It still is. 

We cultivate leaders who serve. We practice constructive dialogue across differences. In adversity, we seek opportunity. Our greatest reward is knowledge used well. 

We also take special pride in the civic engagement of our students – especially in election years. Penn’s phenomenal student-led, get-out-the-vote organization is called “Penn Leads the Vote.” I cannot recommend them highly enough. I keep their T-shirt displayed in my office. They are ready to help you get involved.

I know I covered a lot of ground, so let me recap: Penn is Anchored. Interwoven. Inventive. Engaged. 

With these helpful hints in hand, you’ll be well on your way to thriving at Penn. Embrace these principles, and you embrace Penn.

There is another thing we all share. I believe it is so critically important to repeat this early and often. 

We share a responsibility to look out for each other and this community. To treat everyone, no matter their background or point of view, with the same courtesy and respect that we ourselves expect.

These can be divisive days. No corner of the world is exempt. But here, when you join a community like this, what we share vastly outweighs what may divide us. Never forget that. 

You are the latest in a long, brilliant line of people who have called Penn home. This is a rare opportunity. It is a solemn responsibility. It’s also going to be one of the most fabulous, fun times of your life.

So, remember: Anchored, Interwoven, Inventive, Engaged. Remember the things we share, and I speak for all of us when I say: How excited and proud we are now to share this amazing University with you.

Class of 2028 and transfer students, welcome to Penn!