Interim President

(2022 - Present)

B.A. Brown University, 1986
J.D. Yale, 1991
Ph.D. Penn, 1997

Scott Bok, Chair of the University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees, announces that former Provost Wendell Pritchett is selected to serve as interim president of the University. He takes office when Amy Gutmann departs to be Ambassador to Germany and until Liz Magill begins her tenure as Penn’s ninth president on July 1, 2022.

In a spirited event at the Henry C. Lea Elementary School, officials from Lea, the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Graduate School of Education, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and the School District of Philadelphia celebrate the formalization of Penn’s deepened commitment to supporting the West Philadelphia K-8 school.

At the 2022 Silfen Forum, Penn Interim President Wendell Pritchett chats with filmmaker Ken Burns about his new two-part documentary on Benjamin Franklin.

Penn announces a $17.5 million gift to The Penn Track & Field and Cross-Country Campaign for Excellence from Jay Alix, a 1977 graduate of the Wharton School, noted philanthropist, and founder of AlixPartners.

The 2022 President’s Engagement, Innovation, and Sustainability Prize winners are recognized at a special luncheon, a momentous occasion that hadn’t taken place in-person since 2019.

The Graduate School of Education embarks on a major expansion and renovation that will connect two buildings in the heart of campus.

Penn celebrates the first fully in-person Commencement—for the Class of 2022—since the 263rd ceremony in 2019. Penn also hosts a separate in-person Commencement ceremony for the Class of 2020 and for master’s and doctoral graduates of the Class of 2021.

Interim President Pritchett poses in the hallway at the Carey Law School

Penn Presidents

Biographical sketches of Penn Presidents (including Acting and Interim Presidents) and historically significant aspects of University history during each administration.