Issuu

INSIDE: ADVANCE REGISTRATION GUIDE

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA • FOUNDED 1885

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2025

VOL. CXLI

NO. 9

DANA BAHNG AND ANNELISE DO | SENIOR DESIGNERS

CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR PENN’S 10TH PRESIDENT Larry Jameson appointed Penn’s 10th Trump administration freezes $175 million in federal funding to Penn president following interim term Jameson will continue to lead the University — and shed his previous interim title — at a time of intense political scrutiny and mounting financial uncertainty

According to a White House tweet, Wednesday’s decision was a result of Penn’s ‘policies forcing women to compete with men in sports’

ZION ABEBE, FINN RYAN, WILLIAM GRANTLAND, AND AMY LIAO Senior Reporters and Staff Reporters

ALEX DASH AND VALERI GUEVARRA Staff Reporter and Sports Editor

Larry Jameson will serve as Penn’s 10th president following a 15-month tenure as the University’s interim leader. Jameson — who was named interim president in December 2023 — will assume the Penn presidency in a permanent capacity through June 30, 2027. The University Board of Trustees voted to approve his appointment during a virtual meeting on March 13. Jameson had previously agreed to serve as interim president through the 2025-26 academic year. He first assumed the role just days after former Penn President Liz Magill resigned amid national controversy surrounding the University’s response to allegations of antisemitism on campus. During the virtual meeting announcing the appointment, Board of Trustees Chair Ramanan Raghavendran said that given the “challenges facing higher education today,” there is “nothing more important than leadership.” “Penn has been very fortunate to have Larry Jameson at the helm during this time. I am pleased that our Board can recognize his exceptional performance and acknowledge his inspirational leadership and vision by formally extending his appointment to June 30, 2027,” he added. “I am deeply honored by this vote of confidence from our Board of Trustees. I look forward to continuing the vital work of our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members to uphold Penn’s mission of utilizing knowledge for the greater good,” Jameson said of his appointment. In the resolution to appoint Jameson, the Trustees noted that a “pressing need for continuity” made it “necessary and appropriate” to appoint him to the presidency without forming a traditional

1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump’s administration announced that it would be freezing over $175 million in federal funding to Penn on March 19, citing the University’s failure to bar transgender athletes from women’s sports. According to a White House tweet, Wednesday’s decision is a result of Penn’s “policies forcing women to compete with men in sports.” The funding pause follows a Feb. 5 executive order signed by Trump that threatened to remove federal funding from universities that allow the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports. “This is just a taste of what could be coming down the pipe for Penn,” one senior Trump administration official told Fox News. In a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, a senior White House official wrote that the funding freeze was not a result of an ongoing Title IX investigation into Penn but rather “[an] immediate proactive action to review discretionary funding streams to … universities.” The official said that the decision to cut funding was made because Penn “infamously permitted a male to compete on its women’s swimming team.” They added that the cuts would be made to federal funding that Penn receives from the Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services. A Penn spokesperson wrote in a statement to the DP that while the University is “aware of media reports suggesting a suspension of $175 million in federal funding,” the federal government has yet to share “any official notification or any details” about the recent action.

search committee — the process that is outlined in the Faculty Handbook. Academic leaders from several of Penn’s schools expressed support for Jameson’s appointment in written statements to The Daily Pennsylvanian. Provost John Jackson Jr. characterized Jameson’s “expertise, wisdom, and wide knowledge of Penn” as “invaluable to our community as we navigate a challenging and unpredictable period.” “We are fortunate to have President Jameson at the helm during a profoundly challenging time for all of higher education,” Wharton School Dean Erika James wrote. “His deep understanding of Penn’s values and strategic vision, coupled with his commitment to being a collaborative university leader focused on healing fissures in our community, make him the ideal leader for the remarkable institution that is Penn.” Vijay Kumar, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, also expressed support for Jameson’s nomination. “My colleagues and I have greatly appreciated President Jameson’s steady leadership and decisiveness during this very challenging time for our community,” Kumar wrote. “I am personally excited to hear that he has been appointed president through June 2027.” University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School Dean Sophia Lee similarly wrote that Penn Carey Law “looks forward to continuing its collaborative relationship with President Jameson.” Katharine Strunk, dean of Penn’s Graduate School of Education, wrote to the DP that she was “thrilled” to learn that Jameson would assume See JAMESON, page 3

“It is important to note, however, that Penn has always followed NCAA and Ivy League policies regarding student participation on athletic teams,” the spokesperson wrote. “We have been in the past, and remain today, in full compliance with the regulations that apply to not only Penn, but all of our NCAA and Ivy League peer institutions.” A DOD spokesperson directed a request for comment to the White House, and a request for comment was left with HHS. In a statement to the DP, Philadelphia City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier — who represents Philadelphia’s third district, which includes Penn — called the federal funding freeze “deplorable” and said that the Trump administration was “threatening tens of thousands of jobs, our hospitals, lifesaving research projects … and so much more” by targeting funds unrelated to transgender student-athletes. “More than anything, Trump’s attack is meant to divide us -- we cannot let him succeed. Penn has an opportunity to stand up for their vulnerable students by taking Trump to court. We have already seen that lawsuits successfully counter Trump’s hateful, cruel, and legally questionable actions,” she wrote. “I urge Penn to do the right thing by standing tall and fighting back.” Gauthier added that if Penn does not take legal action against the funding freeze, it should use funds from its endowment to prevent layoffs or service reductions. “I am proud that many transgender individuals call West and Southwest Philadelphia See FUNDING, page 2

IJK:?E" ' 7D: ( 8;:HEEC 7F7HJC;DJI 7L7?B78B;

Fb[Wi[ YedjWYj ki \eh Z[jW_bi WdZ je iY^[Zkb[ W jekh *((* 8Wbj_ceh[ 7l[$ r .))#)(,#&(*& r ^[bbe6j^[b_dZ[d$b_\[ SEND STORY IDEAS TO NEWSTIP@THEDP.COM

ONLINE AT THEDP.COM