THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA • FOUNDED 1885
PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2025
VOL. CXLI
NO. 19
JEAN PARK AND MAKAYLA WU | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR AND DESIGN EDITOR
Jameson announces ‘Penn Forward’ strategic framework The plan comes amid mounting external pressures and intensifying questions about the value of higher education ISHA CHITIRALA AND SAMANTHA HSIUNG Senior Reporters
Six months into his term as the official head of the University, Penn President Larry Jameson announced a new campuswide strategic framework to shape the school’s future. The plan — titled “Penn Forward” — marks Jameson’s first major institutional effort as Penn’s 10th president and comes amid mounting external pressures and intensifying questions about the value of higher education. It seeks to address both the “challenges and opportunities” facing higher
education, according to a Wednesday announcement from Jameson, Provost John Jackson Jr., and Executive Vice President Mark Dingfield. “Now, higher education faces new challenges and opportunities,” the senior administrators wrote in the announcement. “These include a rapidly shifting funding environment, virtual learning, artificial intelligence, new research tools, rising skepticism about higher education’s value, and the potential to serve more learners
across more stages of life and more parts of the world.” In an exclusive interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Jameson said that the decision to implement a new strategic framework for the University came as a “sigh of relief” to key stakeholders, indicating that Penn is “aggressively grabbing the reins to study what’s going on in higher education.” He highlighted key concerns for the University, including supporting research
efforts and building partnerships with the private sector. The initiative builds on the key pillars of the “In Principle and Practice” framework developed by former Penn President Liz Magill in 2023. The team behind “Penn Forward” designed the program using feedback from students, faculty, and alumni who expressed interest in refreshing Penn’s strategic planning, Jameson said. See JAMESON, page 3
Judge grants Penn’s motion to dismiss Amy Wax’s discrimination lawsuit
After previous dip, 2025 Wharton donor list rebounds as prominent names stay off
The decision responded to Wax’s claims that Penn’s sanctions unfairly discriminate against her as a ‘White Jewish woman’
Each year, The Wharton Fund releases its Donor Honor Roll, which is primarily composed of a list of donor names and their affiliation to Penn
FINN RYAN Senior Reporter
TANISHA AGRAWAL Staff Reporter
A federal judge has dismissed the lawsuit brought by University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School professor Amy Wax against Penn as part of her longstanding battle contending that the University’s speech code violates civil rights law. The decision — filed Aug. 27 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania — responded to Wax’s claims that Penn’s sanctions unfairly discriminate against her as a “White Jewish woman.” The Wednesday opinion, authored by senior U.S. district judge Timothy Savage, concluded that “Wax does not allege facts showing that she was
discriminated against” and closes the door to further proceedings in the case. “As much as Wax would like otherwise, this case is not a First Amendment case. It is a discrimination case brought under federal antidiscrimination laws,” Savage wrote. “It calls for us to determine whether offensive comments directed at racial minorities are protected by those laws.” Savage added that the “anti-discrimination statues” cited by Wax “protect speakers, not speech.” “Upon a closer look, her claim that Penn See WAX, page 2
JESSE ZHANG | DP FILE PHOTO
A U.S. district judge dismissed a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by Wax. SEND STORY IDEAS TO NEWSTIP@THEDP.COM
The Wharton School’s donor base has rebounded this year after a marked decline in 2024, according to The Wharton Fund’s recently released Donor Honor Roll — but several high-profile donors have not reinstated their contributions to the school after halting them over Penn’s response to campus antisemitism allegations. Each year, The Wharton Fund releases its Donor Honor Roll, which is primarily composed of a list of donor names and their affiliation to Penn. The 2025 document recognized all individuals who have made gifts, pledges, or specific payments to Wharton’s unrestricted giving fund during the University’s previous fiscal year. At 177 pages, this year’s report marked an increase in alumni contributions compared to honor rolls in recent years. In 2023 and 2024, gifts had declined as a result of donor backlash against the University over its response to antisemitism allegations on campus. In the document’s opening message, Wharton’s Chief Advancement Officer Bill Bole wrote that donors strengthen the school’s “ability to meet change head-on and deliver the insights and talent the world needs most.” “I’m proud to share the meaningful difference your gift has made,” Bole wrote to the donors. “Thanks to your support, Wharton’s top students gained access to world-class business education, faculty pursued bold research, and innovative programming and global learning opportunities came to life.” In a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Bole emphasized the “generosity” of Wharton’s donor base. “Beyond just a listing of names, we hope that when alumni look through the Honor Roll, they are reminded that they are a part of an extraordinary,
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vibrant community whose generosity lights the way for Wharton’s future,” Bole wrote. “Each gift to The Wharton Fund — no matter the size — creates a ripple of impact, directly uplifting students and empowering the School to adapt, to grow, and to lead with vision.” Bole also noted the difficulty to identify the “real impact” of financial support while organizing “annual funds.” “The Wharton Fund is put to work in tangible ways that directly support the mission and work of the School,” he added. “We are grateful to donors who give with such devotion, and are proud to be able to remind them, both through the Honor Roll and over the course of the year, of the possibilities that their collective support creates.” Despite the broader uptick in donations, several of Wharton’s most high-profile donors have not reinstated their contributions to the school. Wharton Board of Advisors Chair Marc Rowan, for instance, publicly cut financial ties with the University in 2023 and was not listed in the 2025 donor roll. At the time, Rowan described his decision as a response to the 2023 Palestine Writes Literature Festival, writing in an open letter that Penn was “a bastion of preferred speech.” Rowan also called for donors to reduce their donations to a single dollar, and to forgo future donations until then-Penn President Liz Magill and then-University Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok resigned from their positions. Some donors have followed through with this suggestion, such as Jonathan Jacobson, who in a letter to Magill stated that his $1 check “represents the first installment of a multi-year pledge.” Prominent members of the Huntsman family similarly ended their donations to Wharton amid See WHARTON, page 2 CONTACT US: 215-422-4640