Schedule of Events

Join the Penn Libraries to virtually celebrate the launch of Arts at Homecoming with a panel of new Libraries leaders who will each discuss the exciting and thought-provoking projects that are on the horizon and will continue to make positive impacts on the Penn community. From cutting-edge technology to ancient manuscripts to creative student engagement, be the first to know what to expect from the spine of Penn’s learning and research: the Penn Libraries.

Join Lynn Smith Dolby, curator of “From Studio to Doorstep: Associated American Artists Prints, 1934 – 2000” on a virtual tour of the exhibition featuring 37 works from the Penn Art Collection, many of which have never been exhibited.

Please join the Wharton Alumni Social Impact Club (WASIC) for a panel on Impact Journeys. Our speakers will discuss their work and its impact, how they got there, and ways for the Penn and Wharton alumni community to get involved. There will also be interactive discussion with the speakers, WASIC Board members, and attendees to learn more about what interests the Penn/Wharton community in social impact. Our speakers include:

• Amy Dahm, WG’06, Truman National Security Project Fellow and Foreign Service Officer (Ret.), U.S. Department of State
• Theresa Menders, WG’94 and Daniel Farber Huang, WG’94, Founders, Huang + Menders Photography
• Stephan Nicoleau, C’05, Managing Director, FullCycle and Chris Mangieri, MS Columbia‘17, Investments & Project Development, FullCycle
  

The session will be moderated by Dawn Hines, C’83 WG’91, Elise Bernal, WG’06, and Zoey Toy, C’14.

Join Bill Whitaker, Curator of the Architectural Archives, for an in-depth, behind the scenes tour of the Penn’s Quad Dorms (1892-1959). While it took more than 60 years to build, the Quad is one of the most unified buildings on campus in terms of its architecture. We’ll explore the story of the making of this remarkable building, from the inspirations in England’s Gothic architectural heritage to the nitty-gritty of crafting the many sculptural elements and grotesques.

Hear from a collector and a curator about how recent gifts of important material culture have enriched Penn’s collections, research, and student experience. 

Speakers:

• Stephan Loewentheil, Collector and Penn Libraries Board Member
• Lynne Farrington, Senior Curator, Kislak Center
• Robert Vosburgh, Director , Gift Planning
• Moderator, Sam Duplessis, Director of Advancement, Penn  Libraries

Join WAFFA Co-Presidents, Caroline Dahllof and Shannon Grant and get to know the Wharton Alumnae Founders & Funders Association, a thriving community of Penn and Wharton female founders, funders, and friends. In this session, you'll learn more about our community, our mission, and ways to get involved. This will also serve as the launch of our new WAFFA Female Founders Shop App, designed to encourage students, faculty, and alumni to discover and buy innovative products/services from Penn and Wharton women-led businesses. Several Female Founders will be joining us to share their stories, including Dagne Dover Founder/CEO Melissa Mash, WG’12 and Cate (Strauss) Khan, WG’05, Co-Founder and CEO of Verishop, along with Son Ca Vu, WG’16, Founder of tech firm Alta who is building the WAFFA Shop mobile app.

Join Penn’s Architect Mark Kocent C82 GCP91 GFA91 for a virtual tour of Penn’s newest buildings.

 Join us for the annual virtual Gallery Hop! We’ll hear about the newest exhibitions at the Arthur Ross Gallery, the Architectural Archives, the Penn Libraries and the ICA. Followed by Q and A.

Produced at WXPN—public radio from the University of Pennsylvania—World Cafe is nationally distributed by NPR, making it public radio’s most listened-to music program. For over 30 years, this celebrated music tastemaker has given audiences their first “before they were famous” look at emerging musicians as well as deeper connections with legendary performers across an array of genres including singer-songwriter, classic rock, Americana, alt-country, blues, world music, and soul. Host Raina Douris will walk you through a few of her favorite performances “from the vault” in this virtual program for music lovers.

Join us for Free At Noon – WXPN’s free weekly live concert series. Visit our website for this week’s performer! Past performers have included: Adele, Dr. Dog, Amos Lee, Spoon, Strand of Oaks, Kacey Musgraves, Guster, Brandi Carlile, The National, and many, many more. Register for this event to receive more information!

Join University Architect Mark Kocent C82 GCP91 GFA91 for a virtual tour of Penn’s newest buildings, followed by live Q and A. Experience the FRES space where Penn’s architectural dreams become reality! If this event has reached capacity, please contact Sheila Raman (sraman@upenn.edu) to be put on the waiting list.

We’re celebrating twenty-five years of the Writers House and its community! Please join for an informal open house in the garden — or hang out inside, where you can visit the Wexler studio, the newly-renovated Arts Café, and all your favorite KWH spots. You can stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole afternoon, including for a 4:00 PM program that will feature toasts and reminiscences by ten KWH community members. Please RSVP to rsvp@writing.upenn.edu.

Join The Sachs Program, the Fabric Workshop, and Museum, and the University Curator’s office as we celebrate the playful and incisive art of artist and alumni Jayson Musson, in a public talk with the artist at the Arts Lounge at the Annenberg Center on Friday, October 21 at 2:30 pm. Jayson, a 2011 Penn MFA Grad, will speak about his artistic practice and current exhibition His History of Art—the culmination of the artist’s residency at The Fabric Workshop and Museum. Penn will also celebrate the installation of Jayson’s sculpture Sculptural Allegory for a Specific Cultural Sphere, 2014, in the Annenberg Lobby, the newest addition to the University Public Art Collection. This event is free to the Penn community and open to the public. It is part of Arts & Homecoming, an annual celebration of the arts at Penn. There will be a free public reception for the Arts at Penn immediately following Jayson’s talk at the Arthur Ross Gallery, see elsewhere on the calendar for details. Jayson Musson (Penn MFA ‘11), is a Brooklyn-based artist. He received a BFA in photography from University of the Arts and an MFA in painting from the University of Pennsylvania. His alter ego Hennessy Youngman and ART THOUGHTZ was an early YouTube sensation, satirizing both pop culture and art “insiders,” years before @jerrygogosian and @freeze_magazine. Jayson’s solo exhibitions include We Sing in A Dead Language, Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (2019); Demon All Day, Salon 94 Freemans, New York. Jayson was also a member of the rap group Plastic Little. Jayson’s current exhibition at the Fabric Workshop and Museum, His History of Art, is on view through November 13. The exhibition was recently featured in the New York Times, the Art Newspaper, and WHYY.

The Association of Latino Alumni welcomes you to back to campus! Come by La Casa Latina to say hello and see the reimagined space at the ARCH. Refreshments will be served.

Join us to kick off the weekend in style! This year we are celebrating lots of birthdays! Join us to see the latest exhibition at the Arthur Ross Gallery and to wish all of Penn’s arts and culture gems a happy birthday! If this event is at capacity, please contact Sheila Raman (sraman@upenn.edu) to join the waiting list.

Connect with BAS friends, old and new, at the re-imagined ARCH building, the hub of cultural student life on campus. Meet staff and current students. Follow us on IG and FB at @pennbas for updates! Refreshments will be served.

Connect with UPAAN and learn about our efforts to connect our communities!  Meet group leaders, new members, and current Penn students. Take a tour of the re-imagined ARCH space. Refreshments will be served.

Join us at the Penn Newman Catholic Center for a Happy Hour Friday evening. All alumni and families are welcome! Drinks and light refreshments will be provided. We will be offering tours of our newly renovated facilities as well. Contact Amy at abishop@saintsaj.org for more information

The Kelly Writers House is twenty-five years old! And we want to celebrate with you. Please join us for celebration of our history and community. This informal Friday evening gathering will have food and drink — and plenty of conversation. You can check out the Wexler studio, the newly-renovated Arts Café, and hang out with KWH people. Please RSVP to rsvp@writing.upenn.edu.

Join fellow alumni, friends and guests, at the 87th annual installment of a Penn tradition. The Gala honors those alumni who have exhibited outstanding commitment and dedication to the University. Hosted by Penn Alumni President, Ann Nolan Reese, CW'74, the Gala will recognize individual alumni, class and club honorees. President Liz Magill invites all alumni to attend this brilliant occasion. Advance registration is required. Cost: $75 per person/$50 for young alumni, classes 2012-2022.

Join us for the in-person return of Paint the Dance Floor - a night of drinks, dancing and art! Wassup Gina will be spinning your favorite hits from the 1990s and today! The party is free for ALL and is open to Penn alumni and non-alumni alike! Paint the Dance Floor is presented by ICA, in collaboration with the Weitzman School of Design, The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation, and Arts at Homecoming.

The Penn Relays is excited to announce the 2nd Annual Penn Relays 5K presented by Toyota on Saturday, October 22, a scenic, competitive run through Penn Park that will start and finish on the track of historic Franklin Field. The Penn Relays and the local Tri-State Toyota Dealers welcome runners of all levels, as the event will feature a 5K and a One-Mile Fun Run. Register here.

All alumni are welcome to join the bi-annual meeting of the Penn Alumni Board of Directors featuring special guest, Dean Erika James, Dean of the Wharton School. Hear from the Penn First Plus Alumni Association and Penn Spectrum Weekend leadership. Continental breakfast begins at 8:30 AM. *Advance registration requested.

What makes people believe – or disbelieve – scientific information? What’s the connection between thinking, knowing, and feeling? And what makes conspiracy theories so powerful? Join Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Donovan Schaefer in a discussion of these and other ideas that he explores in his new book, "Wild Experiment: Feeling Science and Secularism after Darwin".

What got you through the pandemic? If you’re like most of us, a video on YouTube or a song or a poem or a painting or a garden may have lifted your spirits and gotten you through another day. Why is that? Come and hear a panel of Penn experts discuss how and why arts and culture is so important to human well-being, and how they will keep us thriving in the post-Covid era. If this event is at capacity, please contact Sheila Raman (sraman@upenn.edu) to join the waiting list.

Join the Netter Center and fellow alum in making care packages, including designing handmade cards, for West Philadelphia children and families served by the Baring House and People’s Emergency Center. All welcome to stop by!

Explore the new Biotech Commons, featuring a multipurpose event space with modular furniture to accommodate active learning, lecture-style events, and open-space gatherings; an expanded Digital Fabrication Lab that will house 3D printing and poster printing services; a Design-Thinking Room furnished with wall-mounted whiteboards, supplies, and movable, writable tables; and a Mixed Reality Lab where faculty and students can experiment with virtual and augmented reality. An Anatomage Table, the first of its kind available for use by all members of the Penn community, will allow for the virtual dissection and review of life-size virtual cadavers outside of clinical lab coursework. Open to the Penn community as a center of information access and idea generation, the Biotech Commons functions as a hub to enhance the intellectual vitality of the University by providing an extraordinary user experience for all.

Due to demand, a second tour has been added! The first tour will take place from 10am-11am and the second tour will take place 11am-12pm.

Join Bill Whitaker, Curator of the Architectural Archives, as he leads us on a tour of the architectural masterworks on Penn's campus. This tour will focus on the buildings created for Penn during its first century-and-a-half in West Philadelphia, starting in the 1870’s including the Penn Museum, the Fisher Fine Arts Library, and College Hall and on into the 21st Century. Please wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for extensive walking. Pre-registration is required and space is limited to 35. If this event is at capacity, please contact Sheila Raman (sraman@upenn.edu), to join the waiting list. 

The Penn Arts & Sciences table at the Penn Fair outside QuakerFest will provide an opportunity for College alumni to reconnect, pick up some unique Penn swag, and contribute notable Penn anecdotes and remembrances to Penn Back Then, our web-based audio scrapbook.

This session will focus on how employers and caregivers can navigate challenges and find solutions in today's changing workplace.

This session will focus on how employers and caregivers can navigate challenges and find solutions in today's changing workplace.

Distinguished alumni who have passed their 50th reunion are invited to lift up their hearts and voices for the royal Red and Blue at the Homecoming Brunch before the Penn vs. Yale game. Enjoy a hot breakfast and celebrate with a Mimosa and Bloody Mary bar.  Transportation will be available from Houston Hall to Franklin Field if needed. Purchase a Red Pass for $15.00 which will include Homecoming Brunch, a Blue Pass for $30.00, which includes the brunch and game. Chair back seats for the game will be available for an additional $10.00.

From medieval Europe to modern cinema and Harry Potter, "the witch" seems always with us. How have different cultures invented and depicted the figure of the witch, and why? Alicia Meyer (Penn GSWS and English) and John Pollack (Kislak Center) will investigate historical representations of witchcraft and what they reveal about gender, race, sexuality, and power. Their presentation will be followed by time for participants to examine rare items from Penn's Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.

From medieval Europe to modern cinema and Harry Potter, "the witch" seems always with us. How have different cultures invented and depicted the figure of the witch, and why? Alicia Meyer (Penn GSWS and English) and John Pollack (Kislak Center) will investigate historical representations of witchcraft and what they reveal about gender, race, sexuality, and power. Their presentation will be followed by time for participants to examine rare items from Penn's Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. This is the virtual option for this event.

By invitation only

Introducing the Association of Penn First Plus Alumni 

Join us in launching the Association of Penn First Plus Alumni, our official alumni group dedicated to serving alumni who were among the first in their families to attend college and/or had limited resources as students. Meet association leadership, learn how to get involved, and share your ideas for supporting and promoting the interests of our community. At noon be sure to tour the Center and stay for our brunch mixer. 

Open House at the Shleifer Family Penn First Plus Center

Explore one of the newest and most vibrant student spaces on campus, the Shleifer Family Penn First Plus Center, which serves as our home to support students from first generation and/or modest income backgrounds. Join current students, meet the dedicated team, and learn more about how Penn ensures that all students can experience the full breadth of a Penn education. 

All alumni and students are welcome to attend both programs.

Join us for our Annual Networking Event for Penn Nursing students and alumni during QuakerFest on the Green. Nursing students and alumni are invited to join us for our Annual Networking Event at Homecoming for an opportunity to connect with fellow students and alumni in various fields about job experience, life after graduation, and more! Share job-hunting tips and insights on managing your career and education.

All former student-athletes are invited to attend the R. Tait McKenzie Hospitality tent during the Penn vs. Yale Homecoming Football Game. Cheer on the Red & Blue and catch up with former teammates and friends! As a fellow athlete, you will receive an invitation and a registration page for more details.

TBD

Join film producer and 2022 recipient of Penn’s Creative Spirit Award, Todd Lieberman, C’95 for an advance screening of White Bird, A Wonder Story, followed by a dialogue with Cinema & Media Studies Professor Peter Decherney.

From the best-selling author of Wonder, the book that sparked a movement to "choose kind," comes the inspirational next chapter. In White Bird, we follow Julian (Bryce Gheisar), who has struggled to belong ever since he was expelled from his former school for his treatment of Auggie Pullman. To transform his life, Julian's grandmother (Helen Mirren) finally reveals to Julian her own story of courage – during her youth in Nazi-occupied France, a boy shelters her from mortal danger. They find first love in a stunning, magical world of their own creation, while the boy's mother (Gillian Anderson) risks everything to keep her safe.

*Reception immediately following in the Feintuch Family Lobby at the Annenberg Center.

Please select this option to reserve a chairback seat at the Penn vs. Yale football game for an additional fee of $10.

The Black Alumni Society celebrates the extraordinary success of the BAS Honoring Legends Campaign honoring Harold J. Haskins. With the generous support of our members and institutional support from the Penn Fund, we fulfill our commitment to the on-going support of the Africana Studies Department, the DuBois College House, the African American Resource Center, and the Makuu Black Cultural Center. Join us as we reflect on the life of a man that greatly impacted the Penn experience for many Black students, staff, and faculty over generations. Refreshments will be served.

In celebration of the Netter Center's 30th Anniversary, join the Netter team and partners for a lively panel discussion and short performances by Penn and West Philadelphia students showcasing arts & culture activities from Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) courses and University-Assisted Community Schools (UACS) programs. Following the program, enjoy a post-performance reception while viewing project and poster displays from additional arts, culture, and humanities partnerships. The Netter Center program will run from 2:30-3:45 in the Harold Prince Theatre, followed by a reception in the main lobby of Penn Live Arts until 4:30. Please reach out to Netter Center Associate Director Rita Hodges (C05 GED15) with any questions, ritaa@upenn.edu or 215-898-4097.

Join classmates, bandmates, alumni, and friends for the ribbon-cutting of a new campus recording studio honoring the memory of Gabriel Donnay, C’12. Fundraising efforts led by fellow bandmates and matched by the University enabled the creation of the studio, which is designed to welcome novice and experienced student musicians alike –extending Gabe’s legacy and the power of music to unlock creativity, nurture collaboration, and build community. A reception in the Feintuch Family Lobby will bookend the dedication, with the ribbon-cutting scheduled for 4 pm.

Join us for the annual Gallery Hop! We’ll see the newest exhibitions at the Arthur Ross Gallery, the Architectural Archives, the Penn Libraries and the ICA. Followed by a reception at ICA. If this event is at capacity, please contact Sheila Raman (sraman@upenn.edu), to join the waiting list.

Join your fellow Penn Engineers and their families and friends at this annual post-game celebration hosted by the Engineering Alumni Society.

The Kelly Writers House is twenty-five years old! We are gathering for a weekend of activities. For this final celebratory event,  a group of amazing KWH people from across the years — including Herman Beavers, Buzz Bissinger (C’76), Kristen Gallagher (C’91, CGS'99), David Gross-Loh (W’92), Kate Levin (G’90, GR’95), Gwen Lewis (C’14), Trisha Low (C’11), Mary Osunlana (C’20), Henry Steinberg (C’13), Harris Steinberg (C’78, GAR’82), and Simone White — will reminisce about what the Writers House has meant to them. The conversation will continue afterward with a plentiful reception, open to all. Can you come? Please RSVP: rsvp@writing.upenn.edu.

Join us back at Penn for a FREE 1st Reunion happy hour from 4:30 - 6 PM-7 PM on College Green! Enjoy the Blutt Band Slam in a special area for the Class of 2022! Celebrate your first homecoming as an alum!

Join us for the annual Blutt Band Slam on College Green! Enjoy the songs from your former classmates and cheer on current Penn student performers!

Onyx Senior Honor Society’s Homecoming Event and Celebration of its 48th Anniversary:

With speakers, opportunities to reconnect with old classmates, and of course food, this Homecoming event will commemorate the  48th anniversary of the Onyx Senior Honor Society. The event will feature in-person and virtual programming that will honor the current Onyx undergraduate class as well as Onyx Alumni. The current undergraduate Onyx class will be honored with a pinning ceremony. Alumni will speak on their experience with Onyx, and the event will serve as a space for Onyx undergraduates and Alumni to meet new friends and reconnect with old friends as well.

Celebrate Penn’s rich diversity and get to know our communities at the Penn Spectrum Mixer. Join us as we commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Office of the Chaplain | The Spiritual and Religious Life Center (SPARC) at Penn. Enjoy local cultural cuisines and Philly fare, as well as great music! In partnership with University Life and The Office of Fraternity & Sorority Affairs | IGC.

As part of the Alice & John: A Coltrane Festival, Penn Live Arts welcomes the second son of Alice and John Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, who “has evolved a bright, warm tone that pours from his instrument with a lucidity of expression, often with a molten intensity not devoid of a certain family resemblance.” (The Philadelphia Inquirer). In the Philadelphia premiere of his Cosmic Music program, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane leads a contemporary exploration of the groundbreaking, mystical and spiritual music of his legendary parents.

*Use code HOMECOMING for a special 50% off discount. 

The official book launch of Elderflora: A Modern History of Ancient Trees, by prize-winning author, historian, and UPenn Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History Jared Farmer. Humans have always revered long-lived trees. But as Jared Farmer reveals in Elderflora, our veneration took a modern turn in the eighteenth century, when naturalists embarked on a quest to locate and precisely date the oldest living things on earth. Moving from the ancient past to the present and traveling the world from India to Australia to Mexico to Wales, Farmer introduces readers to some of the most cherished remaining big old trees in existence while taking a deep dive into the botany of longevity and the discipline of tree-ring science. It is his hope that we can all channel our shared respect for these trees into collective action to preserve them for future generations. A presentation by the author will be followed by Q&A and time for book signing. Advance registration is required, and space is limited.

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY: All event registrants will receive complimentary admission to the Morris Arboretum on October 23 to spend time before or after the launch event to explore the grounds. Please visit www.morrisarboretum.org for hours.