A Message from Dean Fluharty
The resignations of Penn President Liz Magill and Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok last weekend capped a semester that has been painful and emotionally charged for the faculty, staff, and students of Penn Arts and Sciences.
The stresses on our community this fall have been formidable. There is much to be done to continue to combat antisemitism, Islamophobia, and any form of hate, and the safety of our campus remains our top priority. We will not allow the challenges of the last few months to call into question our community’s ability to engage with one another on hard questions with civility and respect. Last month I wrote to you about the SAS initiative Living the Hard Promise that is being launched to inform understanding and encourage respectful dialogue in our community. We will shortly announce the first events in that series, to take place early in the new year.
As we look ahead to 2024 and beyond, the intellectual momentum of our school continues unabated, as does our deep commitment to the free exchange of ideas, which has fueled this university’s dynamic scholarly environment since its 18th-century founding.
I have every confidence that, working together, our extraordinary academic community will continue to flourish. With today’s news of the appointment of J. Larry Jameson to serve as Interim President, we can begin to build our path forward. He understands Penn’s breadth and complexity and the importance of our mission as a great university, and his vision and experience will be invaluable in moving us beyond this difficult moment.
