Prof. Mary Frances Berry: A Voice for the Powerless

In addition to her role as an educator, Mary Frances Berry, the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and Professor of History at Penn, has over the past decades been instrumental in shaping civil rights. Appointed to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights by President Jimmy Carter in 1980, and later named its chair by President Bill Clinton, Berry issued major reports on New York policing practices, environmental justice, affirmative action, and voter suppression in the 2000 elections in Florida.

For her work in public service and higher education, she’s received 35 honorary degrees. She says that her proudest accomplishment is her work helping to end apartheid in South Africa. Berry, a regular contributor to Politico, is a highly sought speaker and a frequent media commentator. She recently appeared on C-SPAN’s “Book TV,” discussing one of her 10 books, And Justice for All: The United States Commission on Civil Rights and the Continuing Struggle for Freedom in America.

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Arts & Sciences News

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Hanming Fang Named Inaugural Norman C. Grosman Professor of Economics

An applied microeconomist who integrates rigorous modeling with data analysis, Fang’s research within the field of public economics focuses on health insurance and healthcare markets.

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Xi Song Named Inaugural Schiffman Family Presidential Associate Professor of Sociology

Song’s research interests include social mobility, occupations, Asian Americans, population studies, and quantitative methodology.

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Julie Nelson Davis Named Paul F. Miller, Jr. and E. Warren Shafer Miller Professor of History of Art

Davis specializes in the arts and material cultures of 18th- and 19th-century Japan, with a focus on prints, paintings, and illustrated books.

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Justin Khoury Named Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Khoury’s research interests lie at the intersection of particle physics and cosmology.

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University of Pennsylvania, Neubauer Family Foundation, and Philadelphia Police Department Partner to Support Police Leadership Education

The first-of-its-kind graduate degree in the U.S. for police leaders launches this fall at the School of Arts & Sciences.

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Professor of Biology Philip Rea Wins Neal Award for Scientific Journalism

Rea won for the award for Best Technical/Scientific Content for his article “Gliflozins for Diabetes: From Bark to Bench to Bedside,” published in American Scientist.

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