Engaging Locally
“We cherish our relationships with our neighbors, relationships that have strengthened Penn academically while increasing the vitality of West Philadelphia.” -President Amy Gutmann, inaugural address, 2004
Improving local education, healthcare and economic opportunity.
- Penn invests $700,000 annually in the Penn Alexander School, a top-ranked public elementary school in University City.
- Penn contributed $12 million in student aid in 2009 to Philadelphia residents enrolled at Penn, including $850,000 to students in West Philadelphia.
- In 2009, Penn was named a number-one “Best Neighbor” by the Survey of Best College and University Civic Partnerships, and was recognized as one of 25 leading universities providing exceptional economic development and community service to urban communities.
Strengthening the local economy.
- The University of Pennsylvania and Penn Medicine contribute $9.5 billion, or $26 million per day, to the City of Philadelphia.
- Penn is the second-largest private employer in Pennsylvania with more than 31,000 employees and an annual payroll of $2.3 billion.
- The yearly economic impact of Penn’s research activities alone is 5,400 jobs, generating $240 million in wages and $11 million in taxes paid.
- In a typical year, Penn purchases more than $100 million in goods and services from West Philadelphia.
- Penn’s alumni who live outside the Philadelphia region contributed $92 million to the University in FY 2010 to support building projects, endow teaching positions and faculty chairs and provide undergraduate student financial aid.
- Penn’s mortgage incentive program in University City has provided $5.5 million in grants to 799 Penn employees since 1988.
Contributing to the community through academically based service.
- The number of students involved in Penn’s Academically Based Community Service courses has grown by more than 60 percent since 2004.
- Last year, about 2,500 Penn students worked in schools, health clinics and other venues through curricular and co-curricular activities, including Academically Based Community Service courses, community service work study, and academic internships as part of their academic experience.
- These programs and many others take place through Penn’s Fox Leadership Program, Civic House, and Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships.
Connecting campus with the city.
- Penn’s 30-year campus development plan, “Penn Connects,” is expanding Penn's campus to the east, creating a bridge between the University and Philadelphia’s Center City, further establishing University City as a commercial center and growing community.
- Penn Park, which opened in 2011, transformed 24 industrial acres into a recreational area with athletic fields, pedestrian walkways, and open green space overlooking the Schuylkill River. Penn Park received the Design Champion Award in 2012, with DesignPhiladelphia calling it an “urban sanctuary” in Philadelphia.
- Just south of Penn Park, Penn’s state-of-the-art medical complex fully integrates translational research with patient care and includes the Smilow Center for Translational Research (2011), the Ruth and Raymond Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine (2008) and the Roberts Proton Therapy Center (2009).
