News

• March 15, 2021

  An Interview with Liza Vick, President of the Music Library Association

  This month, Liza Vick took the reins as president of the Music Library Association, the primary professional organization for music librarians in the United States. Vick, who is the head of the Penn Libraries’ Otto E. Albrecht Music Library and Eugene Ormandy Music Library and Media Center, has contributed significantly to the profession of music librarianship throughout her career, having served previously in a number of organizational leadership positions and as book review editor of publications like Notes, the Music Library Association’s quarterly journal. We recently sat down with her to talk about her career, the challenges and opportunities she is looking forward to tackling in this new position, and her hopes for music librarianship as a whole.

• March 1, 2021

  Penn’s Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw Curates Exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery about The Nations First Ladies

  During an 18-month leave from Penn, Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw was the senior historian and director of history, research, and scholarly programs at the Portrait Gallery. Shaw’s research and scholarship are woven throughout the exhibition on first ladies, which features 55 women in more than 60 works, spanning the more than 250 years from Martha Washington to Melania Trump. Described as the largest exhibition outside the White House on the portraiture of first ladies, the items include paintings, photographs, engravings, miniatures, sculptures, campaign buttons, and garments.

• February 26, 2021

  Sherisse Laud-Hammond was Named the New Director of the Penn Women’s Center (PWC)

  Sherisse Laud-Hammond was named the new director of the Penn Women’s Center (PWC), a position in which she is the first Black woman and woman of color to serve. A 2005 graduate of the Master of Social Work program at Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2), Laud-Hammond’s prior social work education and career, as well as her ongoing dedication to social justice and change, are unmistakably evident when she describes her goals and vision for PWC.

• February 26, 2021

  Penn Announces Five 2021 Thouron Scholars

  Four University of Pennsylvania seniors and a 2019 graduate have received a Thouron Award to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom. Emily Davis, is a full-time professional ballet dancer in her sixth season with the Pennsylvania Ballet. Carson Eckhard, is a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow and a University Scholar. Ben Friedman, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and communications with a minor in survey research and data analytics from Penn in 2019. Friedman has worked on a number of political campaigns, most recently as New Hampshire press secretary for the campaign of President Joseph Biden. Lauren Kleidermacher, created PJ Pillows, a nonprofit that raises funds for Alzheimer’s research, and has donated time and resources to several nursing homes. Beau Staso, is a research assistant at Wharton, a research assistant and Russian translator at Penn Medicine, and a teaching assistant in the Russian and East European Studies Department in the College of Arts and Sciences.

• February 24, 2021

  The Joy and Power of Improvisation

  Bringing the joy and power of improv into Philadelphia public schools is the mission of The Unscripted Project, a new nonprofit created by University of Pennsylvania Wharton School graduates Philip Chen and Meera Menon, supported by a 2020 President’s Engagement Prize. During the fall semester, Unscripted placed four local teaching artists—professional improvisors with experience in the classroom—in six schools to teach a unique 8-week improv curriculum in class workshops. Unscripted also became certified to provide professional development to classroom teachers on how to incorporate improv into their lesson plans.