When Heidi Boerstler (Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts ’26) received the title of Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado Denver Business School, where she teaches ethics and health law, she was ready to try something new. “I decided to go back and study things I’d never studied before,” she recalls. “I had always been so focused on raising my daughter, getting tenure, teaching, doing research and all.
“As a kid, when I found out about climate change, I had a lot of climate anxiety. That’s one of the reasons why I entered the sustainability field. I had to work on this problem,” shares Desiree Izecksohn, Master of Environmental Studies (MES) ’23.
Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) is pleased to welcome Dr. Siobhan Whadcoat as the Director of Professional Masters Programs in Earth and Environmental Science (EES). This role oversees the Master of Environmental Studies and Applied Geosciences Program, which includes the online Master of Science in Applied Geosciences as well as non-degree certificate and course-taking options.
After Mariam Vahradyan (Master of Applied Positive Psychology `24) completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology, she spent a few years working in education management: first for the largest children’s book publisher, Scholastic, then for a nonprofit in Yerevan, Armenia—the city where she was born and where she was excited to return after residing in New York City for most of her life. “I’d been in that corporate culture for a few years, and I really missed learning and talking about ideas and concepts in nuanced ways,” she reflects.
Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) is pleased to welcome Dr. Yvette Bordeaux as the new Director of Graduate Programs, where she will oversee the directors of LPS’ graduate and post-baccalaureate programs as they develop innovative program delivery and programmatic academic excellence. She will also serve as the faculty liaison to LPSGov, our graduate student government, and will work with departments and programs to develop new master’s and certificate programs.
This past spring, Penn alumna Dr. Alex Miller was recognized with the Perelman School of Medicine Dean’s Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching. The honor is something she couldn’t imagine possible when she left the education field and enrolled in Penn LPS’ Pre-Health Post-Baccalaureate Programs back in 2013.
This past May, Kaixi (Alex) Yang (International Master of Public Administration, December ’23) attended the College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) graduation ceremony. He donned the traditional cap, gown, and academic hood, plus a plethora of colorful cords and stoles—each ornament denoting a different honor and affiliation.
Hi, Quakers! I’m Ruoxuan Chen, one of the IGSP Ambassadors for Fall 2024. I’m from CUHKSZ (The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen), and though it has been almost three months since I returned to my home university, my exchange experience at Penn still feels like a dream. Every moment - my initial nervousness upon arriving on campus, the excitement of meeting my roommate Bianca from Puerto Rico, and the thrill of attending orientation with students from all over the world - remains incredibly vivid in my memory.
“I wanted to work in corporate sustainability,” says Donato Grimaldi (MES ’23). “I knew the Master of Environmental Studies program could get me to where I want to be.”
During the Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program, students work in small groups to partner with organizations from around the world and put their positive psychology expertise to work. Each service learning project studies the organization's structure, mission, and goals and develops an actionable plan to make an immediate impact and advance the mission.
The lifelong learning division of Penn Arts & Sciences
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