Pivoting to online classes to keep students safe during the COVID-19 pandemic introduced challenges—but also opportunities. Our innovative LPS community discovered new ways to stay connected.

Penn’s Master of Environmental Studies (MES) emphasizes hands-on, practical experience as well as academic rigor, so the stay-at-home orders in spring 2020 had a different impact on students planning to pursue internships and research in the field. Even so, the faculty and program team were well-equipped to make the transition to remote learning.

Dear students, faculty, and staff,

Following the University announcement about this year’s commencement ceremony, the College of Liberal and Professional Studies is pleased to announce that we will again host a virtual celebration to honor our graduates. While we cannot gather in person this May, we want all of our graduating students to be able to celebrate their accomplishments with family, friends, and loved ones. 

Penn Grad Talks (formerly known as Grad Ben Talks) features TED Talk-style presentations by Penn Arts and Sciences graduate students, including five this year from LPS professional master’s programs. Penn Grad Talks went virtual in 2021 and announced Ashley Session, a Fels Master of Public Administration student, as the professional master’s program category winner.

The LPS student presentations included:

Sulaiman W. Rahman, CEO of DiverseForce, has been selected to address the College of Liberal and Professional Studies Class of 2021 at the graduation celebration on Sunday, May 16.

The University of Pennsylvania announced the 2021 recipients of the Thouron Award, including Emily Davis, a Bachelor of Arts student in Penn's College of Liberal and Professional Studies.

Looking for ways to persevere through the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have turned to positive psychology—and the aspect of resilience—for hope. Even Karen Reivich, director of resilience and positive psychology programs through Penn’s Positive Psychology Center and instructor in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies’ Master of Applied Positive Psychology program, needed a boost.

The Classical Studies Department at the University of Pennsylvania announced a new fellowship starting in the 2021-22 academic year that aims to diversify the study of the ancient world.

Fundamentals of Sustainability is a course offered through the Master of Science in Organizational Dynamics program that provides students an introduction to sustainability concepts and challenges through the lens of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs).

Cristina Bicchieri, founding director of Penn’s Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences (MBDS) and director of the Center for Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics, wants to better understand how people’s perceptions of their own autonomy impacts their understanding of the inequalities that exist throughout the nation.