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Penn Increases the Discount for Faculty and Staff Commuter Program

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News & Happenings

Congratulations, Edwin Berrios

BSD's 2025 Models of Excellence Honoree

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2025 BSD Models of Excellence Honoree

Congratulations, Edwin Berrios

Posted:

The Division of Business Services is delighted to announce that Edwin Berrios, Residential and Hospitality Services' Associate Director for Building Operations, has received a Models of Excellence Award, the highest honor that Penn bestows upon staff.

Named a Model Supervisor for his dedicated work leading the team of building administrators, residential services managers, and student workers that support all 6,000 on-campus residents, Edwin is lauded as “a patient mentor who strengthens the community by promoting well-being and work-life integration. He empowers conversations by encouraging his team to explore ways to better serve our students, families, and peers with empathy and care."

Edwin and the full roster of 2025 honorees will be recognized at the Models of Excellence ceremony at the Penn Museum on April 7. Save the date and join us in congratulating Edwin for this momentous achievement.

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Meet Mike Petrocelli

The Penn Ice Rink's Operations Manager chatted with Penn Today about his role at the coolest place on campus. 

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Meet Jane Pablos

Du Bois College House's beloved Residential Services Manager recently chatted with Penn Today about her 30-year tenure at the University. 

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We couldn't be prouder . . .

The Penn Ice Rink has been voted Metro Philly's Best for 2024.

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We couldn't be prouder . . .

Penn Ice Rink Voted Metro Philly's Best!

Posted:

The University of Pennsylvania Class of 1923 Ice Skating Rink is proud to have been voted Metro Philly’s Best Ice Rink for 2024. More than 100,000 Metro Philly readers cast a ballot for their favorite local businesses, listed in the publication’s fourth annual “Winners Guide.”

“We are deeply honored and grateful to be recognized as Metro Philly's Best Ice Rink,” says Ray Bates, Executive Director of Penn Business Services, the University division that oversees the Penn Ice Rink. “Director Rob Harkins, Assistant Manager Bill Richards, and Operations Manager Mike Petrocelli are passionate about the quality of the rink’s programming, facilities, and guest experiences—and it shows through everything they do. This award is a testament to their hard work and dedication, as well as the unwavering support of the communities we serve.”

A campus beacon of frozen fun and fierce competition for 50+ years, the Penn Ice Rink is home to the Penn Quakers men’s and women’s hockey teams, the Drexel Dragons men’s hockey teams, the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, St. Joseph’s Prep Hockey, the Penn Figure Skating Club, and a number of adult hockey leagues.

The rink hosts a robust schedule of open and free skates, hockey drop-in hours, a popular all-ages learn-to-skate program, as well as special events for Penn students and the public alike. Exciting upcoming programs include Rocky Date Night on December 6, a signature RockyFest event cohosted with the Philadelphia Visitors Center, and shows by Le Patin Libre contemporary ice-skating company on December 13-14, in collaboration with Penn Live Arts. In February 2025, the rink will welcome the Colonial States Collegiate Hockey Playoffs and the Intercollegiate Figure Skating Championships.

Earlier this year, the rink installed a unique vending machine that allows hockey players and figure skaters to replace equipment feet away from the ice surface. This self-serve Pro Shop is stocked with everything from skate laces and mouthguards to neck protectors and hockey sticks.

The Penn Ice Rink is located at 3130 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. Follow on social at Instagram and Facebook.

 

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The Morris Breaks Ground for Research

The Morris Arboretum & Gardens held a groundbreaking for its new Plant Science Lab.

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The Morris Breaks Ground for Research

Digging Into Science

Posted: 10/3/2024
Rendering of the Plant Science Lab

On October 1, the Morris Arboretum & Gardens held a groundbreaking for its new Plant Science Lab. The facility will incorporate a wet lab and the equipment necessary for the Morris’ team of researchers and botanical scientists to study how plants evolve and adapt in relation to climate change, with an emphasis on species found throughout Pennsylvania.

“Scientific research in botany and horticulture has been one of the pillars of the Morris Arboretum & Garden’s mission since its founding in 1932,” said William Cullina, F. Otto Haas Executive Director, to open the event, at which Morris advisory board members, Lab donors, and a variety of guests from across the University joined the plant sciences staff. “This facility will allow the Morris to use the latest technology to begin answering many of the taxonomic and ecological questions generated by more than 90 years of work, and many more research questions of biological and horticultural interest.”

Construction is expected to be complete in early 2025. The Lab is a key component of the Morris’ 20-year site plan, which includes new research greenhouses, an adjacent nursery, and, eventually, an additional science building with a teaching lab and an herbarium.

Read more about it in the Fall/Winter edition of MA&G Seasons.

Fun fact: Cullina broke ground with a 120-year-old shovel owned by Morris namesake John Morris.

Pictured (foreground, from left): Elizabeth P. McLean, emeritus member of the Morris’ Board of Advisors; Anne Papageorge, Senior Vice President, Facilities & Real Estate Services; Michael D. Scales, Vice President, Division of Business Services; Cullina.

 

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Parking & Commuter Services Moves to the Penn Bookstore

Parking & Commuter Services is now conveniently located on the first floor of the Penn Bookstore (near the Sansom Street entrance). The move from 3401 Walnut, the department’s home of nearly 30 years, coincides with the launch of an expanded menu of flexible permits and programs for new parkers, offered based on community feedback. Open weekdays from 8:30 AM to 5 PM, Parking & Commuter Services joins the PennCard Center and Onboard@Penn at the Bookstore, solidifying the site as a convenient one-stop hub for a variety of Penn services. 

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