A View from Campus

On May 13, Penn GSE celebrated roughly 730 master’s and doctoral students with their families at Commencement. “It is up to all of us, including those of you graduating today in your roles as educational leaders, to help address the complex challenges facing public education in this country,” said Dean Grossman in her remarks.

This year’s Commencement speaker was Emmy-, SAG Award-, and Golden Globe-winning writer, actor, executive producer, and creator of the hit sitcom Abbott Elementary, Quinta Brunson, a West Philadelphia native. She spoke about the importance of teachers, including one of her own, who, she said, “gave me a future.” “We need you, and even though it may not always feel like it, you have the most important job in the world,” she told the graduating educators. “Yes, even more important than doctors. Sorry, doctors, you save lives . . . but somebody had to teach you. So by the transitive property, teachers win!”

This year’s Celebration of Educators, Penn GSE’s annual event honoring the impact of its outstanding alumni, included a ceremony at which Dean Grossman (center) presented Education Alumni Awards to (from left): Qian (Sylvia) He, GED’20; Noah D. Drezner, GED’04, GR’08; Lourdes M. DelRosso, GED’16; Joy Anderson Davis, C’96, GRD’17; Felecia E. Commodore, GR’15; Daniel Rice, GED’20; and Lawrence Ward, GRD’11 (not pictured). Learn more about these and other awards presented to honorees: penng.se/coe23program

The centerpiece of the Celebration of Educators was a panel discussion featuring (from left): Associate Professor Abby Reisman; board member Patricia Grant, GED’01, GRD’04; current Urban Teaching Apprenticeship Program student Tamir Harper; and Dean Grossman. In their lively and wide-ranging conversation, they covered why they chose to come to Penn GSE, technology in the classroom, teachers’ professional development, the current state of education, and much more.

ine years ago, on September 19, 2014, the Penn GSE community came together to celebrate the School’s Centennial, reflecting on how far it had come from its initial 97 students, three faculty members, and nine courses. The kickoff for what would be a yearlong 100th birthday party featured the requisite cake, balloons, and music. But it also included one very important attendee: Pam Grossman, a scholar of teacher education from Stanford University’s School of Education who was soon to become Penn GSE’s newest dean.

Grossman, who began her career as a high school English teacher, had never planned to be a dean—in fact, she had previously turned down other offers so she could continue teaching and advising doctoral students at Stanford. But she felt a pull to lead Penn GSE, compelled by its unique partnerships with the School District of Philadelphia and the potential to make a real, tangible impact.

“It was a big leap for us, particularly because I’m from the Bay Area and had never spent time in Philadelphia, so there was a lot of learning to be done,” Dean Grossman said. “But if you care about urban education, which I do, it really helps to be in a city.”

She officially became dean in January 2015, leading the School into its second century. During the busy years that followed, change was the only constant. Some of it was actively pursued—such as the fundraising and groundbreaking for a new building expansion. And some of which—namely the COVID-19 pandemic—could never have been foreseen. But Dean Grossman steered the School through it all with a steady hand, aspiring to create an inclusive community devoted to academic excellence, innovation, local engagement, and international impact.

“As a global leader in the field of education, Pam, not surprisingly, has a passion for improving our educational systems at every level. Through her leadership, GSE has cemented its place among the top schools of education,” said Wendell Pritchett, GR’97, who served as provost and interim president of the University during her tenure as dean. “Pam has also been a crucial collaborator in our University efforts to create an even more meaningful educational experience for our students.”

The breadth of all she has accomplished came into sharp relief when she announced the bittersweet news that she would be stepping down this summer.

“Dean Grossman is leaving the school in exceptionally good shape,” said Penn GSE’s Chair of the Board of Advisors Doug Korn, W’84. “We have tremendous momentum programmatically, academically, organizationally, and reputationally. By the end of Pam’s term as dean, the School’s physical plant—its learning spaces and public areas—will have been expanded and completely updated to contemporary standards. The School is objectively bigger, better, stronger, and more financially sound than ever.”

“Pam Grossman is an admired teacher, scholar, and leader with an exceptional track record at the helm of Penn’s worldrenowned Graduate School of Education,” said University President Liz Magill. “She has made an indelible mark on Penn GSE, shepherding a significant expansion and renovation project, leading an ambitious fundraising campaign, growing student enrollment, and supporting a strong and committed community that values education to the highest degree. In too many ways to name, her mark will be felt for years to come.”