Message from General Manager Deb Howlett

A MESSAGE FROM DEB HOWLETT

One of the great joys of working at The Daily Pennsylvanian is the camaraderie of the newsroom. The hours spent at the “Pink Palace” are for many alumni among the happiest memories of their time at Penn.

That’s why the fall semester has been so great. Even with everyone masked up, being back on campus and in the office at full strength has been extraordinary. This semester we’ve continued our coverage of the campus for the benefit of students, keeping a focus on the university’s handling of the COVID pandemic and student wellness, the departure of longtime President Amy Gutmann, and the brutal assault of a student at a Psi Upsilon (Castle) fraternity party.

We launched the DP+ mobile app this year and we are expanding the roster of newsletters.

We successfully revived the Marquez Conference after several years absence, bringing students together with alumni who provide mentoring, training, and advising.

And thanks largely to the generous support of alumni we’ve provided more than $150,000 in direct student support through stipends, scholarships, fellowships, and editorial expenses. We’ve also worked with alumni Steven Stecklow, John Daniszewski and their colleague Philip Lentz who’ve generously funded a new annual alumni award for investigative reporting.

I’m happy to report that even working remotely, the news operation has been as strong as ever, with daily email newsletters, weekly print editions and breaking news by-the-hour on the website. The DP won a third straight Gold Crown award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, one of two college publications to receive the award this year. We were also one of 15 college news organizations honored by the Associated Collegiate Press with a Pacemaker Award.

The evolution of The DP continues and we look forward to the election of the 138th Board, as well as the continued transition of newsroom finances away from a legacy print advertising model to a digitally focused, non-profit business model that brings The DP into alignment with modern professional practices and fully prepares students as media professionals.

Demand for MOVE bombing reparations

SUKHMANI KAUR

It’s great to be back in person and The DP is looking forward to a full return to normalcy.

Deb Howlett

General Manager