Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) students all take their own unique path to Penn. Most are working adults from a variety of professional backgrounds; some are new in their careers, while others are preparing to advance or pivot to a new field. What they all have in common is their curiosity, passion for learning, and ambition.
Change is inevitable. As we adapt to meet the needs of this 21st century moment, dialogue, ethics, and social good are more important than ever. This certificate explores why, through foundational examples from across the arts and sciences.
On Sunday, May 15, Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) welcomed family, friends, faculty, and the Class of 2022 for the first in-person graduation ceremony since 2019. This year, LPS conferred 385 degrees on graduating students: 76 bachelor’s degrees, including the first-ever class of Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences graduates to walk the stage at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, and 309 master’s degrees—the largest group of graduating professional master’s students to date.
Long before discovering the Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) at Penn, Dacia Carter had committed herself to community service in and around Waterloo, Iowa. She worked in the juvenile court services, with school districts, and with family and community programs. Along the way, Dacia learned how to help youth and adults build resilience skills and cultivate their best lives.
The College of Liberal and Professional Studies is pleased to congratulate Sukalpa Basu and Lauren Russell for being named 2022 distinguished teaching award winners.
The College of Liberal and Professional Studies is pleased to congratulate Nancy Makale and Akshay Venkatesh for being named Dean's Scholars, an honor presented annually to students who exhibit exceptional academic performance and intellectual promise.
After graduating from Penn with degrees in business and English and spending some time in the workforce, Sam Fox (Core Studies `23) found herself at a crossroads. While she loved her undergraduate experience, she was reconsidering her professional trajectory. "I spent a year and a half working for a marketing consulting firm and hated it," she recalls. "I chose a career path when I was 18 and I no longer felt like it was the right one for me. So, I took a step back to consider my interests and ways that I could explore them."
KC White, who anticipates graduating this spring from Penn’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program, has been elected to Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. White will be the first adult living with cystic fibrosis to lead the Board, a significant moment for the CF community, as the disease has historically been considered pediatric.
The College of Liberal and Professional Studies is pleased to recognize the LPS students selected to participate in the Professional Master’s Program category of this year’s Penn Grad Talks. The competition, which took place virtually during the week of March 21, features TED Talk-style presentations by Penn Arts and Sciences graduate students from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and professional master’s programs.
Dr. Sunil Budhrani (C `95) has been selected to address the College of Liberal and Professional Studies Class of 2022 at the graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 15. Dr. Budhrani is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and clinical associate professor of Emergency Medicine at George Washington School of Medicine in Washington, DC. He serves on the Employer Advisory Board for Penn LPS Online and has been a guest lecturer for classes at the Wharton School and Perelman School of Medicine. “My passions are healthcare and education,” says Dr.
The lifelong learning division of Penn Arts & Sciences
3440 Market Street, Suite 100
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3335
(215) 898-7326
lps@sas.upenn.edu
