Education for personal, professional, and civic development.
The SNF Paideia Program contributes to the holistic education of Penn undergraduates through a combination of Paideia-designated courses, public events and workshops, public-interest initiatives, and a Fellows program, all focusing on wellness, service, and citizenship. The Program places a particular emphasis on informed civil discourse and deliberation, through which Penn students can productively engage across the social, cultural, and political differences that are a source of our collective strength, but that too often become barriers to productive and inclusive problem solving and community building.
Our People
Integrating academic study and democratic citizenship.
The SNF Paideia Program is a diverse community comprised of dedicated and talented students, faculty, staff, and administrators, working together to foster the exchange of ideas and to promote knowledge and action for the public good.
Our Partners
We love to collaborate.
The civic mission of higher education has been part of Penn’s DNA since its founding by Benjamin Franklin. Today there are numerous centers, programs, and organizations across the University dedicated to various aspects of this mission. The SNF Paideia Program builds on, collaborates with, networks, and leverages these existing entities to make the Penn undergraduate experience greater, and more meaningful, than the sum of its individual parts.
Our Funder
Grateful for the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) is one of the world’s leading private, international philanthropic organizations, making grants to nonprofit organizations in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and sports, and social welfare. SNF funds organizations and projects worldwide that aim to achieve a broad, lasting, and positive impact for the greater society, and exhibit strong leadership and sound management.
A Note From SNF
We’re very proud that the SNF has been able to offer its support to this amazing Penn Paideia Program.
Featured Story
Student Leadership Around Wellness in the Penn Community
SCUE committee on Wellness members Jackson Maxwell ’21, Emma Francis ’22, Meg Gladieux ’23, and Lena Hansen ’23, recently released the Wellness Bright Paper, a collaborative effort to analyze and make concrete suggestions in the wellness space at Penn. Additionally, Penn Engineering students in Dr. James Won’s ESE 543 Human Systems Engineering course studied and reported on the ways in which remote learning influenced student wellbeing during the pandemic. These projects exemplify ways to be an engaged citizen of the Penn community, to contribute to making the lives of others—students, faculty, and staff—better.
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