Building on Penn's Distinguished History

Penn traces its origins to 1740 when a trust was formed to establish the Charity School of Philadelphia. Later, in 1749, Benjamin Franklin presented his vision for a new type of learning institution. Unlike other American Colonial colleges, this institution would not focus on education for the clergy but would instead prepare students for lives of business and public service. The proposed program of study would become the nation’s first modern liberal arts curriculum.

We believe Benjamin Franklin would be pleased to see how the Organizational Dynamics Program is realizing his vision for an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to education. Indeed, our mission is to use such an approach to enable our working students to become more effective leaders, agents of sustainable growth and sources of creativity in their professional pursuits.