Boards of Advisors

Formal institutional governance and fiduciary responsibility for the University of Pennsylvania rests solely with its Board of Trustees. Boards of Advisors serve as a vital channel of communication with the Trustees on the activities of the University’s many constituent parts. Boards of Advisors afford Penn ready panels of alumni, professionals and other experts who provide volunteer leadership and financial support to the areas they serve. Board members are ambassadors and spokespersons for individual Penn schools and centers, linking the campus to the world.

Advisory boards at Penn date back to 1928 when the Statutes of the Corporation, which outline governance procedures for the University, were amended to allow for constituent boards to provide counsel for each of the University’s faculties. In 1972, the trustees and the president decided to build on this earlier precedent by establishing Boards of Advisors. Boards were subsequently formed for ten of Penn’s schools: Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Education, Engineering, Stuart Weitzman School of Design, Penn Law, Nursing, Social Policy & Practice, Veterinary Medicine, and Wharton. Boards of advisors have also been established for the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Athletics, the Institute of Contemporary Art, University Libraries, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum. The University of Pennsylvania Press has its own board of trustees.

The Office of the University Secretary works with the schools and centers on their boards. For listings of current members, visit the board pages by schools or by centers.