University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania, often colloquially referred to simply as "Penn," was founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin as America's first university. Franklin's university challenged the educational norms of the day; while other colleges of the Colonial era trained men for the Christian ministry, Franklin envisioned an academic university designed to train students in business, government, and public service. Centuries later, Penn's ecosystem remains one of innovation and the university is consistently ranked one of the best in the country. With a student to faculty ratio of 6 to 1, Penn is home to more than 20,000 graduate and undergraduate students. The university's nearly 5,000 faculty members are leaders in their fields, generating groundbreaking research and training the world's next generation of innovators. Beyond rigorous academics, Penn encourages its students to engage in all that the university has to offer, including impressive athletics, robust extracurricular activities, and the university's renowned Penn Museum and arts galleries.

The University of Pennsylvania is home to the Annenberg School of Communication, established by Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg in 1958.