Vallas in with roar, out with rancor

Temple started its first adult study abroad program in 2021 with 10 students. It has since grown to two cohorts, one in the spring and one in the fall, serving about 100 students.

The school already has raised $64 million during the quiet phase, and the funding is for student scholarships, experiential learning opportunities, and facility upgrades, the school said in a release.

The Villanova Spires — an all-male a cappella group — began performing the surprise personalized birthday songs mostly on campus last November; now they have more requests than they can handle.

Some people are abandoning office jobs for teaching, healthcare, and the trades. But switching to the new paths can come with trade-offs.

Joel Dales, 58, a Philadelphia native whose father was a police officer in North Philadelphia and who joined the department in 1990, will take over on Dec. 7.

The pause came hours after the school said it placed two fraternities on interim suspension as it investigates allegations of sexual misconduct and hazing. The pause affects 300 student groups.

J.S. Jenks, on Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill, sent its 350-plus students home early Wednesday because of a water service disruption. It's not clear when the issue will be resolved.

The two fraternities on suspension are Pi Kappa Phi and Lambda Chi Alpha, a university spokesperson said.

Helen Bowman, executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer at Drexel, will start her new role at Boston University as executive vice president on Jan. 1.

The Justice Department asked Harvard for applicants’ grades, test scores, essays, extracurricular activities, and admissions outcomes, along with their race and ethnicity. Harvard refused.

“By shifting to breakfast after the bell, we removed every barrier standing our students and the nourishment they need in order to fully engage in our instructional program,” one principal said.

“We’ve got to invite young people into the profession,” said Sharif El-Mekki, a longtime Philly teacher and principal, now the founder and CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development.

The idea was born about three years ago on Mount Roberts in Alaska, when a Bryn Mawr College professor and several colleagues were on a hiking trip.

A lifelong naturalist, he learned scientific glassblowing technology at what is now Salem Community College, studied the structure of flowers, and made these flowers the centerpiece of his art.

Ismael Jimenez filed suit against the school board Wednesday in federal court, alleging violations of his First Amendment rights.

The district is moving forward with major renovations at Bache-Martin, Catharine, Patterson and F.S. Edmonds schools. City Council members also pushed back on 17 forthcoming school closures.

Superintendent Matthew Friedman is on leave effective immediately, the district said. Assistant Superintendent Lisa Hoffman will oversee day-to-day operations.

Matthew Friedman formally resigned after going on leave last month. Lisa Hoffman, who filled his role during the recent student ICE walkout, was appointed interim superintendent.

She spent 20 hours secretly reporting from a nearby house during the two-day confrontation between Philadelphia police and members of the MOVE group in May 1985.

Yes, the Union went 13-2-4 in league games after Ryan Richter took the helm. But only when the playoffs kick off later this month will we finally know the true depth of that success.

Providing comprehensive care for people in cognitive decline is one of many JFCS programs serving Holocaust survivors, people living with disabilities, and the Orthodox Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities.

The Hawks finished with 21 assists on 38 field goals and had 18 steals, a statistic head coach Cindy Griffin said stood out. Next up, a trip to face Cincinnati on Wednesday.

Thomas Jefferson University's Center for the Preservation of Modernism has created an interactive map of hundreds of midcentury modern buildings in Philadelphia to promote their preservation.

Author Ashley Clark considers films by Gunn, Cheryl Dunye, and Ephraim Asili to be among the most important Black films in the world. He also includes an "unhinged film" with a Philly legend.

The movement from a family doctor handling all care to hospital-based specialists for in-patient care is an overall positive, but it makes moving back to the general practitioner more challenging.