Marvin and Sybil Weiner want Penn undergraduates to explore the idea and ideal of freedom through the use of rare and special materials. In 1994, the Weiners established an endowment fund to encourage just this sort of thinking.

In 2006, a special Essay Contest, in partnership with the Penn Humanities Forum, honored Penn's founder on the occasion of his 300th birthday. The contest challenged undergraduates to rethink the Penn of today by asking students to consider what the University would be like "If Ben Had Had His Way."

This Essay Contest generated a discussion among students and encourage an important conversation regarding the role of higher education in today's complex world. Certainly, Dr. Franklin, a citizen of the world and strong advocate for educational excellence, would be pleased."

To learn more about the work of the Weiner Fund and the current essay contest, please visit The Penn Humanities Forum."

The Marvin and Sybil Weiner Fund makes possible--through contests, exhibits, seminars, lectures, research projects, and symposia--exploration of important ideas through use of rare and special material from Penn's collections.

A generous supporter of the university, Marvin Weiner is a member of the Wharton School Class of 1938.

 

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