Wharton is one of 12 graduate and professional schools at the University of Pennsylvania, America's first university and a member of the Ivy League. Penn is recognized globally for the caliber of its undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools and for its leadership in disciplines including business, law, medicine, and engineering, which support cross-disciplinary research and collaboration among faculty and students.
The Penn Compact, launched in the inaugural address of President Amy Gutmann in October 2004, places Penn at the forefront of interdisciplinary research, crossing the boundaries of the University's schools and departments. "To comprehend our complex world," said President Gutmann, "we must better integrate knowledge from different disciplines and professional perspectives in our research and teaching." Many Wharton professors have secondary appointments at School's across the University.
Founded and chartered in the 18th century by Benjamin Franklin, Penn has a legacy of educational innovation that includes America's first medical school, first collegiate business school, first university teaching hospital, first journalism program, and first modern liberal arts curriculum.
Wharton students have full access to the resources of Penn. The campus' current resources extend from a new fitness center donated by Wharton alum David Pottruck, which is across the street from Wharton's Huntsman Hall, to a library system with almost 6 million books to a 269-acre campus with countless educational, recreational, and cultural opportunities.