The University of Pennsylvania recently announced a $5 million gift from Wendy, W’97, and Wayne Holman to establish the Holman Africa Initiative, which will expand student financial aid and make Penn knowledge more accessible and actionable for people in Africa, with a focus on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The initiative provides vital new support in three areas: undergraduate financial aid, a new fellowship and a resource acquisition fund at the Penn Libraries, and seed funding to advance pivotal research related to urgent issues facing Africa.
“We are extraordinarily grateful to Wendy and Wayne Holman for supporting innovative and cross-disciplinary thinking to advance practical, actionable knowledge where it can do the most good,” said Penn President Amy Gutmann. “The Holman Africa Initiative will provide much-needed financial aid for African STEM students, create new research and engagement opportunities, and provide fellowship support for African health and medicine research. Wendy and Wayne’s vision and leadership will advance the University mission to use knowledge to transform lives around the world.”
The Holman Africa Initiative comprises the following elements:
- The Holman Scholarship for African STEM Students will expand Penn’s commitment to increasing educational access by supporting students from Africa.
- The Holman Africa Research and Engagement Fund at Penn Global will drive innovative research and knowledge creation by encouraging and supporting scholars at Penn across disciplines who will partner with peers in the region to explore the dynamics shaping the continent and our world.
- The Holman Fellowship for African Health and Medicine Research and the Holman Africa Research Acquisition Fund, both at the Penn Libraries, will create opportunities for young scholars from Africa to access the extraordinary concentration of medical knowledge and history in Philadelphia. Holman Fellows will address urgent health issues in Africa, while forming new relationships and raising awareness of solutions that will benefit from global collaboration. The Holman Africa Research Acquisition Fund will facilitate Penn in providing information and data resources to scholars and researchers studying Africa.
The establishment of the Holman Africa Initiative was announced during the Penn Africa Research Symposium on May 20. The event, organized by Penn Global, was designed to highlight the many research endeavors, partnerships, exchanges, and service initiatives related to Africa that operate across campus and beyond.
Benjamin Franklin envisioned Penn as a place for practical knowledge that can have real-world effect. That’s something all Penn alumni share at our cores.”Wendy Holman, W’97
“Through the Holman Africa Initiative, it is my greatest hope that we can apply this foundational value to facilitate promising young scholars in creating lasting, fruitful connections around the globe and to realize the talent and potential that lies in Africa and its people to contribute to the great, unfolding human story,” said Wendy Holman, née Commins.
“We are honored to partner with the University of Pennsylvania,” said Wayne Holman. “The Holman Africa Initiative will provide opportunities to bring brilliant and curious minds together in ways that might not otherwise be possible. We hope and believe this will help shape a bright future for all involved and beyond.”
“Wendy and Wayne Holman’s commitment to Africa is unequivocal,” said Ezekiel J. Emanuel, Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and the Diane v.S. Levy and Robert M. Levy University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. “With the establishment of the Holman Africa Initiative, that commitment is now set to grow exponentially—along with Penn’s—through generations of new alumni, new partnerships, and new outlets that will drive innovative insights of Africa, the U.S., and the world. We thank the Holmans for inspiring incredible momentum at Penn as we increase focus on Africa as an area for purposeful, pivotal engagement.”
The Holmans are Co-Founders of Ridgeback Therapeutics, with Wendy Holman, a 1997 graduate of the Wharton School, serving as CEO. In December 2020, the company announced FDA approval of the Ebola treatment Ebanga. Wayne Holman is also the Founder and CEO of Ridgeback Capital, a firm that provides capital to life science companies to develop new medicines and healthcare innovations.
