 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Active | February 8, 2018 (2018-02-08)–September 2024 (2024-09) |
Parent institution | University of Pennsylvania |
| Address | 101 Constitution Ave., N.W. ,,,United States |
| Website | global.upenn.edu/penn-biden-center |
ThePenn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement is a center of theUniversity of Pennsylvania, located inWashington, D.C. It was established in 2018 and named afterJoe Biden, later the 46thpresident of the United States.[1][2][3] Its website was redirected and the center was effectively renamedPenn Washington in September 2024.[4]
Athink tank, the Penn Biden Center is, per its mission statement, "founded on the principle that a democratic, open, secure, tolerant, and interconnected world benefits all Americans."[5][6] The Penn Center engagesforeign policy leaders as well as members of the Penn community on issues which are critical to sustaining the principles of American leadership on the global stage into the 21st century.[7]
The Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement officially opened on February 8, 2018.[8][9] The center opened offices inWashington, D.C. The inaugural ceremony was attended by Biden,[10] the president of the University of Pennsylvania,Amy Gutmann, andDavid Cohen, chairman of Penn's board of trustees.[7] It featured a discussion on global affairs between Biden and veteranNBC News journalist and Penn alumna,Andrea Mitchell. Guests also included formerU.S. secretary of stateJohn Kerry, formerU.S. national security advisorSusan Rice, formerU.S. attorneys generalEric Holder andLoretta Lynch and current and former members of Congress.[8] The managing director of the Penn Biden Center isMichael Carpenter.[11][12] The Penn Biden Center's website was redirected and the center was effectively renamedPenn Washington in September 2024.[4]
Following the victory ofJoe Biden in the2020 United States presidential election, the center issued the following statement:[13]
The Penn Biden Center will carry on its mission of conducting original research, analysis, and commentary on America’s place in the world and the global forces that impact our national security, democratic institutions, and foreign policy. As a research unit within the University of Pennsylvania, the Penn Biden Center will remain completely independent of the Biden administration, and the analysis and opinions of its staff and affiliated scholars will reflect their personal views alone, and not necessarily those of the University of Pennsylvania. The Penn Biden Center does not accept any contributions or gifts.[13]
Between November 2022 and January 2023, PresidentJoe Biden's attorneys found approximately 25 to 30 classified documents in his former office at the Penn Biden Center and in his personal residence inWilmington, Delaware, dating to his vice presidency in theObama administration. This was immediately reported by the President's attorneys to theNational Archives and Records Administration, which retrieved them. On January 12, Attorney GeneralMerrick Garland appointed aspecial counsel to investigate possible unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents. TheHouse Judiciary Committee opened a separate investigation.[14][15]
