Jonathan Zimmerman on how World War II reshaped research at Penn

In a recent Penn Today feature, Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor in Education Jonathan Zimmerman reflects on how World War II marked a turning point in the University of Pennsylvania’s evolution into a major research institution. The story, part of the “Chapters of Change” series, explores how wartime efforts and postwar federal investment transformed the scale and structure of research at Penn and across U.S. higher education.

Zimmerman highlights how the war spurred unprecedented collaboration between universities and the federal government, leading to the rise of large, team-based research models that continue to define modern academia. The piece also traces how policies such as the G.I. Bill expanded access to higher education.

“It showed that working-class people could succeed at college,” he says. The new students flooding campuses were older, more mature, and were more prepared to be successful than their predecessors, Zimmerman says.

Together, these shifts laid the foundation for Penn’s growth as a leading research university, with lasting impacts on funding, faculty development, and interdisciplinary work.

Read the full story on Penn Today.