myHR: November 26, 2025

Seasonal Savings at Penn

It’s official: the holidays are approaching, and with them the opportunity to plan for those perfect gifts and experiences your loved ones will appreciate. As you check your shopping list, check out these discounts for sports lovers, performing arts fans, readers, fashionistas, garden enthusiasts, and museum goers.

Stay Active

Ott Center for Track & Field

Penn employees receive discounted training memberships to run indoors during the winter season. The Ott Center is available weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Penn faculty/staff training memberships are $200 for the 2025-2026 winter season or $10 at the door for a day pass. For more information on training memberships and facility policies, visit theottcenter.com.

Penn Campus Recreation

Looking for a great way to stay active, recharge, and connect with the Penn community? Full-time Penn employees may enjoy a 50% off monthly Campus Recreation membership. That means full access to our newly renovated pool, fitness centers, programs, and amenities – at an unbeatable value.

Don’t wait to take advantage of this special offer. Start your wellness journey today with Penn Recreation and experience everything our facilities have to offer. To confirm eligibility and explore offerings, please contact Penn Campus Recreation.

Basketball Matinee

Cheer for the Quakers in the Palestra on the Friday before winter break! The Penn Women’s Basketball team will take on the Washington State Cougars on December 19 at 11 a.m. Order your tickets for a discounted rate, available on this special Penn Athletics webpage. Penn faculty and staff are also invited to take photos on the court after the game.

Penn Ice Rink

The Penn Ice Rink will host American Gold LIVE, a holiday figure-skating extravaganza, on Saturday, December 13, with shows at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

NBC10 will broadcast the spectacle, headlined by Ilia Malinin and Alysa Liu, reigning men’s and women’s world champions and top U.S. Olympic contenders. Joining them will be world silver medalist and Philly native Isabeau Levito, along with an array of skating’s brightest stars, mere weeks before they take the ice at the Winter Games in Italy.

Penn students, faculty, staff, and alumni can access a limited number of seats at a significant exclusive discount. To purchase these first-come, first-served tickets, click here and choose the show you'd like to attend; at the top of the ticketing column, click "Password-protected tickets" and enter code PENNGOLD25 to unlock the "University of Pennsylvania Experience" button.

Please show a valid PennCard at the rink on the day of the show to confirm Penn discount eligibility. Note that the discount code will be deactivated once Penn’s ticket allotment is sold out.

For real-time updates, follow @PennIceRink on Instagram and Facebook.

On Sunday, December 14, the rink will hold its annual Holiday Skate from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free if you bring an unwrapped gift for Toys for Tots (skate rental additional).

Shop Locally

Annual Winter Sale-a-Bration at the Penn Bookstore

The Penn Bookstore’s annual Sale-a-Bration sale is set for Wednesday, December 3, and Thursday, December 4. Shoppers will enjoy a 20% storewide discount* during this event.

Special treats and activities include performances by the Penn Glee Club, complimentary hot chocolate and cookies each afternoon, a wintry photo op, and other surprises. Stay in the loop by following @PennBookstore on Instagram and Facebook. 

While you’re at the Bookstore, consider purchasing a picture book from the dedicated Penn Reads Children’s Book Drive display and leave it with Bookstore staff for donation to local early childcare centers. The drive — a key element of the African-American Resource Center’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Symposium — is designed to foster a lifelong love of reading and support early literacy in our community.

Additionally, the Penn Bookstore is pleased to share its 2025 Catalog, featuring a curated selection of merchandise, apparel, and distinctive collectibles that celebrate the enduring Penn spirit. Explore the catalog and visit the Penn Bookstore website for an even broader range of options, including new arrivals and timeless favorites in a variety of prices, styles, and sizes.

Enjoy free shipping on orders over $49 through December 11 with code PENNFS49 (some limits apply).

*Excluding course materials, electronics, gift cards, special orders, and café items.

SHOP PENN 12 Days of Deals

The Bookstore Sale-a-Bration is part of SHOP PENN’s 12 Days of Deals between December 1 and December 12. Enjoy shopping local during a dozen days of sales and giveaways from eclectic stores and restaurants around campus. For more details, visit www.shopsatpenn.com and follow SHOP PENN on Instagram, X, and Facebook (@shopsatpenn).

Finally, the SHOP PENN Holiday Window Decorating Contest returns on December 8 through December 14. Take a stroll through the district and vote for your favorite holiday window display.

View Greenery and Scenery

Morris Arboretum & Gardens

The Shop at Morris Arboretum & Gardens offers an array of locally crafted goods and unique items that inspire love and appreciation of the natural world. Penn staff and faculty* get a special 10% discount on all Shop purchases from December 1 through December 30. Every purchase supports the arboretum’s mission of connecting plants, people, and place.

Also at the Morris, the Holiday Garden Railway returns from November 22 through December 30, bringing its beloved display of model trains and miniature historic buildings back for another season of family fun. New this year is a 60-foot-long tunnel of lights, a brilliant display sure to dazzle and delight visitors of all ages.

Daytime viewing is included with general entry. Admission is free for PennCard holders. Advance tickets are required to view the illuminated Nighttime Express, which adds even more sparkle on select evenings beginning November 29. Click here for details.

The Morris is now operating on Winter hours through March: 10 a.m. through 4 p.m., with last entry at 3 p.m. It will be closed on November 24 and December 24-25.

*In-store only. Must present PennCard for discount. Not valid for the purchase of memberships, gift cards, or admissions. Other restrictions may apply.

Experience Arts and Culture

Penn Live Arts

Penn faculty and staff receive a 10% discount on Penn Live Arts performances, including music, dance, theatre, and cirque artists from around the world. Celebrate the season on December 7 with jazz diva Dianne Reeves, a five-time Grammy® Award-winner and NEA Jazz Master. December 12 through 14, dance-illusion company MOMIX returns with smash-hit Alice, a spectacular trip into Lewis Carroll's Wonderland. On December 19, Irish Christmas in America is joined by vocal star Caitríona Sherlock to showcase the enchanting sounds of Ireland’s finest traditional artists. To get discounted tickets, use code “PENN.” Visit PennLiveArts.org for more information. 

Museum Store Sunday at the Penn Museum

The Penn Museum Shop is among nearly 25 attractions across the City of Philadelphia that will participate in Museum Store Sunday on November 30. This global initiative involving more than 2,200 cultural institutions and local artisans is designed to inspire holiday shopping with meaningful economic impact.

For one-of-a-kind, culturally inspired gifts, the Penn Museum Shop features global gifts, from jewelry inspired by ancient royalty to hand-crafted holiday ornaments from Kenya, and private tours that will appeal to kids and adults alike.

Available Penn Museum memberships offer unlimited visits for a year, plus previews and discounts. Penn staff, faculty, and students will receive 25% off all regularly priced merchandise the entire month of December both in-store and online. For in-store purchases, please present your PennCard; for online purchases, use code: "PennMShop25."

Opportunities to Build Your Retirement Savings

The IRS recently announced changes to retirement plan contribution limits and income limits for the Saver’s Credit. These increases could give you an opportunity to save more for your retirement. Over time, even a slight increase in saving can make a significant difference in your investments, especially if you start soon.

The IRS contribution limits for 403(b) retirement plans will increase to as follows:

*In 2025, Penn's retirement savings plan adopted the new super catch-up permitted by the IRS for employees ages 60-63. The super catch-up limit remains the same for 2026.

** The Annual Compensation Limit is the maximum amount of an employee’s compensation that can be used when calculating employer contributions.

For traditional and Roth IRAs, the limit for annual contributions will increase to $7,500 per person. If you are at least 50 years old or turn 50 at any time in 2026, you can make additional catch-up contributions of up to $1,100.

The 2026 income limits for the Saver's Credit (also known as the Retirement Savings Contributions Credit) are $80,500 for married couples filing jointly, $60,375 for heads of household, and $40,250 for singles and married individuals filing separately.

For help determining the right weekly or monthly contribution amount to maximize your savings, visit the Contributions to the Plans web page or contact the Retirement Call Center at 1-877-PENN-RET (1-877-736-6738).

To review your Penn retirement savings plans, enroll, or make changes, sign on at Penn’s TIAA.org portal.

Understanding Pay at Penn

Curious about how pay is decided at Penn? Our new Compensation Guide, is your go-to resource for understanding how jobs, salaries, and career growth fit together across the University. The guide includes key topics like how pay ranges are designed, what drives salary decisions, and how performance and development tie into our compensation philosophy.

Whether you’re new to the University or want a clearer picture of how everything connects, the Compensation Guide is designed to provide clarity, transparency, and support as you navigate your career at Penn.

For more information about Penn’s Compensation Program, check out the Division of Human Resources Compensation webpages.

Payment Election Authentication in Workday

Effective December 4, 2025, Workday will require those who receive pay from the University to provide their current bank account information before making any changes to their payment elections. This is a new layer of security that will help ensure that only authorized users can update payment elections used for direct deposits.

This protective measure helps prevent unauthorized changes to payment elections. It also protects faculty, postdocs, staff, students, and temporary workers from paycheck fraud by increasingly sophisticated criminal methods.

If you update your bank account information in Workday, there will be a new step in the process:

• Log in Securely to Workday. Navigate to the Benefits, Comp and Pay Hub in your personal category of the navigation menu.
• Click on Payment Elections. Select the account you would like to update and click Edit. Most of the account information is masked (asterisks in place of numbers).
• Verify Your Current Bank Account Details. Please enter your current bank account number carefully when prompted.
• Consequences of Failed Attempts: After three unsuccessful attempts, an administrative lock will be placed on your ability to edit bank accounts and payment elections. This lock will not prevent you from accessing other Workday functions.
• Restore Access to Update Bank Account: If your access is locked due to an authentication failure, please contact the Penn Employee Solution Center as soon as possible to restore access. The Solution Center will initiate a verification process that will help restore access.
  

For more details on managing your payment elections, search for the "Self-Service: Manage Pay Elections" tip sheet on the Workday website.

For more helpful information on digital security, please visit Penn’s ISC website.

Healthy Meals: Walnut-Rosemary Crusted Salmon

This Walnut-Rosemary Crusted Salmon from EatingWell is destined to become a weeknight favorite — ready in just 20 minutes. It starts with heart-healthy salmon, brushed with a tangy lemon-honey mustard that is sweet, zesty, and spiced with a hint of crushed red pepper and aromatic rosemary. A crisp walnut panko topping is the perfect complement to the tender fillet. For dinner, you can serve this easy recipe with a simple salad and a side of roasted potatoes.

Click here to send us your healthy recipes and tips.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (1 pound) skinless salmon fillet, fresh or frozen
• Olive oil cooking spray
• Chopped fresh parsley and lemon wedges for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine 2 teaspoons mustard, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper in a small bowl. Combine 3 tablespoons panko, 3 tablespoons walnuts, and 1 teaspoon oil in another small bowl.
3. Place salmon on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the mustard mixture over the fish and sprinkle with the panko mixture, pressing to adhere. Lightly coat with cooking spray.
4. Bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 8 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness.
5. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Meet With a Registered Dietitian Today!

• One-on-one, virtual sessions you can schedule at any time that works for you
• 100% covered under many insurance plans
• Available to spouses and dependents
• Fill out the Ramp Health Nutrition Counseling Sign Up Form or call 800-484-7720.

Did You Know: Multigenerational Family Care Support

Holiday gatherings can bring different generations together to feast and celebrate. They can also highlight current complex family needs and impending responsibilities, especially when you’re faced with caring for children and aging loved ones at the same time. Discover how Penn’s benefits can help at the Supporting the Sandwich Generation webinar on December 11 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.