Former Aramark CEO Joseph Neubauer and his foundation recently presented a $2.55 million gift to the University of Pennsylvania through his foundation, writes Ryan Mulligan for the Philadelphia Business Journal.
The new funding will go toward Penn’s police graduate program.
With the gift, Penn and the Neubauer Family Foundation will be developing a first-of-its-kind graduate degree that would allow police officers to attain a master’s degree in applied criminology and police leadership.
Just as valuable is the fact that the degree is from an Ivy League university.
The $2.55 million funding will fully cover tuition for eligible officers who have worked a minimum of five years with the Philadelphia Police Department.
According to Neubauer, the program “aligns perfectly with our commitment to Philadelphia” and will work to fill an “absence of a focused graduate education program for senior policing personnel in the United States.”
The first cohort of the program will start in fall 2025. The hybrid degree program will be able to be obtained within two years while also working full-time with the police force.
Penn noted that the goal is to “advance evidence-based, community responsive leadership in law enforcement.”
Read more about Penn’s new funding and how it will impact the local police force in the Philadelphia Business Journal.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on PHILADELPHIA Today in May 2025.
