UPenn Prof a No-Show Because He Died 5 Months Earlier

University of Pennsylvania political science students were told their professor died almost an hour into their first class

A group of students at the University of Pennsylvania showed up to their first day of Professor Henry Teune’s political science class on “Citizenship and Democratic Development” last Tuesday.

The only problem was that Dr. Teune died last April.

The students got to the 1:30 p.m. class on Sept. 13 and waited for their teacher to arrive. It wasn’t until 2:23 p.m. that they received an e-mail stating that their professor was dead.

“We are so sorry for this last minute cancellation. With Dr. Henry Teune’s passing, this course should have been cancelled over the summer and was an oversight,” the email from Political Science Department Administrator Jennifer Bottomley read, reports the Daily Pennsylvanian.

Many of the students who waited for Dr. Tuene discussed among themselves concern over the fact that the professor hadn’t posted a syllabus.

“People were worried there were assignments due that we didn’t know about. We figured he was just late,” junior Mallika Vinekar told the Daily Pennsylvania.

Teune died April 12, 2011 at the age of 75. He had been a faculty member of the University of Pennsylvania political science department since 1961, according to a Daily Pennsylvanian obituary.

Dr. Teune is still listed as an active professor on the University of Pennsylvania’s website.
 

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