A Strengthened System
As part of a strategic reimagining of The Anthony J. Drexel Society, the University offered a more robust series of events to convene this distinguished community of top supporters and developed an additional tier to recognize giving by recent alumni. These efforts — driven by Drexel’s commitment to enhance donor recognition and engagement — are anticipated to further strengthen the University’s donor base and enhance support for critical initiatives and unrestricted gifts to the University as a whole. And for the first time since the pandemic, Drexel revived its Celebration of Scholarship event, which brings together donors, student recipients and University leaders in recognition of the critical importance of an accessible education. The event highlighted the impact of more than $15 million in donor-funded scholarships, which supported nearly 3,600 students during the 2023-2024 academic year.
Dragon Network, the online professional development community for alumni and students launched in 2020, now includes over 12,000 members. The network gained 44% more users, and alumni and students exchanged 233% more messages year over year.
Throughout 2024, the Drexel University Black Alumni Council (DUBAC) commemorated its 10-year anniversary. As part of the council’s ongoing commitment to fostering meaningful ties between students and alumni and empowering the next generation of Black alumni, the group has raised $200,000 to date toward the DUBAC Endowed Scholarship Fund. DUBAC also published a second volume of its book “A Legacy to Share,” written by graduates spanning from the classes of 1968 through 2022.
In February 2024, Drexel launched its Asian & Pacific Islander (API) Alumni Network to connect and engage the API community through inter-generational community building, learning opportunities and professional development.
Drexel Programs Get a Boost
A transformational gift from The Howley Foundation will expand Drexel’s Howley College Scholars Program, which advances affordable college experiences for low-income graduates of selected Philadelphia-area high schools. The foundation, led by Drexel Trustee W. Nicholas Howley, ’75, his wife Lorie and their daughter Meg, ’10, will underwrite scholarships for up to 10 students per class year who are majoring in engineering, biomedical engineering, business, nursing or computing and informatics.
TransDigm Group Inc., a global designer, producer and supplier of highly engineered aircraft components, systems and subsystems, has made an additional commitment to its established Doug Peacock Scholarship Program, which supports female undergraduate students who are from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds and have financial need.
Support from Robert Pritchard, EdD, ’64, ’69, and his wife Barbara Pritchard will advance LeBow’s top strategic priorities, and Anthony R. Zecca, PhD ’68, ’70, ’73, and his wife Lynda L. Zecca made additional gifts toward their endowed scholarship fund, which supports students in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
Renowned concert promoter Larry Magid and his wife Mickey have made a bequest commitment to benefit the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design’s music and music industry students through co-op stipends, artist-in-residence events, a distinguished lecture series and more. The bequest will also provide discretionary funding for the University’s Lenfest Center for Cultural Partnerships. This builds on the Magids’ previous bequest commitment totaling $1.6 million that established scholarship funds in Music Industry, Arts & Entertainment Management, and Sport Management, along with funds that will be dedicated to the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships.
Engagement On and Off Campus
After providing initial funding that launched the creation of the Academic Resource Center, Trustee Patrick McGonigal, ’86, has made a subsequent commitment to enable additional renovations and fund programming that will advance student achievement. In recognition of this ongoing support, the center will be renamed the Patrick McGonigal Academic Resource Center.
The late Roberta Scheller, ’80, and her husband Ernest Scheller Jr. created an endowed leadership role in their names to support Drexel Hillel’s Israel education and engagement efforts. And thanks to generous leadership support from Dana, ’83, HD ’14, and David Dornsife, HD ’14, the former West Philadelphia Community Center recently completed part of the planned renovations for the facility and reopened to the public. The new facility, which is part of the Dornsife Center, will be the home to expanded programming for area residents. Prior to this gift toward building renovations, the couple donated to help Drexel acquire the building in 2018.
Community partners continue to bolster the critical work of St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. In October 2024, the hospital announced a renewed investment of $30 million over two years from Temple University, Jefferson University, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Independence Blue Cross, which played a critical role in bringing the initial coalition together in 2022, continues to be a strong supporter of St. Christopher’s. Building on the momentum provided through these integral partnerships, in fiscal year 2024, the development team raised the most money ever since the hospital returned to its nonprofit status with $2.6 million in gifts and an additional $1.7 million in matching money from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In the first half of fiscal year 2025, the team secured an anonymous $1 million gift, a portion of which will establish a new endowed fund, which represents the first endowment for St. Christopher’s since its purchase by Drexel University and Tower Health in 2019, and the first endowment for the Oncology Department.
Legacy of Excellence
Drexel’s fundraising success in fiscal year 2024 stands as a testament to the unwavering dedication and collective support of a thoughtful community of alumni and friends. By coming together to contribute to Drexel’s future, an unmatched, positive experience for generations of students will continue.