August 23, 2022

In memory of former Interim Dean and Emeritus Professor David Raizman, family and friends established the David S. Raizman Endowed Memorial Award. David's energy and leadership impacted hundreds of colleagues and this Award will be given in his name for perpetuity. The Award recognizes a current faculty member who exemplifies distinguished service, teaching, and leadership in accordance with the values of the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design.

The spring 2022 recipient of the Raizman Award is Mark Brack, associate professor in the Department of Architecture, Design & Urbanism. As the College’s resident architectural historian, he teaches students in the Architecture program at Westphal and Architectural Engineering students from the College of Engineering.

Before the College was renamed after alumna Antoinette Westphal, Dr. Brack served as Nesbitt College's liaison to the University library, and he was crucial to the expansion of the library's collections in architecture and design. As chair of the Arfaa Lecture Series, he has invited many world-renowned architects to the Drexel campus. He also serves on Philadelphia's University City Historical Society's board of directors. Dr. Brack's scholarly specializations include: British and American architecture from 1700 to the present; Hispanic colonial architecture in the American Southwest; vernacular architecture; and historic preservation. Most recently, Dr. Brack, along with teaching professor Ada Tremonte, has served as interim co-chair of the Department of Architecture, Design & Urbanism.

One of Dr. Brack’s nominators stated, “Professor Brack has improved the culture of our college and department with his enthusiasm and love for teaching, his keen intellect, his generosity in spirit, his wealth of knowledge and especially by his kind-hearted way of treating people. For almost three decades, he has created an environment where everyone is seen, heard, can thrive and advance. This genuine interest in learning and sharing knowledge goes far beyond his very own topic and is fueled by his conviction that learning is for life, not only for a class and that this should be what Drexel University must be in service of.”

Another wrote, “Harmony through consensus resulted from fair, inclusive conversation and resulted in solutions that were honest, transparent, well informed and suited for the issue. Mark possesses an innate collaborative spirit, and accompanied by his excellent talents, his ability to accomplish projects with goals of everyone involved feeling equally important is just the person Mark is.”

The David S. Raizman Endowed Memorial Award will be granted annually each spring to a deserving faculty member nominated and selected by Westphal colleagues and the Dean. Because of many generous supporters, this Award will ensure David’s legacy lives on at Drexel. The inaugural Award was bestowed in the winter to Theatre program director Nick Anselmo.

If you would like to make a gift in David’s memory, we invite you to visit giving.drexel.edu/Raizman or direct a check to Drexel University, PO Box 8215, Philadelphia, PA 19101-9684.