August 17, 2016

The “Drexel Jinx” is finally broken after every speaker who addressed Drexel’s Commencement from 1972 to 1975 either lost or resigned from the positions they had held when speaking to the graduates. No one was immune to the so-called “Drexel Jinx” — not even its most notable casualty, Vice President of the United States Spiro Agnew, who resigned in disgrace just a few months after addressing the class of 1973. In 1976, President Hagerty allows seniors to choose their commencement speaker, provided it was related to academia. Prolific science fiction author Isaac Asimov — a full-time writer who retained a tenured assistant professorship at Boston University in name only — breaks the jinx and speaks at Drexel.