Drexel — Ever Changing and Evolving

"I know the world is going to change and therefore the University must change with it." This quote from the University's founder Anthony J. Drexel has never been truer than it is today.

When I speak to my fellow alums about their Drexel experience, they comment on how much more prepared they were to deal with the pace and change of the real world thanks to their Drexel experience.

When I joined the Drexel community as an incoming first-year student in the fall of 2011, I had no clue what today's Drexel would look like. Now, after almost a decade and a half studying, working, studying some more, teaching, and working some more at Drexel, I continue to be amazed by the University's ability to grow and change to meet the needs of students, our city, and industry.

A few standouts, in my opinion:

• New and refreshed spaces like LeBow, Korman, Bentley, and the Rush Building.
• Timely academic programs like Philosophy, Politics & Economics, the undergraduate major in Law, and interdisciplinary options in things like Economics & Data Science.
• A removal of the "in-person only" co-op policy to allow for remote and hybrid employment during co-op periods.
• The elevation of our research enterprise to R1 status to continue academic exploration to partner with the excellence of our teaching in the classroom.

When I speak to my fellow alums about their Drexel experience, they comment on how much more prepared they were to deal with the pace and change of the real world thanks to their Drexel experience. The ability to thrive within an environment that is always changing is incredibly valuable in today's world and workforce where we are experiencing so much change so much more frequently.

As I look back on my 14 years in University City and forward to the future, I think it is important to recognize the strength and importance of comfort with change and how the Drexel educational model of cyclical academic and professional learning, with personal development threaded throughout, helps our students flourish in a world changing like never before.