For Drexel, being an engaged anchor institution means that we look to our campus neighbors as important partners in a shared local economy.

Our Economic Inclusion initiative

The Economic Inclusion initiative of the Office of University Community Partnerships takes on a centralized support role for Drexel's business functions. Our staff act as facilitators, connecting West Philadelphia economic development partner organizations, businesses, and residents to the Drexel units that handle human resources, procurement, and construction. We work closely with Drexel's divisions of Procurement Services, Human Resources, Business Services, and Real Estate and Facilities to support and coordinate the locally-engaged anchor mission of the University's operations side.

Part of that work is coordinating adult education programs and access to human resources staff through the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships. At the Dornsife Center, local residents can use our open computer lab, get help with applying for jobs, learn more about open positions at Drexel, and work towards completing their high school diploma or GED. We run periodic programming at the Dornsife Center for West Philadelphia small businesses and entrepreneurs around peer support and building capacity. UCP also works with important partners like West Philadelphia Skills Initiative to hold periodic on-the-job training programs for jobs within the Drexel system. 

These are just some of the different ways in which we pursue a local economic inclusion agenda:

• Aramark: a food services supplier bringing its own community engagement mission to Drexel
• Procurement Services at Drexel: an emphasis on communication and partnership with diverse and local suppliers
• Our employee homeownership benefit: helping stabilize single-family homeownership in neighboring communities

Local Economic Inclusion Strategies: Step by Step Resources

After several years of careful work aligning Drexel's business practices to support local economic development, the UCP team have developed a set of resources for other colleges and universities who are embarking on a similar path. We are committed to deepening, sharing, and supporting this work with our colleagues in other institutions as part of the Democracy Collaborative's Anchor Dashboard initiative, and we disseminate information and resources at relevant conferences. We share these resources here as part of that commitment.

Drexel's Anchor Mission Step By Step
Local Economic Inclusion Strategies
Toolkits - Implementer Perspectives

Learn more about Drexel's strategy implementation