Drexel University celebrates the dedication of faculty, professional staff and retirees who have achieved significant service milestones — in five-year increments — during their careers at Drexel. This year's 614 honorees represent over 8,200 years of combined service to the University.
55-Year Honoree Spotlight: Miriam Kotzin
Miriam N. Kotzin, Professor of English, came to Drexel in 1969 with a PhD from NYU in American Literature and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania (1965). She later served as associate department head for 8 years and director of the English Major for 3. She was a founding Director of the Certificate Program in Writing and Publishing (2004-2012). In 1992 she received an Exemplary Teaching Award. She has taught a variety of literature and writing courses, including freshman composition, creative writing, writing for business, and technical writing.
She was active in a number of community organizations. For 20 years she served on the Board of Directors of Hillel of Greater Philadelphia, she is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and was on the board of directors of PBK's Philadelphia Gamma Association and in 1976 president. She was also a member of the poetry committee of the YM/YWHA for two decades, chairing the committee 1981-83. In addition to committee work, Kotzin served as a faculty advisor.
Author of articles on literature, pedagogy, and film, she also was a contributing editor of Media & Methods, a long-time juror for The American Film Festival, and a judge for the Philadelphia Writers' Conference. She founded the online quarterly Per Contra: the International Journal of Literature, the Arts, and Ideas, for which she was editor-in- chief for a decade, and was a contributing editor of the literary journal Boulevard. Her works include Right This Way (Spuyten Duyvil Press 2023), The Real Deal (Brick House Books 2012), collection of short fiction Country Music (Spuyten Duyvil Press, 2017), and a collection of flash fiction, Just Desserts (Star Cloud Press 2010) as well as collections of poetry Field (David Robert Books, 2016), The Body's Bride (David Robert Books, 2013), Taking Stock (Star Cloud 2011), Weights & Measures (Star Cloud Press 2009), Reclaiming the Dead (Star Cloud Press 2008). She is also the author of A History of Drexel University: 1941-1963 (Drexel University 1983).
Read Full Bio [PDF]
All honorees will receive a certificate and letter mailed to their home address by the end of December. For those honorees celebrating 10+ years of service, you will receive additional information about the gift selection process. The deadline for gift selection is Tuesday, April 1, 2025. You may select your gift online (using the login and password provided in your gift booklet) or mail the order form. Please note that if you opt to mail in the order form, it must be postmarked before April 1.