Drexel University President John A. Fry announced today that philanthropist Philip B. Lindy will receive the 2012 Joseph Jacovini Outstanding Service Award, the highest honor that the University bestows upon non-alumni in recognition of their service. The award will be presented on Saturday, November 17, at the annual Anthony J. Drexel Society Gala, Drexel’s premier annual black-tie event.
This marks the second time Drexel has presented this award. The inaugural award was presented to Reneé Amoore, president of The Amoore Group and Drexel trustee, in November 2011.
“Phil has had an enormous effect on Drexel since first becoming involved with the University five years ago,” said Fry. “His commitment to civic engagement has influenced and empowered the University to make a much greater difference in life of the surrounding community, and his vision and philanthropy have been a driving force for broadening Drexel’s institutional mission.”
In April 2011, Lindy supported Drexel’s Center for Civic Engagement and its initiatives with a $15 million gift. Renamed the Lindy Center for Civic Engagement, the Center was established in 2003 to promote social responsibility and public service by facilitating community-based experiential learning for students, faculty and professional staff. Through collaborations with the community, and in support of the University’s strategic plan, the Center furthers the public good on the local and national levels while enriching the scholarship and character of Drexel students through enhanced education. The Lindy Center plays a pivotal role in meeting President Fry’s commitment to make Drexel the most civically engaged university in the country and to improve the lives of those living in its surrounding neighborhoods.
Lindy’s gift also served to expand his previous partnership with Drexel, the Lindy Scholars Program. The Philip B. Lindy Inner-City Public School Program—known as the Lindy Scholars Program— was established in 2008 to broaden educational opportunities for inner-city students. Each year, the Lindy Scholars Program matches 25 Drexel students with 75 middle school students for after-school tutoring and mentoring sessions. The program follows each student as they progress through middle and high school. Drexel’s Lindy Center for Civic Engagement and School of Education collaborate on this program with the Alain Locke, Martha Washington and Morton McMichael schools in West Philadelphia. The program also engages parents and guardians and offers monthly professional development sessions to teachers at the three schools.
Lindy has had a long career as property manager, investor and contractor in the local construction industry. He is a partner with Lindy Communities, a fourth-generation family-run firm that has managed residential properties since the 1930s. Lindy and his late wife, Annabel, expanded the company throughout the Philadelphia area; his sons, Frank and Alan, currently operate the company, which is involved with new construction, student housing, condominiums and full-service senior lifestyle housing. They manage more than 28 communities and 4,000 apartment homes throughout Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery counties. Lindy is a 1952 graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He received a Doctor of Business Administration degree, honoris causa, from Drexel University in 2010.
Lindy’s commitment to his community includes serving as a member of the Board of the Federation of Jewish Agencies, the Gershman Board of Jewish Community Centers and the American Jewish Committee. He is president of the Board of Directors of Tribe 12, which operates collectively 180 programs for young Jewish adults. He has served on the Board of Overseers for the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences, where he founded the Philip and Annabel Lindy Research Fund. At the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, Pa., the Lindy Study Area in the college’s library is named in his honor. In 1992, Lindy received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the American Jewish Committee.