Heard Around Campus – May
Summer is so close we can almost taste it. But before we make our beach plans, let’s review some new developments around campus over the past month.
Subir Sahu Promoted to Vice President and Dean of Student Life
Subir Sahu, PhD, has been promoted to vice president and dean of Student Life. In addition to the traditional areas of Student Life, Sahu will now also provide leadership for the Bursar's Office and Drexel Central.
Over the past 10 years, Sahu has provided strong leadership in Student Life. Starting in the Residential Living Office as a resident director in 2006, Sahu became the director of residential living, overseeing that office during a time of tremendous growth for the on-campus population. Sahu's vision for that area resulted in the expansion of the College Learning Community program, the creation of the Faculty in Residence program, and the consistent national recognition of Drexel resident assistants. Sahu has provided vision and leadership for the re-imagination of new student orientation, resulting in a Welcome Week that includes academic and social opportunities for engagement.
Sahu will continue to teach in the Higher Education program at Drexel and serve as an adjunct faculty member in the Drexel School of Education.
New Process to Hire Volunteers
Human Resources has developed a new process for volunteers/unpaid interns. Details can be found at drexel.edu/hr/about/volunteers/.
It is important to note that the guidelines are for all members of the Drexel community and potential volunteers/unpaid interns. In order to qualify as a volunteer, certain criteria must be met in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. Volunteers/unpaid interns are expected to comply with the rules and regulations of the University and of the specific department for which they are volunteering. The completed and signed Volunteer/Unpaid Intern Assignment Description form must be approved by Human Resources prior to beginning the assignment.
FAQs are available on the website.
Financial Times Ranks LeBow’s Online MBA Highly
The LeBow School of Business was ranked in Financial Times’ Top 15 online MBA programs. Financial Times compared online programs from around the world, selecting the MBAs with good career service, prestigious faculty, scheduling flexibility and high salaries for graduates. LeBow’s online MBA came in 14th internationally, and 9th among programs in the U.S.
Summer Construction Update
Recently completed projects:
1427 Vine Street Cooling Tower Replacement: Installed a new 256-ton cooling tower, two new pumps and associated wiring, piping and controls.
219 N. Broad Street: The renovations to both the Main Lobby and the new suite for the Family Medicine practice are complete and operational. A conference room for use by the entire building is complete and furnished. The old steam boiler for the building has also been replaced with four natural gas boilers, six pumps, one electric water heater, associated piping, wiring and controls.
Bossone Research Enterprise Center (5th Floor): Fifth floor laboratories with new chemical fume hoods are complete and researchers in Materials Science are in the process of setting up experiments.
Korman Center Data Center HVAC Upgrade: The existing HVAC equipment serving half of the data center had reached the end of its equipment life and was replaced with newer upsized equipment.
LeBow Engineering Center Chiller Plant Upgrade: The renovation of LeBow Engineering Center chiller plant is complete and the chiller plant is fully operational.
Paul Peck Problem Solving and Research Building HVAC Renovation: Existing infrastructure that was 20+ years old was removed. Eleven new air-handling units, a 400-ton air-cooled chiller, ductwork mains and building automation system were installed.
Renovation projects under construction during summer 2016:
1427 Vine Street – Women’s Care Center: Construction is in progress for the complete renovation of the fifth floor to accommodate the internal relocation of the College of Medicine’s Women’s Care Center from the seventh floor. The target for substantial completion is August 2016.
3101 Market Street: Construction of offices for the A.J. Drexel Institute for Energy and the Environment, a social sciences lab and a geographic information systems lab is expected to begin in July 2016.
Bossone Research Enterprise Center (6th Floor): Demolition has begun for repurposing the sixth floor for bio-medical engineering.
Center for Automation Technology (CAT): Infrastructure improvements needed to support new wet research laboratories for the department of chemistry, as well as the environmental engineering component of the Institute for Energy and the Environment laboratories, are in progress. Construction documents are completed and construction will take place in multiple phases over three fiscal years. Phase 1 – the basement demolition and construction of the floor with associated infrastructure – will begin in early June 2016.
Korman Center/Korman Quad Enhancements: Groundbreaking will take place in June for the construction of an addition to the existing Korman Center building. Renovations to the Quad, to be named the "Korman Quadrangle," will integrate it with the existing Perelman Plaza. The project is expected to be complete in fall 2017.
Daskalakis Athletic Center (DAC) Renovations: Construction on Phases 5 and 6 will begin by the end of May 2016. Phase 5 renovations on the basketball court level involve adding new bathrooms, offices, ticket booth, conference room, storage rooms and audio/visual room for TV. Phase 6 is the installation of a new air conditioning system for the arena; the air-handling units and chillers have been ordered. Substantial completion is scheduled for September 2016.
Queen Lane Campus - A Wing, First Floor Classroom: Construction will begin in late May 2016 on a new, 132-student Team-based Learning Center. This will allow the entire medical class to experience course content at the same time with multiple instructors.
Stein Auditorium Renovation (Nesbitt Hall): Renovations beginning in June 2016 will make the auditorium fully ADA-accessible with the addition of a ramp to access the stage, new auditorium seating with larger tablet arms and other cosmetic upgrades including lighting.
For a full list of major capital projects currently in progress, visit Facilities’ Current Projects page.