Below is a message from Drexel University President John Fry:
On November 11, Drexel University launched the most ambitious fundraising campaign in our history. This $750 million effort offers an unprecedented opportunity to catalyze a new era of impact at Drexel.
The Future Is a Place We Make
The campaign’s theme, “The Future Is a Place We Make,” reflects Drexel’s history as a proving ground for talent that can creatively address emerging societal needs and our growth as a catalytic university — one that will fundamentally determine what tomorrow looks like.
Every day, our students and faculty are creating breakthroughs and technologies that yield tangible solutions to pressing issues like air and water quality; cybersecurity; energy use; and inclusive economic development. Through our unique model of experiential education, which is founded on co-op but also includes myriad research and entrepreneurial opportunities, students learn to turn ideas into action. As alumni, they go on to become the trailblazers of their generation. And we forge partnerships with neighbors and civic and industry leaders to build a stronger Philadelphia — and in the process, create models for cities and societies everywhere.
Our Priorities
The resources we secure during the campaign will empower our students and faculty to advance their vital work to the next level. Priorities include endowed scholarships and professorships; stipends for unpaid co-ops in non-profit, arts and cultural sectors; interdisciplinary teaching and research; academic advising and student support services; state-of-the-art learning environments; and academically-driven civic engagement opportunities.
We also aspire to engage all our 150,000 alumni, and as many new friends and partners as possible. By broadening our community of supporters, we will build an enduring culture of philanthropy that ensures the ongoing strength and vibrancy of our University.
Our Progress
The campaign, which is projected to conclude on June, 30, 2021, is entering its public phase with great momentum. Since the campaign’s foundational quiet phase, which began on December 1, 2013, more than 31,000 donors have committed over $410 million — nearly equal to the closing total of our previous campaign, Dream It. Do It.
This includes naming gifts for the Dana and David Dornsife School of Public Health and the Thomas R. Kline School of Law, which are two of the largest gifts in Drexel history. Other notable leadership gifts include $12 million from the Wellcome Trust to fund a Dornsife School-led study on the impact of urban living on health; $5 million from Trustee Nina Henderson ’72 to establish the Nina Henderson Provost at Drexel University; and $5 million from the Lenfest Foundation to name the Lenfest Center for Cultural Partnerships and establish co-ops at cultural non-profits.
These and all campaign gifts are a clear signal that Drexel’s leadership and alumni believe in the University’s mission and vision and are committed to securing its place as a higher education leader.
The Time is Now
Drexel is at a pivotal point in our evolution as a global urban research university. With the support of alumni and friends like you, we can make the critical investments in people and programs that will fuel the University’s contributions as an agent of change — one that transforms the lives of students today and shapes the world tomorrow.
I encourage you to go to future.drexel.edu to learn more about how you can participate in The Campaign for Drexel. Together we can make a smarter, more vibrant future with opportunity for all.
Sincerely,
John Fry
President