$600 Million Milestone Surpassed by The Campaign for Drexel
Drexel University has raised more than $610 million as part of its most ambitious fundraising campaign ever, with the latest Campaign for Drexel, “The Future Is a Place We Make,” now more than three-quarters of the way to its goal of $750 million.
The milestone represents a new level of confidence in the University and its capacity to prepare students for academic and professional success, generate research and innovation that addresses urgent societal challenges, and sustain civic engagement initiatives that benefit the Philadelphia community and beyond.
Since publicly launching in November of 2017, the Campaign has provided funding for the University to competitively recruit faculty, staff and students; secure Drexel’s future as an innovative leader in higher education; and boost its academic vision for the way Dragons can learn and teach.
Of the $610 million raised by the Campaign, the overall progress on select priorities includes:
- $131 million for research initiatives
- 127 million for academic support
- 119 million for scholarships and co-op
- 34 million for civic engagement
- 29 million for endowed professorships and chairs
In addition, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University has raised more than $56 million as part of the Campaign effort.
The Campaign has enabled significant growth in Drexel’s endowment, which sustains the long-term health of the University. To date, the Campaign has supported 135 new endowed scholarship and fellowship funds, 11 endowed professorships and many endowed program funds in schools and colleges across the University. In addition, the number of supported endowed co-ops has been doubled during the Campaign.
The impact of The Campaign for Drexel can be felt by the students furthering their academic and professional careers through scholarships and funded nonprofit and global co-ops, as well as the faculty and staff who have benefited from the Campaign through funded research initiatives and academic leadership opportunities created by endowed professorships and fellowship funds.
For example, donor support fuels Kline Law School professor Rachel Lopez’s work at the Andy and Gwen Stern Community Lawyering Clinic, and College of Medicine student and scholarship recipient Marysol Encarnacion’s academic quest to improve accessible and innovative health care. Fifth-year College of Arts and Sciences student Nicole Kalitsi’s nonprofit co-op at the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance was made possible by support from the Lenfest Foundation. And the Silverman Family Professorship of Entrepreneurial Leadership enabled founding Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship Dean Donna DeCarolis, PhD to expand experiential, interdisciplinary programs like the Close entrepreneurship co-op.
The Campaign’s success has always been made possible by the generous donations of alumni, trustees, faculty, staff and friends of Drexel — $92.5 million has been raised from Drexel’s trustees, $185 million from Drexel alumni and more than $200 million from parents and friends of the University and its students. Additionally, more than 1,120 faculty and professional staff donated to Drexel in the most recent fiscal year.
Recent leadership commitments include $1 million from John ’67 and Jinnie Chapel to fund the Chapel Leadership Program in the LeBow College of Business, $1.2 million from James Truchard for the College of Medicine Alzheimer’s research and $1 million from Albert ’67 and Joanne Hill ’69 to endow the Wrestling Coach Position.
Already, the Campaign has eclipsed the total of the University’s previous campaign record: $455 million generated through the “Dream It. Do It. Drexel.” campaign that concluded in December 2013.
To learn more about the Campaign and the many ways to support it, visit future.drexel.edu.