December

A message regarding classes remaining remote for the second week of the winter term was sent to the Drexel community.

The following message was sent to Drexel students announcing a remote start to winter term and some spring semester programs due to current COVID-19 data and forecasted pandemic conditions, as well as new booster requirements for all eligible students, faculty and staff and a staggered return to on-campus housing.

In the project's 48th year, alumni had more opportunities than ever to make an impact through philanthropy, volunteer service, and dialogue around this issue.

A message about COVID-19 vaccine boosters to be required for winter term was sent to the faculty and professional staff.

A message about starting the winter term remotely in response to available COVID-19 data and forecasted pandemic conditions.

Make sure you’re aware of what’s changing over the winter break and what you can expect in the winter term in 2022, from suspended campus bus service to wellness events to winter term parking permits.

Spark Therapeutics, a member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) and a fully integrated, commercial gene therapy company dedicated to challenging the inevitability of genetic disease, announced plans to invest an initial $575M in the creation of a new, state-of-the-art gene therapy innovation center on Drexel University’s campus in the heart of Philadelphia’s University City neighborhood. Through a 99-year ground lease of Drexel University’s F Lot, the new center will be located at the intersection of 30th and Chestnut Streets and will create opportunities for collaboration with Drexel University and Philadelphia’s booming life sciences community. Terms of the ground lease, including financial terms, were not disclosed.

The University’s annual Military Care Package Drive and Holiday Toy Drive returned to in-person programming this year for Dragons to donate and organize gifts to send to military stationed overseas and children right here in Philadelphia.

At a special winter Employee Olympics, Drexel faculty and professional staff competed for (blue and) gold in four different sports and relaxed with outdoor s’mores.

When it came to construction, return to campus, Commencement and more, DrexelNow covered it and you read it.

Using Medicaid data, researchers from the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute identified health, nutrition and psychiatric conditions that varied in prevalence. They found a higher prevalence of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and obesity by race.

With public trust in higher education eroding, universities must ask if they've truly met their responsibilities to students, faculty, and society at large, writes President John Fry and former head of the Department of History Scott Gabriel Knowles, PhD, in this “Rebuilding Philly” article originally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

We cannot ignore any stress points on Philly's streams and rivers, like urban runoff, abandoned industrial sites, and more, writes the Academy of Natural Sciences’ Roland Wall in this “Rebuilding Philly” article originally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer. @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}

Let’s not forget that diversity’s value lies in its ability to expose us to different ideas and different people, writes Pennoni Honors College Dean Paula Marantz Cohen, PhD, in this “Rebuilding Philly” article originally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Drexel employees, through the University’s health insurance plan, can receive up to six free visits with a registered dietitian to receive customized nutrition plans and guidance. Outpatient nutrition counseling is also available to the entire Drexel University community.

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and Drexel University’s School of Education recently received a $1.35 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support early childhood education efforts that focus on science, math, nutrition and literacy skills.

Faculty and students in the Department of Food and Hospitality Management baked and tested a dozen recipes from notable Philadelphians for a story featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Besides its multibillion-dollar economic impact, a robust arts infrastructure fosters neighborhoods with more social cohesion and greater community engagement, Associate Professor Andrew Zitcer writes in this essay originally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Solving the equity issues confronting the criminal justice system goes beyond matters of funding, writes former distinguished visiting fellow of Drexel’s Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation Charles H. Ramsey, who served as the commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department.

In the past, Philadelphia had to fight for our share of a shrinking pot of funds. This time, the money is there for the asking, writes Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation Executive Director Harris M. Steinberg in this essay originally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

This week marks the first fully in-person finals week since fall 2019. Undergraduate students hanging around campus on Dec. 3 explained how they’re preparing and how they plan to celebrate afterward.

Need a police escort for your evening walk home? Want to keep your holiday deliveries secure? The Department of Public Safety's got you.

Need a police escort for your evening walk home? Want to keep your holiday deliveries secure? The Department of Public Safety's got you.

Closing indoor dining during the first two waves of the pandemic was associated with a 61% decline in new COVID-19 cases over a six-week span, preventing an estimated 142 daily cases per city, compared with cities that reopened indoor dining during that period, according to recently published data from experts at the Dornsife School of Public Health. The team looked at data from March to October 2020 in 11 U.S. cities, including Philadelphia, Atlanta and Dallas. The results were published last month in the journal Epidemiology.

Researchers from the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute recently published a study on the social networks of professional development providers who coach teachers to implement evidence-based teaching practices (EBPs) in their classrooms for their autistic students. When professional development providers have strong networks of professional support, they can potentially gain access to helpful resources to provide higher quality, successful individualized coaching for teachers.

A message about a moderate increase of COVID-19 infection among students, faculty and professional staff, post the Thanksgiving holiday break and reminders on how to minimize infection risk was sent to the Drexel community.