A lot happened in July — and not just with all of Philadelphia’s celebratory events! And there is still a lot to come in August. Here’s what was heard around campus at Drexel this month:
Reminder: How to Handle Urgent Facilities Issues
During business hours, the best way to get a timely response to urgent facilities issues (such as leaks or alarms) is to call Facilities Management at 215.895.1700. To reach Environmental Health and Radiation Safety, call 215.895.5919. Outside of business hours, you can call Drexel Public Safety’s Communications Center at 215.895.2222. Additional emergency numbers pertinent to various Drexel campuses can be found on the Facilities website. And for general, non-urgent maintenance requests, please submit a work order.
Market Street Bridge Closure Scheduled to Start Aug. 24
On Aug. 24, the Market Street bridge over the Schuylkill River is expected to close to vehicular traffic for approximately 14 months, until October 2027, as part of PennDOT's Market Street Bridges Rehabilitation Project. A few blocks west, SEPTA will be resuming street-level improvements to its 34th Street Station, which will necessitate traffic control and lane restrictions. Motorists are advised to plan ahead for detours and delays associated with these projects.
For utility work in preparation for the bridge closure, the center lane will be closed on Market Street between Schuylkill Avenue and 30th Street through Aug. 20. Two lanes of traffic will be maintained in both directions at all times.
To receive real-time updates on potential impacts to the University's free bus service, download Drexel Transit, powered by the TripShot app, for iOS or Android. On the Setup screen, enter “Drexel” as the Service Name and click Next. Select “Log in with Drexel Connect” and sign in with your Drexel user ID and password.
Get Ready for Wellness: New Workshops Available
Benefits-eligible employees are invited to register in Career Pathway for upcoming wellness webinar sessions hosted online. HR will have brand new workshops like Eating for Longevity and a session on federal tax code changes — plus, old favorites like Chair Yoga and Yoga for Anxiety. Check out the HR Wellness Events page and keep coming back to discover new workshops as they are posted.
Earn Money and Enhance Your Health This Summer
The slower summer season is a great time to take advantage of Drexel’s employee Wellness Incentive Program. Earn points for exercising, scheduling preventative care exams, or attending a wellness workshop online.
You can earn $100 while learning about your cholesterol and fasting glucose, blood pressure, and BMI by completing your 2026 biometric screening. Visit the Wellness Incentive Program webpage for instructions about how to visit Labcorp directly to complete your screening.
And don’t forget that you must complete your 2026 Personal Health Profile before you are eligible to receive payouts for any points earned throughout the year.
August TIAA Webinars: Financial Know-how Starts Here
Longevity is a gift. But as life-prolonging medical advancements proliferate, how can you improve not just the length of your life, but also the extent of your health and wealth? Join TIAA for Live Long and Prosper: Your Guide to Understanding Longevity on Aug. 6 at noon. In this webinar, you will learn about: challenges and opportunities associated with increased longevity; how longevity literacy affects retirement planning and saving decisions; and actions for maintaining an aging population’s health, wealth and happiness. Reserve your spot.
And on Aug. 18 at 11 a.m., TIAA invites you to Take Control of Your Financial Life: 5 Steps to Save Money and Manage Debt. Learn how to manage money, uncover how to set goals, balance your budget and use debt wisely. With the know-how you need and a little determination, you can put yourself on the path to greater lifelong financial security. In this webinar, you’ll discover how to: Set your goals, know your spending, create a plan, manage credit and debt and practice healthy money habits. Reserve your spot.
New! Cross-Functional Teams Online Certificate Series
Working on cross-functional teams provides many benefits, including varied perspectives and creative ideation, but it can also pose unique challenges, like disagreement on decision making, team processes and communication gaps. The Cross-Functional Teams certificate programs offer strategies, approaches and tools like starting with trust, using AI and holding effective meetings to help you get the best from a cross-functional team experience. Find the full list of certificates supporting cross functional teams on the Talent Development website. Highlights include:
- Cross-Functional Collaboration Foundations Certificate
- Trust First Leadership Certificate
- Using AI to Amplify Cross-Functional Teamwork
- Dragon Path Certificate: Meetings that Matter
- Clear Work, Aligned Teams Certificate: “Clear is Kind” in Practice
Tracking Your Team’s Progress in Career Pathway
Managers and unit leaders can use various tools in Career Pathway to track the progress of their teams' professional development and to ensure that required enterprise learning courses are being completed on time. Several of this year's enterprise learning modules have already been released through Career Pathway, and while the deadline to complete them is not until Nov. 2, we know that some teams like to get a head start.
Managers can run a training progress report for their teams any time using either the Training Progress Pie Chart report or the Training Status Summary report in Career Pathway. Detailed instructions for generating these reports are now available on the HR website. Starting in September, your team's progress will also be shown in the Administrative Dashboard in DrexelOne.
Drexel Public Safety Annual National Night Out
Drexel Public Safety welcomes all students, faculty, professional staff and community members to join us for a night of fun, informational resources, food and live music on Aug. 4, 5–8 p.m., on Lancaster Walk.
National Night Out is a community-building campaign to enhance relationships between neighbors and law enforcement. This year, DPS promises another enjoyable event as we welcome back local agencies and community partners for an opportunity to promote safety and foster camaraderie. Back by popular demand will be The Groove City Band, featuring Drexel Police Officer Chuck Hendricks, so make sure you bring your dancing shoes!
Campus Security Authority Training
Under the federal Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act (Clery Act), a Campus Security Authority (CSA) is an individual within the university community who, due to their job function, has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, security or crime reporting. Based on this criteria, Drexel Public Safety has identified CSAs within the Drexel community and is providing mandatory training to help them understand and fulfill their roles and responsibilities as CSAs. This training is being provided as an online enterprise learning module, and CSAs who are required to complete the training will receive official notification from Public Safety and Career Pathway.
FY26Q4 Effort Report Certification Deadline Reminder
We are on a shortened effort certification cycle for the 4th quarter of FY26. All effort reports must be certified no later than Aug. 4, while keeping Summer Fridays in mind. Please also ensure that any labor redistributions affecting these reports are submitted at least four business days prior to the certification deadline to allow sufficient time for processing, posting, and the issuance of a revised effort report, if needed.
Research Accounting Services appreciates your continued efforts to maintain a high level of compliance. If you have any questions, please contact RAS@drexel.edu.
Grant Continuation Tool: Phase 2 Is Underway
To improve efficiency, consistency, and control over grant continuation activity, the University is implementing Phase 2 of the Grant Continuation Tool. This phase will automate the creation of cost share funds associated with continuation awards, improving consistency, and reducing manual setup and follow-up.
New Grant Monitoring Report Available
The new Oracle Analytics Server (OAS) Grant Balance and Deficit Report is now available. This report provides real-time visibility into grant activity to help departments monitor spending, identify potential issues early, and support effective financial management of sponsored projects.
Update on Creation of Designated Funds
In collaboration with the Office of Budget and Financial Planning and the Office of the Provost, the University is implementing a change to the creation of designated funds to improve fund management and reduce unnecessary proliferation across the fund hierarchy. For more details, read the announcement from the Office of the Comptroller.
Restriction on Transfers From Restricted Gift and Endowment Spending Funds
To strengthen financial reporting, improve transparency and ensure alignment with donor intent, the University is implementing new controls on transfers involving restricted gift and endowment spending funds. For more details, read the announcement from the Office of the Comptroller.
The Drexel Compliance Hotline Is Always Open
Drexel University is committed to an open and honest environment that promotes ethical and fair practices and treatment for all Drexel community members. We want our community members to feel comfortable asking questions and raising concerns.
The Drexel Compliance Hotline is an easy-to-use, confidential reporting hotline hosted by an external, third-party provider, EthicsPoint. The Drexel Compliance Hotline is always open! You can contact the Hotline at any time, day or night, by phone or on the web to report actual or suspected misconduct of Drexel’s Code of Conduct, state or federal laws and regulations, or any other University policies or procedures. The information you provide will be investigated promptly and fairly. You may remain anonymous when making a report to the Drexel Compliance Hotline, although you are welcome to leave your name and contact information, without any fear of retaliation.
You’re encouraged to download the Compliance Hotline Poster [PDF] and post it in your workspace.
Call for Nominations: Compliance Ambassadors Certificate Program
Compliance Program Services (CPS) is currently taking nominations for the Compliance Ambassador Certificate Program, a professional development opportunity that prepares Drexel faculty and professional staff to serve as liaisons to CPS and as proactive compliance and ethics partners for their colleges, schools or administrative units. The mission of the Compliance Ambassador Program is to spread awareness, communications and educational materials to advance compliance and ethics standards at the unit level. Please see the Nomination Information Announcement for full details. The next orientation workshop (virtual) is Oct. 6. Nominations must be received by Oct. 2. Email compliance@drexel.edu with any questions.