To: Council of the City of Philadelphia
From: Drexel University on behalf of Drexel President Antonio Merlo and Helen Bowman, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating and Financial Officer and Treasurer
Date: October 26, 2026
Re: Resolution 260737 - The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Dear Chairman Thomas and Members of the Committee on Legislative Oversight:
Thank you for the opportunity to submit this statement on behalf of Drexel University (“Drexel”), Drexel President Antonio Merlo and Helen Bowman, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating and Financial Officer, and Treasurer. City Council Resolution No. 260737 authorized the Committee on Legislative Oversight to hold hearings to investigate the closure of the public museum of The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (“Academy”), its consequences for Philadelphia, and options to preserve public access and the Academy’s scientific and educational missions. Specifically, the Resolution “seeks to establish a public record of alternatives, including partnerships, fundraising, phased operations, and other arrangements that could sustain public access while protecting collections and research.” We appreciate the opportunity to provide context for the difficult decisions that were made and to reaffirm Drexel’s commitment to working with civic, government, and philanthropic partners to secure a financially sustainable future for the Academy.
Let us assure you that Drexel and the Academy have been working together for the past 15 years to pursue those exact same alternatives. Historically, the Academy has been three things: the public museum, one of the world's greatest natural history collections, and an enterprise that supports important scientific research.
We believe Philadelphia, like every great world-class city, should offer its citizens and visitors a welcoming space to interact with and learn about the wonders of the natural world. However, we also understand that change is inevitable, and that even an institution as prestigious and beloved as the Academy cannot remain financially viable or continue to fulfill its critical research and educational mission without adapting to changing circumstances. The steps taken jointly by the Academy’s and Drexel’s leadership to close the museum were neither abrupt nor hasty.
Rather, we based the decision on the findings of a rigorous, two-year strategic study of the Academy underwritten by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Informed by Academy leadership and multiple external consultants and subject-matter experts, the study comprehensively assessed the Academy’s physical building needs, the care the collections require, research capacity, and the economics of operating the museum. Concluding that the costs of continuing to operate the museum, while also addressing mounting capital costs, were financially prohibitive, the study explicitly recommended the closure of the Academy’s public museum.
This study was part of a strategic effort to fundamentally transform the Academy into a more financially viable, research-focused institution. Given the substantial costs associated with maintaining the existing building and operating a traditional museum, any future public engagement would need to be considered within a new, sustainable model, almost certainly in a different location.
The reality confronting Academy and Drexel leadership was undeniable: the current operating model was quietly devouring the Academy from within. The Academy, a separate non-profit corporation with its own Board of Trustees, has not covered its own costs for many years. Last year, the Academy’s public programs cost $7.7 million but brought in only $3 million in revenue. Until the September 1 announcement that the Academy’s public museum would close at the end of that month, attendance remained at about 70% of pre-pandemic levels. Even the Academy’s September 2025 announcement of reduced operating hours for the public museum due to low attendance did not generate a meaningful increase in visitation, in contrast to the surge in visitors following this year’s closure announcement.
When the Academy faced severe financial distress in 2011, Drexel stepped in as a partner, galvanizing teaching, research, and experiential learning in the natural and environmental sciences. Over these last 15 years Drexel has provided the Academy with an infusion of over $49 million in direct cash support to cover the Academy’s recurring operating deficits, in addition to tens of millions of dollars in the form of in-kind administrative support to sustain the Academy’s work. Given its own financial challenges, Drexel could no longer sustain approximately $5 million to $6 million in annual direct financial support to the Academy, underscoring the need for the Academy to reimagine its future and establish a more financially sustainable operating model. As part of efforts to identify a viable path forward, the Academy’s leadership subsequently explored potential partnerships with several institutions, but none of those discussions advanced beyond initial conversations.
The September 30 closure of the Academy’s public museum does not mark the end of the Academy or its commitment to public engagement and exhibitions. Rather, this period of transition provides an opportunity for Drexel and the Academy to develop a long-term, financially sustainable model that safeguards its 19 million specimens and archival materials, advances scientific research and discovery, and creates opportunities to share its extraordinary collections with the public through permanent and special exhibitions for generations to come.
We are grateful for the engagement of Mayor Cherelle Parker and Governor Josh Shapiro, who are represented in these discussions by the Honorable David L. Cohen. His involvement reflects the importance of the Academy to Philadelphia and the Commonwealth and the shared commitment to safeguarding its future.
We are committed to securing a vibrant future for the Academy, which may mean relocating its public exhibitions to a modern and better equipped facility in Philadelphia — as the Academy did several times during the first half-century of its existence. The Academy needs a new way to engage the public and make a new generation of memories. Achieving this vision and establishing a long-term, financially sustainable model will require fresh ideas, strong partnerships, and new sources of funding. We stand ready to work with all who recognize the gravity of the current challenges and share these goals.
In addition to finding a new home for the public to engage with the Academy and its collections, our other priorities include the following:
First, to safeguard the Academy's collections — 19 million biological specimens, plants gathered by Lewis and Clark, Peale’s moths and butterflies, Audubon’s birds and books, and Thomas Jefferson's fossils — and the scientific legacy they represent, and keep them in Philadelphia, and accessible for academic and scientific research consistent with their current accessibility. The Academy’s Parkway building remains operational for this purpose, with appropriate climate controls and security in place. The Academy staff responsible for collections management and building operations also remain employed.
Second, to ensure the Academy's scientific mission continues. Its scientists track the health of our rivers and document a changing planet. Their work, including the Academy’s Patrick Center for Environmental Research, continues, and staff remain employed. The Academy and Drexel’s joint education and research programs in the natural and environmental sciences, including Drexel's Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science ("BEES"), which offers undergraduate programs in environmental science, environmental studies and sustainability and geoscience, as well as master's and doctoral programs in ecology, evolution, and earth systems, also continues.
Third, to put the Academy on a sustainable financial path. Drexel is prepared to do everything within our financial means, including bringing together civic leaders, philanthropic partners, and other stakeholders to help secure the Academy’s future. We welcome any viable, long-term solution, including one that would allow the Academy to remain in its current Parkway location, provided its substantial capital needs are addressed and a sustainable operating model is established.
Drexel’s commitment to Philadelphia and its civic and cultural institutions extends well beyond the Academy of Natural Sciences. We have a proud history of stepping forward when important community institutions face uncertain futures, including St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. When the closure of Hahnemann University Hospital threatened St. Christopher’s future, Drexel joined with Tower Health to acquire the hospital and subsequently helped bring together a coalition of healthcare and higher education leaders to secure critical financial support and preserve access to pediatric care for Philadelphia families.
That same call to civic leadership is before us once again with the Academy. The extraordinary outpouring of support in recent weeks reflects the deep connection generations of Philadelphians have with this treasured institution. We invite you and all Academy supporters to channel that energy toward seeking a lasting, financially durable, multi-partner solution that will allow the Academy to evolve with the times and continue to be among Philadelphia’s greatest gifts to science research and science education.
Thank you.