The Office of Government and Community Relations (OGCR) has a mission to serve Drexel University by administering and maintaining the University's relationships with City, State and Federal elected officials and government agencies, as well as with civic leaders and representatives from community based organizations. In this way we are able to advance Drexel University's mission to excel in: 1) higher education; 2) academic research; 3) service to the community and civic engagement. In pursuit of our mission, we endeavor to conduct ourselves in a highly visible and ethical manner.

The OGCR is responsible for petitioning the government concerning issues of importance to Drexel University from education and health related legislation such as our State Department of Education Appropriation(s) and the Pennsylvania Tobacco Settlement Fund to the development of public policy and government sponsored academic research programs.

The simple fact that Drexel University operates within a highly publicly funded industry means that it is also highly regulated by those that provide the funding, the United States federal government, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia. There are, therefore, two important objectives for the OGCR: A) to exploit the University's rich academic resources to improve its chances of securing city, state and federal dollars and; B) to protect the interests of those that we serve, students of higher education, through supporting or contesting legislation that impacts this industry.

Drexel University has a longstanding tradition of promoting the interests of students before our publicly elected officials, appointed representatives and government agency and departmental employees. This office provides professional services and political advice to deans, department heads, faculty, staff and students from federally and state funded financial aid programs and scholarships to privacy rights (student records) and academic freedom.

In addition to providing professional political services, the OGCR has a history of hosting, promoting and participating in community service activities and programs. As part of our outreach efforts, we are proud to sponsor community events such as campus community "Clean Up" days, the Holiday Toy Drive, and the "Celebrate Health" Fair, just to name a few. We also strive to provide our students and surrounding communities with safe places to congregate, socialize and recreate.

We hope that you find this website informative.

Brian T. Keech, EdD
Senior Vice President, Government and Community Relations