The Environmental Collaboratory (TEC)’s Climate Hub transdisciplinary grants program will engage collaborative teams of faculty, students, and staff through a phased process. Anyone who teaches, learns or works at Drexel University can participate in TEC’s Climate Hub transdisciplinary grants program. A total of $200,000 is available to award four or more transdisciplinary teams over the two-year funding period.

Thank you for everything that you do for our students, partners and the Drexel community. I hope that you have a chance to enjoy the season and some well-deserved time away. Wishing you a wonderful break and a happy, healthy New Year!

On Tuesday, November 8 — Election Day — the University will close at 2 p.m. to allow time for the Drexel community to vote. Although classes will not be cancelled, faculty are encouraged to be flexible when possible and supportive of students who may be working the polls.

Welcome to the fall quarter! This announcement contains key reminders to help faculty navigate the term.

After the sudden passing of Dean Penny Hammrich left the School of Education in need of an interim leader, Erin McNamara Horvat, PhD, senior vice provost for Faculty Advancement and Undergraduate Affairs, will serve as interim dean of the School, beginning August 22. A seasoned administrator, Dr. Horvat joined Drexel University in 2015 as professor and associate dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Education and in 2016 joined the Office of the Provost. She served as senior vice provost for Faculty Affairs from 2016-2019 overseeing policy and procedures and faculty development for all colleges and schools. 

Following a national search, David S. Brown, PhD, will become the next dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, beginning September 1. A scholar of political science with expertise in political institutions and their impact on economic development, Dr. Brown is currently the Divisional Dean for Social Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, an Association of American Universities (AAU) and R1 research institution. 

Join us on September 21 to mark the start of the academic year with Drexel’s 2022 Convocation ceremony. Convocation marks the beginning of the academic year and offers us the opportunity to celebrate our mission of teaching, research and service to society. Our keynote speakers this year are driving change through their innovative work, collaborative approach and the entrepreneurial spirit that defines our community.

Today, we have the privilege of announcing a generous gift from Jeff Westphal in honor of his father, Ray Westphal ’59, HD ’02, which will help to advance critical areas of the Strategic Plan. His gift will help to establish the Innovation Engine, an initiative that will support the integration of experiential learning, curricular innovation, research and interdisciplinary solutions across Drexel. The Engine will be led by the Office of the Provost in collaboration with the Drexel Solutions Institute and will be co-designed with the Drexel community.

Welcome to the spring quarter! This announcement contains key reminders to help faculty navigate the quarter.

A joint initiative of the Provost’s Office and the Drexel Solutions Institute, the Provost Solutions Fellows comprise faculty experts from across the University who partner with external organizations to address organizational challenges, build research and scholarship, and create experiential learning opportunities for Drexel students. We are pleased to share that four faculty members have been appointed to two-year terms as Provost Solutions Fellows, joining the inaugural cohort.

As we approach the winter break, we want to take this moment to express our gratitude for all your hard work and dedication to Drexel over the past year, which enabled our University to perform exceptionally well under extremely challenging and often rapidly changing circumstances.

As you begin to make plans to spend Thanksgiving with friends and loved ones, we thank you all for your contributions and commitment to keep our University strong, innovative, and united in common purpose. To show our gratitude, we are happy to announce that the University will be closed on Wednesday, November 24.

There is a possibility of a strike by SEPTA City Transit Division as early as 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 31. In the event of a strike, Drexel University would remain open as we have with past strikes. We are partnering with other major University City institutions to provide shuttle service linking riders from the 69th Street Transit Center and the PATCO terminus at 15th and Locust streets to our campuses. Details on that contingency plan are provided below

It is my pleasure to announce the 2021-2022 cohort of Provost Fellows. The Provost Fellows program provides exceptional faculty with an expansive range of leadership experiences while harnessing faculty expertise in advancing the goals of our University.

It has been so exciting to see the energy return to campus this week, as new students join our Drexel community. To our New Dragons — Welcome to the start of your Drexel experience! — and to our returning Dragons, we are thrilled to have you back as classes and campus operations resume in full force next week.

Join us on October 6 to mark the start of the academic year with Drexel’s historic Convocation ceremony. This year, we are celebrating the return to campus life and the innovative ways in which members of the Drexel community have helped shape society and the future of the University.

To help facilitate a smooth start to the 2021-2022 academic year, we've created the following FAQ page for faculty and staff about the Fall 2021 return to campus.

Drexel University is dedicated to an environment that respects and allows the free practice of the many faith traditions of our University community. As we prepare for the new academic year, this is a reminder that Drexel is committed to making every reasonable effort to accommodate the religious observances of our students, faculty and professional staff.

Drexel University is dedicated to an environment that respects and allows the free practice of the many faith traditions of our University community. As we prepare for the new academic year, this is a reminder that Drexel is committed to making every reasonable effort to accommodate the religious observances of our students, faculty and professional staff.

Since the announcement in May that we are planning for a return to normal capacity in our instructional and research spaces, teams across the University have been working diligently to prepare for full on-campus operations.

As we come back to campus this fall, we have an opportunity not only to return but to reinvent. This is a time to adopt the lessons we've learned in the past year, to reevaluate business practices and to try to come back together in a way that improves the student experience and prioritizes employee engagement and wellbeing.

The Office of the Provost is pleased to announce the new Nina Henderson Provost Scholars Program, made possible by support from Nina Henderson, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and Drexel alumna. Now accepting applications, this annual scholarship program will provide 12 motivated Drexel students with the opportunity to enhance their leadership skills and play a hands-on role in shaping the Drexel experience.

As fall quarter registration begins, I would like to remind you about Drexel's Course Program of Study (CPoS) technology, part of the University's ongoing efforts to assist students in progressing toward graduation as efficiently as possible and maximizing federal aid eligibility.

Earlier this year, we announced 2021 as Drexel’s Climate Year to rally together students, faculty, researchers and staff at Drexel University and the Academy of Natural Sciences and begin to create an intentional, climate-conscious culture and practice. Spearheading this work has been the Climate & Sustainability Working Group, in collaboration with students and colleagues across all disciplines.

We are announcing a search for the inaugural Executive Director of The Environmental Collaboratory. Conceptually devised by Drexel's Academy of Natural Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering, The Environmental Collaboratory is a groundbreaking sustainability approach that unites Drexel, the Academy and their communities in a shared endeavor to sustain our planet and mitigate its degradation.

Across the nation and in our region, cases of COVID-19 infection continue to decrease. This is also our experience at Drexel among our campus community. This marked decrease in disease is the direct result of a marked increase in widespread vaccination, and it affords us the ability to return to pre-pandemic conditions throughout the University.

With COVID-19 restrictions easing in many areas due to decreasing infection rates and increased vaccination, Drexel is moving into Phase 3 of our COVID-19 Essential Travel Guidance and will begin allowing limited University-related travel. However, it’s important to note that, while easing restrictions may make it easier to travel, the University still faces financial challenges that will require continued limitation of Drexel-funded travel expenditures this fiscal year.

The Provost's Office is accepting applications for a new leadership position, the Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

We are pleased to recognize the interdisciplinary faculty experts who comprise the inaugural cohort of Provost Solutions Fellows, a joint initiative of the Provost’s Office and the Drexel Solutions Institute (DSI). Provost Solutions Fellows are appointed to a two-year term, during which time they highlight the research and teaching capabilities of Drexel to external partners and serve as catalysts for expanding experiential learning opportunities and designing custom, interdisciplinary solutions for our corporate and nonprofit partners.

Entering the COVID-19 pandemic a year ago, we knew that the near-term financial outlook was serious for Drexel and other universities across the nation. We responded by enacting revenue-growth and cost-reduction measures and by securing additional forms of liquidity to support the University and its ownership interest in St. Christopher's Hospital for Children.

I hope the spring term is going well for all of you. With only a couple weeks left to finalize fall term course scheduling, I am sharing some important updates and reminders.

It is simply my pleasure to introduce the 2016 Cohort of Provost's Fellows. We received 22 applications for 4 slots. The selection committee was impressed by all of the applications and overwhelmed by the response. After long deliberation, we extended the number of Provost's Fellows for this cohort to 7 new fellows. To respond to the demand, we created a few part-time slots for new Provost's Fellows to work on smaller projects.

Since 2009, the Adjunct Faculty Initiative has continuously examined the needs and interests of our adjunct and part-time faculty members. Through actively engaging faculty with adjunct appointments and responding to their feedback, this initiative has led to an expansion of available resources as well as adaptation of key institutional policies to foster career development among adjunct faculty members. This reflects the important role of our adjunct and part-time faculty members in the education of Drexel students.