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.