Embracing a Vision for Academic Transformation

This message was shared with students on September 12, 2024.

Dear Students,

We begin the 2024-2025 academic year with some exciting news, charting Drexel’s path ahead as a leading student-centered, experience-driven research university.

On May 9, we shared that a University Advisory Committee on Academic Structure (UACAS) had been charged with reviewing Drexel’s operations to ensure the University best meets the needs of students. Building on our Strategic Plan, the UACAS made bold recommendations, pointing the way to a compelling, community-developed vision and roadmap for enhancing innovation and the student experience.

This week, in adherence with the University’s Charter on Faculty Governance, I will write to Faculty Senate Chair Kevin Owens to seek Senate’s support for the following:

Transitioning to a semester academic calendar for all programs to support student success and enhance experiential opportunities;
Defining and implementing core competencies, supporting pedagogical innovation and redesigning our curriculum to continually improve the quality of our programs and support student learning and outcomes;
Restructuring our colleges and schools into integrated, forward-looking pillars of expertise;
And developing greater consistency in practices and policies across academic units to support collaboration, flexibility and efficiency

Changes of this magnitude will require significant time to implement, and no changes to Drexel’s academic programs, calendar or college identities will take place during this academic year. Drexel’s academic transformation is expected to take three years. It is a long-term effort that will require the collective engagement of members across the Drexel community. Students remain our top priority, and our goal is to complete this transition to enhance the student experience with minimal to no disruption to students plans of study or time to graduation.

Semester Calendar

The transition to a semester calendar for all programs will allow students to become more immersed in course content and open critical opportunities to better support pedagogical and curricular innovation. Students will retain their ability to take up to three, six-month co-ops, and the process will be structured to maintain students’ expected time to graduation. Based on conversations with peer institutions, we anticipate the transition to a semester calendar to occur in three years and will seek to minimize any disruption to our students.

Core Competencies

In complement with the calendar and curricular change, we will move forward with designing and implementing core competencies across Drexel’s undergraduate programs. The competencies will be aimed at providing students with differentiating skills that will more clearly define a Drexel education and prepare them to thrive in any professional setting.

Restructuring Colleges and Schools

Restructuring colleges and schools is a critical step in bolstering curricula, research and the student experience while emphasizing our strengths in key focus areas. A more streamlined organizational structure will provide clearer entry points for students, offer flexible degree choices, and create opportunities for greater integration of curriculum and research.

We intend to restructure colleges and schools into the following pillars of expertise:

Arts and Sciences: The School of Education and First-Year Exploratory Studies program of the Goodwin College of Professional Studies will become part of the College of Arts and Sciences, providing a clearer entry point for undecided first-year students and facilitating innovative curricula and interdisciplinary programs. SoE will retain its external identity, while FYES will become a program within CoAS.
Computing and Engineering: The College of Engineering, College of Computing & Informatics, and School of Biomedical Engineering, Sciences and Health Systems will be integrated with the intention of forming a new college. The School of Biomedical Engineering will be embedded within the new unit and will retain its external identity.
Health: As previously announced, we continue to bring together Drexel’s clinical operations under a unified structure of “Drexel Health,” and will also consider some academic integration of Drexel’s health units: the College of Medicine, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Dornsife School of Public Health, Autism Institute and Salus.
Business and Entrepreneurship: To more closely affiliate the University’s business and entrepreneurship strengths, the LeBow College of Business and the Close School of Entrepreneurship will work together to identify synergistic opportunities, particularly in first-year curricula.
Design and Media: The Westphal College of Media Arts & Design will not be restructured, but we will look at opportunities to ensure more consistent operations and opportunities for collaboration.
Law: The Kline School of Law will not be restructured, but we will look at opportunities to ensure more consistent operations and opportunities for collaboration.

In addition to the changes above, we will be working to establish greater efficiency and consistency across all of the University’s operations and policies to provide a streamlined and equitable experience for all.

Keeping You Engaged and Informed

Throughout Drexel’s academic transformation, we are committed to communicating with you frequently and proactively about any potential impacts to the student experience. Changes of this magnitude will take time to implement, and I encourage you to continue to work closely with your academic advisors as you progress through your degree.

Through these efforts, we will ensure our long-term ability to advance research-based societal solutions and an experiential education of the highest quality — enriched by an ethos of partnership, innovation and entrepreneurship and the integration of our distinguishing academic and research strengths.

Sincerely,

Paul E. Jensen, PhD
Executive Vice President
Nina Henderson Provost