Office of the Provost

Announcing New College Name & Integration Milestones

August 21, 2025

This message was shared with all faculty and staff on August 21st, 2025.

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a major milestone in Drexel’s Academic Transformation: the beginning of the integration of the College of Engineering, the College of Computing & Informatics and the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems into a new academic unit—the College of Engineering and Computing.

When fully integrated in September 2026, this college will become Drexel’s largest by enrollment and a cornerstone of the University’s transformation. The name was selected to prioritize clarity, recognition and alignment with how students, employers and peer institutions understand these fields, supporting visibility in a competitive academic landscape. Each of the three schools within the College will retain its distinct scholarly identity:

  • School of Engineering
  • School of Computer & Information Sciences
  • School of Biomedical Engineering & Science

 We are committed to the meaningful opportunities this integration presents to advance interdisciplinary education and research, elevate Drexel’s academic distinction and cultivate deeper collaboration across engineering, computing, information science, biomedical innovation and beyond.

Leadership and Dean Search

I am deeply grateful to Executive Provost for Research & Innovation Aleister Saunders, PhD, who will serve as interim executive dean during this transition. I also want to extend my sincere appreciation to Interim Deans Ali Shokoufandeh, PhD, Kapil Dandekar, PhD, and Dean Paul Brandt-Rauf, ScD, MD, DrPh. Their thoughtful leadership will be invaluable in continuing to guide the integration process. 

A national search for the inaugural dean of the College of Engineering and Computing is now underway. I am grateful to College of Arts & Sciences Dean David Brown, PhD, for chairing the search committee and to the faculty and professional staff from all three schools who are generously contributing their time and insight. The search is being supported by the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller.

The new dean will lead the integrated college, with heads of individual schools reporting to them. This reporting structure will be consistent across all integrating units.

Phased Integration Across Academic Units

The College of Engineering and Computing is one of several academic unit integrations approved by Faculty Senate that are now moving forward. These include:

  • School of Education joining the College of Arts & Sciences
  • Close School of Entrepreneurship joining the LeBow College of Business
  • A.J. Drexel Autism Institute joining the Dornsife School of Public Health

I am grateful to the deans, faculty, and professional staff in these units, whose commitment and collaboration have been central to successfully guiding their integrations. As outlined in proposals to Faculty Senate, these integrations will occur in phases and in coordination with the central Academic Transformation team.

Milestones include:

  • Summer 2025: Integration begins. Deans review structures for consistency; Enrollment Management begins recruiting for new units. Schools begin to report into Colleges. College of Engineering and Computing is named, and dean search is announced.  
  • Fall 2025–Summer 2026: Units integrate teams, systems and processes.
  • September 2026: Integrations considered fully implemented; new college dean and school heads appointed.

Looking Ahead

We recognize that these integrations represent meaningful change for our community, including faculty, professional staff, students, alumni and partners. We are committed to supporting all through this transition with thoughtful change management, transparent communication and collaborative planning. In the coming weeks, we will share additional updates and resources including answers to Frequently Asked Questions that will be available on the AT SharePoint.

Thank you for the bold ideas that have shaped our path and for the continued passion and dedication you bring to our students and community as we move forward together.

Sincerely,

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