Drexel History 103: How Well Do You Know Drexel University’s Presidents?
By Alissa Falcone
For the past two years, special Drexel University history quizzes have gone out in the fall term to celebrate the new academic year: 2023’s “Drexel History 101: How Well Do You Know Drexel University?” and 2024’s “Drexel History 102.”
This year’s “Drexel History 103” is a little different. In recognition of the new presidency of Antonio Merlo, PhD, which began in July, this 2025 quiz is themed around University leadership.
All the below questions relate to Drexel presidents, including those who led institutions now part of the University (as noted below). Answers will be revealed at the bottom of the quiz. Good luck!
1. Since Drexel University was founded in 1891, how many people have held the position of president?
a. 15
b. 16
c. 17
2. How many Drexel presidents were born in another country?
a. One
b. Two
c. Three
3. Today’s Drexel University is made up of several legacy institutions once led by their own presidents. For example, the College of Medicine was created in 2002, but its origins predate Drexel. One of its legacy institutions was founded in 1850 as the world’s first degree-granting medical school for women: the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania. In what year was this institution first led by a female president?
a. 1853
b. 1893
c. 1943
4. The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University was founded in 1812 (it’s the oldest museum of natural history in North America!) and became part of Drexel in 2011. It is still led by its own president and CEO. How many people have led the Academy during the past 213 years?
a. 56
b. 46
c. 36
5. Salus at Drexel University was founded as the Pennsylvania State College of Optometry in 1919 and was led by six presidents before becoming part of Drexel in 2025. Which of these statements is NOT true?
a. Two presidents were related.
b. A minority of Salus presidents have been alumni.
c. A majority of Salus presidents have been alumni.
Answers:
1. Since Drexel University was founded in 1891, how many people have held the position of president?
a. 15
b. 16
c. 17
Correct answer: B. 16
You can learn more about 15 of those presidents from this story published during Drexel’s 125th anniversary in 2016: “Remembering Drexel’s Presidents.” Drexel’s 16th president, Antonio Merlo, started his tenure in July 2025.
2. How many Drexel presidents were born in another country?
a. One
b. Two
c. Three
Correct answer: C. Three
When Simon Ragovin, archives technician in Drexel University Archives, devised this question in last year’s “Drexel History 102” story, the number was two. James A. MacAlister, Drexel’s first and longest-serving president, was born in Scotland and emigrated as a teenager, later leading Drexel from 1891 until shortly before his death in 1913. Constantine N. Papadakis, who led Drexel from 1995 until his death in 2009, was born in Greece and came to the United States for his graduate degrees in civil engineering. More information about both leaders can be found in 2024’s “Drexel History 102.”
Now, the number is now three, with Merlo’s new presidency. Originally from Italy, he too came to the United States for his graduate education. He received his doctorate in economics from New York University, where he had most recently been Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science.
3. Today’s Drexel University is made up of several legacy institutions once led by their own presidents. For example, the College of Medicine was created in 2002, but its origins predate Drexel. One of its legacy institutions was founded in 1850 as the world’s first degree-granting medical school for women: the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania. In what year was this institution first led by a female president?
a. 1853
b. 1893
c. 1943
Correct answer: b. 1893
Mary E. Mumford was the first female president of the institution, which had changed its name to Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP) in 1867. She was the first of seven women to lead the institution as president of the Board of Corporators.
Emily Sargent Lewis succeeded her in 1913, which created a consecutive four decades of female leadership for the institution. WMCP also had almost a century of consecutive female deanship, starting with the country’s first female dean of a medical college in 1866: alumna Ann Preston, MD 1851.
Prominent local philanthropist and socialite Sarah Logan Wister Starr was president from 1921–1935. After the end of World War I, both WMCP and its hospital were financially struggling, and both were put under the WMCP’s Board of Corporators. Starr served as the board’s president, and helped ensure WMCP’s financial solvency through fundraising, loans and other avenues of fiscal support.
In 1941, alumna Ellen Culver Potter, MD 1903, became acting president for two years. She had previously served as medical director of the school's hospital before becoming one of the first women to occupy a secretary position in a state governor’s cabinet (she served as Pennsylvania's Secretary of Welfare in 1923 for four years).
Noted physician and pathologist Louise Pearce, MD, whose research helped develop a cure for trypanosomiasis (African sleeping sickness), was inducted as the WMCP president in 1946 and served for five years.
In 1959, Marion Spencer Fay, PhD, who had taught at the institution since the 1930s, was elected president and retained her position as dean, which she had served as since 1946. She held both positions during her presidency and stepped down from both in 1964. Fay also has the distinction of leading the institution twice, because she returned to serve as acting president (WMCP’s only acting president) in 1970, for one year.
The institution’s last female president ironically came from Drexel University. Jeanne D. Brugger, PhD, had been associate dean of Drexel’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences (today’s College of Arts and Sciences) from 1970–74 and the University’s associate dean of cooperative education from 1974–76. She left Drexel to become president of the Medical College of Pennsylvania (which WMCP became after going co-educational in 1970). She served for one year and received an honorary doctorate from the Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1976.
4. The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University was founded in 1812 (it’s the oldest museum of natural history in North America!) and became part of Drexel in 2011. It is still led by its own president and CEO. How many people have led the Academy during the past 213 years?
a. 56
b. 46
c. 36
Correct answer: c. 36
There have been 36 presidents at the Academy, which has been led by Scott Cooper, PhD, president and CEO, since 2017. (The Academy has elected presidents with both titles since the 1970s.) The Academy’s longest-serving leader was H. Radclyffe Roberts, who was managing director for 25 years from 1947 to 1972.
5. Salus at Drexel University was founded as the Pennsylvania State College of Optometry in 1919 and was led by six presidents before becoming part of Drexel in 2025. Which of these statements is NOT true?
a. Two presidents were related.
b. A minority of Salus presidents have been alumni.
c. A majority of Salus presidents have been alumni.
Correct answer: b. A minority of Salus presidents have been alumni.
A majority of Salus presidents have been alumni — four out of six! And the first two presidents were related.
1. Albert Fitch, founder of the Pennsylvania State College of Optometry (also known as PCOS, or Salus’ predecessor institution) was both the first and longest-serving president at Salus. He served as president from the 1919 founding until his death in 1960.
2. Lawrence Fitch, OD ’36, was Albert’s son and the first alumnus to lead. He was president from 1960 to 1972, having returned to his alma mater in 1949 as dean.
3. Norman Wallis, OD, PhD, is the only other non-alumnus Salus leader.
4. Melvin Wolfberg, OD ’51, had served on the Board of Trustees from 1959 to 1979 and as board chairman from 1976 to 1978 before becoming president in 1979. He led Salus for 10 years.
5. Thomas Lewis, OD ’70, PhD, was PCOS president from 1989 to 2008 through the institution’s transformation to Salus University, which he continued to lead from 2008 until 2013. His 24 years of service is the third-longest presidency in all of Drexel.
6. Michael H. Mittelman, OD ’80, served from 2013 until 2025, when the institution became Salus at Drexel University. He left in 2025 to become president of Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences.