Academic Transformation FAQs

In November 2022, as part of the implementation of Drexel’s Strategic Plan, Provost Paul Jensen and Faculty Senate Chair Kevin Owens charged a University Advisory Committee on Academic Structure (UACAS) with reviewing the organization of our academic units to ensure our structure is aligned to best meet the institution’s strategic priorities.

The UACAS comprised faculty, professional staff and administrators. The group’s recommendations—based on the input of hundreds of stakeholders, internal and external data, survey responses, historical strategic planning and more—were shared with Drexel faculty and professional staff in June 2023 and then assessed for feasibility by additional faculty and staff working groups. (A timeline of the work by the UACAS is available here.)

In September 2024, Provost Jensen announced the University’s intention to embrace the recommendations of the UACAS and move forward with the following:

• Restructuring our colleges and schools into integrated, forward-looking pillars of expertise: Arts and Sciences (including Education); Computing & Engineering (including Biomedical Engineering); Business (including Entrepreneurship); Health (including Medicine, Nursing & Health Professions, Public Health, Salus & Autism Institute); Design and Media; and Law. (Note that the Goodwin College of Professional Studies is already administratively integrated with Business.)
• Transitioning to a semester academic calendar for all programs to support enhanced recruitment, retention and partnership;
• Defining and implementing core competencies; supporting pedagogical innovation and redesigning our curriculum to continually improve the quality of our programs and enhance student learning and outcomes;
• Developing greater consistency in practices and policies across academic units to support efficiency, flexibility and collaboration.

Faculty Senate voted in favor of the majority of these recommendations, with those remaining undergoing further discussion. 

The two-year UACAS process resulted in a framework for Drexel’s academic transformation; working groups are in the process of being formed to design the specific implementations of the transformation, while also engaging stakeholders at all levels and identifying necessary supports.

The world today demands more from higher education. With an experiential academic model that meets this world demand, Drexel University is undergoing an academic transformation that will allow us to align our distinguishing strengths, academic structure and strategies with our mission to advance societal solutions and an experiential education of the highest quality.

As a result of the collaborative UACAS process, we have the unique advantage of a compelling, community-developed vision and vetted roadmap for doubling down on Drexel’s differentiators and evolving our structure to meet changing student and societal needs. With this vision and the partnership of Faculty Senate and our academic and administrative leaders, as well as the support of incoming Interim President O’Brien and the Board of Trustees, we have the opportunity to boldly transform our University.

At the same time, the threats facing higher education obligate us to change; with growing needs for inclusive and experiential teaching practices, the impacts of artificial intelligence, mounting financial pressures, and demographic shifts, the current model of higher education requires a new approach for many institutions.

Drexel’s academic transformation is aimed at making our structure, policies and practices more consistent and effective to create a better experience for students, faculty and staff. Intended outcomes of Drexel’s academic transformation include:

• Connecting our disconnected strengths and assets to simplify structures; reduce bureaucracy; improve the experiences of students, faculty and staff; and welcome new partnerships.
• Supporting student learning and outcomes through pedagogical innovation and equitable opportunities for experiential learning across all programs, while creating space, time and incentives for faculty to redesign curricula.
• Doubling down on Drexel’s differentiators and building on our expertise to enhance reputation and research impact.
• Aligning our academic, enrollment and financial strategies to strategically invest in our differentiators in the near term, while intentionally divesting from activities that do not support our strategic priorities or long-term financial sustainability.

Broadly, the academic transformation is meant to ensure our long-term ability to advance research-based societal solutions and an experiential education of the highest quality, attract a broader student base that believes in the value of a Drexel degree, and expand the local and global partnerships that position us to lead through this time of rapid change and far into the future. 

The Office of the Provost is leading this academic transformation, and Provost Paul Jensen has appointed a Transformation Management Team to oversee its design and implementation. The team includes Provost’s Office appointees and leaders from Faculty Senate, Enrollment Management, Institutional Equity and Inclusive Culture, and University Advising, with Vice Provost for Academic Strategy and Communications Amy Weaver serving as project lead.

Working groups will advance the design and implementation of Drexel's academic transformation, while also engaging stakeholders at all levels and identifying necessary supports. A call for nominations was announced on October 15 for faculty, staff and administrators who are interested in serving on a working group.

Implementing Drexel’s academic transformation is expected to take three years, or by the start of the 2027-2028 academic year, to complete. An initial group of working groups and their memberships are expected to be announced in mid-November. 

The fall 2024 quarter is expected to be a time of transition in colleges and schools affected by the restructuring. Academic leadership will work with faculty and professional staff within those units to identify opportunities for greater curricular and academic integration. The move to the semester calendar would be expected to take place by Fall 2027; more details will be shared once finalized.

Based on the analysis of the feasibility team and further conversations with peer institutions and partners, shifting to a semester calendar system is expected to have significant positive impacts on Drexel recruitment, retention and the student experience. Students will have the opportunity to become more deeply immersed in course content and more time to “course correct” if needed. Importantly, the calendar change will be paired with curricular improvements and the implementation of core competencies to improve Drexel’s academic offerings and reputation. These changes, coupled also with efforts to improve consistency and reduce complexity, will support greater flexibility for students and should reduce some burden on advising and enrolling students each quarter. Finally, the shift to semesters will create more alignment and opportunities with partner institutions on semester calendars and facilitate transfer pathways into Drexel.   

We have consulted with peer institutions that have transitioned successfully from quarters to semesters. Their experiences and subsequent improvements in retention and graduation rates have illuminated the benefits of this change.

Restructuring our colleges and schools around Drexel’s integrated areas of strength will serve to break down silos, foster innovative curricula and collaboration, and enhance research and partnerships that enable our students to respond to and lead in a rapidly changing world. Benefits of more closely affiliating related units include:

• creating clearer academic pathways and opportunities for new students;
• facilitating curricular revision and integration, particularly across the first-year curriculum;
• reducing complexity and internal course and program competition;
• creating aligned and common incentives for faculty to ensure strategic focus;
• and signaling a greater integration of research, assets and innovation in these areas.

The feasibility team was tasked with assessing the viability of establishing core competencies as “a set of intellectual, personal and social/emotional proficiencies that all students should develop in conjunction with a set of curricular or learning priorities.” The team found that implementing core competencies across Drexel’s undergraduate programs will support greater curricular alignment and provide differentiating skills that will more clearly define a Drexel education. Through a collaborative process, a working group will develop the core competencies as well as the structure in which they will be implemented.

The core competencies will directly align with Drexel’s strategic differentiators and longstanding strengths, preparing students to thrive in any professional setting. Students will have the opportunity to achieve different mastery levels in the core competencies, which will thread throughout their time at Drexel.

As a proud Drexel alumnus and longstanding member of Drexel’s Board of Trustees, Interim President Denis O’Brien has been aware of the academic transformation vision since its formation and is fully committed to continuing to move this work forward.

We expect these changes to our academic structure to improve our research standing and lay a better foundation to take on the biggest challenges our society faces. We maintain national recognition in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, with a designation as an “R1 Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity” one of the 39 private higher education institutions to hold this distinction. By making structural changes, we will remove barriers to interdisciplinary team formation as well as streamline and improve research administration, resulting in more opportunities for our research community. Importantly, the academic transformation will strengthen Drexel's ability to attract and retain top students and faculty and to secure the institution’s future as a leading, experience-driven research university that meets pressing areas of societal need. 

During this time of transformation, Drexel students—and the promise we’ve made to give them a world-class education—remain our priority. Drexel’s academic transformation is focused on improving the academic opportunities and experiences of students. Changes of this magnitude will take time to implement, and no changes to departments, college names or the academic calendar will take place this academic year.

Changes to the calendar system are expected to take three years to implement (by fall 2027). Students will retain their ability to take up to three, six-month co-ops if they choose. More details will be shared far in advance of any changes.

Our goal is to complete this transition with minimal to no disruption for our students, and that includes doing all we can to keep everyone on track for their expected graduation. Students should continue to work closely with their dedicated academic advisors and will be kept updated on the implementation plan regularly.

Various groups will design the specific implementations of Drexel's academic transformation. Working groups are in the process of being formed; memberships and charges of these groups are expected to be announced in November. As the working groups will collaboratively develop specific processes and structural changes, details about these changes and their implications are not yet available.

Importantly, there will be numerous opportunities for faculty, professional staff and administrators to engage in this transformational work. We anticipate additional working groups being established when specific expertise/focus is required. 

The accomplishments of our alumni remain a testament to Drexel’s legacy of excellence. These changes are designed to enhance future academic programs and the student experience, while strengthening the University’s position as a leader in higher education and experiential learning. The Office of Institutional Advancement and the Alumni Board of Governors are committed to maintaining regular communication with alumni through email and other forms of outreach during this transformation. If you have any questions, please direct them to alumni@drexel.edu.

Changes of this magnitude understandably bring a range of emotions and questions. We are committed to providing members of the Drexel community with the information and support needed to help implement the academic transformation plan, as well as avenues for feedback and input.

Working groups will be formed around each of the workstreams. Detailed project plans, FAQs, and frequent communications to engage the community will be shared as this work progresses.

A call for nominations for working groups was shared on October 15; specific groups and their memberships are expected to be announced by mid November. Importantly, there will be numerous opportunities for faculty, professional staff and administrators to engage in this transformational work. We anticipate additional working groups being established when specific expertise/focus is required. 

Drexel students should stay in touch with their academic advisors, who will be informed of developments as the implementation process progresses. Students and other members of the Drexel community are also welcome to use the following form.

Submit a Question

We may not have all the answers at this time, but your questions and feedback will help inform the work, and we will provide answers as they become available through ongoing communication with the University community.