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. (Here is a timeline of the work by the UACAS.)

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.

In October 2024, 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; various groups will now lead the design and 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 including Drexel.

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. 

Provost Paul Jensen and Faculty Senate Chair Kevin Owens are Co-Sponsors of Drexel's Academic Transformation, and Vice Provost for Academic Strategy and Communications Amy Weaver is serving as project lead. Importantly, a cross-section of leaders from across the University's academic and administrative units are leading aspects of the Academic Transformation implementation in their respective areas — from enrollment management to co-op, advising, policies and many more. Central teams are serving in a coordinating role to ensure progress and continuity in the implementation phase of the Academic Transformation.

Faculty and professional staff in academic and administrative units are leading implementation, supported by central coordinating teams and project managers. Depending on the needs of each unit, academic unit leadership may include an Implementation Lead, Curricular Redesign Lead, and, in integrating units, Change Lead and Communication Leads. The names of the academic unit leads are available on the Academic Transformation SharePoint (accessible to faculty and staff).

More broadly, all faculty and professional staff will be involved in the the Academic Transformation in some way, as these changes touch every individual's work and normal University operations.
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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 the Drexel student experience as well as recruitment and retention. Students will have the opportunity to dive deeper into course content and more time to “course correct” if needed, allowing for a richer and more supportive academic journey.

Importantly, the calendar change will be paired with full-scale curricular review and enhancements, as well as the implementation of distinctive core competencies, to bolster 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, facilitating seamless 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.

Aligning or integrating our colleges and schools around Drexel’s 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.

The core competencies 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.

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” and 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. 

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.

With questions, members of the Drexel community are welcome to email pmoe@drexel.edu or use the following form.

Submit a Question

Drexel students should stay in touch with their academic advisors, who will be informed of developments as the implementation process progresses. Faculty and professional staff should visit the Academic Transformation SharePoint for information on working groups and their current project plans. 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.