Campaign Positioning

Drexel was founded in 1891 out of A.J. Drexel's vision for an institution of higher learning uniquely suited to the needs of a rapidly growing industrial society and of the young men and women seeking their place in it. The University began with a practical mission to teach students what they truly need to know and equip them for the real world through experiential/immersive learning opportunities — there just wasn't a term for it yet. Further solidifying this mission in 1919, Drexel announced that it would support the post-war economy by creating a co-op program. Ever since, the University has had professional work experience and skill development central to our academic model and curricula in the form of our renowned cooperative education program, Drexel Co-op.

As one of the first experiential learning programs in the world to provide students with this level of extensive work preparation, Drexel Co-op offers students up to 18 months of professional employment experiences, empowering them to learn firsthand from industry leaders and bring their enhanced perspective back to the classroom. In addition to producing excellent outcomes for our students, this experiential learning program acts as a powerful recruiting pipeline for our expansive network of employer partners. Starting with just a few companies in the 1920s, Drexel's extensive community of partnerships now includes many Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit pioneers, innovative startups, and industry leaders from around the globe and here in Philadelphia.

Today, Drexel is blurring the lines between academics and the professional world with a dynamic ecosystem of learning and discovery through growing our strategic partnerships, enhancing experiences for our Drexel community and changing lives for the greater good. This balance of world-class academic and real-world experience at a comprehensive R1 research institution is a unique model for the future and, as a result, creates what we call a community of master learners.

At any given time, thousands of Drexel students, co-ops, researchers, and faculty are all over the world collaborating, discovering, and then bringing those experiences back to the classroom for rich discussion and debate — bolstering the critical thinking and soft skills that our Drexel community needs to lead. This framework, infused throughout every aspect of our University, encourages the discovery of new passions by offering access for students to work alongside other like-minded students, faculty, industry partners, and leadership throughout the community in the classroom and around the world.

Overflowing out of this Drexel history and background is our comprehensive brand system. Drexel's brand reflects our purpose-driven community and strength in integrating academics, research, civic and global engagement, and diverse partnerships. We equip students to immerse themselves in experiential learning and prepare them to graduate as the leaders of tomorrow driving positive change. Within that overarching brand platform, and after multi-phased research efforts, core findings highlighted that there is a shared belief across audiences that Drexel is where academics meet the real world — and the Experience Drexel brand campaign came from these findings reaffirming that Drexel has been heading the right direction all along.

For more details on our the brand campaign's research process, results, and media strategy, visit Background and Research.

From parents of high school students to college counselors, high school teachers, potential partners, industry leaders, and Drexel alumni — these are the decision makers and influencers who, ultimately, define the overall perception of a university. That's why they make up our core audience. Of course, as a secondary audience, prospective students, the Drexel community, and general public are also very important sectors of our new campaign's audience.

Today, the world is demanding more from higher education. This is the national conversation that our audiences' main concern reflects: living in an era of increasing focus around ROI, access, trust, and value of higher education and its purpose. We understand that the world's demands have shifted and it's questioning the place of higher education within it. However, we also believe that, now more than ever, there is a market for a university that not only encourages students to gain knowledge but also helps them find new ways to turn that knowledge into action right away. Our answer to this overarching concern is that Drexel's transformative model of experiential education offers access to people with diverse perspectives to collaborate and leverage their knowledge and passion for the greater good, along with providing a great return. Drexel is redefining what a university — and all those looking to apply knowledge in new and meaningful ways — can achieve.

This brand campaign was created to let the world know about Drexel's strong reputation in the increasingly important sphere of experience. We've known that experience matters, and the experience that our students, faculty, and professional staff bring to this community serve to strengthen the academic environment and the advanced expertise present within it.