State Affairs
President's Day in Harrisburg
Drexel University's President, Dr. Constantine Papadakis travels to our Commonwealth's Capitol in Harrisburg every year on behalf of Drexel University and the Drexel University College of Medicine. During the day, Dr. Papadakis meets with elected officials to update them on our activities as well as to advocate for those legislative issues of importance to the University and the College of Medicine.
Student Lobbying Day
The Office of Government and Community Relations hosts an annual Student Lobbying Day in Harrisburg in collaboration with the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP). The Drexel students who travel to Harrisburg are able to share their personal experiences with financial assistance, public transportation and our co-op program. Additionally, they gain insight on the legislative process, as well as a better understanding of the role lobbyists play in that process. This year’s trip to the capitol on April 8, 2008 was highlighted by meetings with Senator Ted Erickson and Representatives Daylin Leach, Tony Payton and James Roebuck.
Taskforce to Connect Education to the Workplace Visit
Two members and one staffer from the Pennsylvania House of Representative's Taskforce to Connect Education to the Workplace visited Drexel University. State Representatives Jess Stairs and Bernie O'Neil, along with David Johns from the staff of Majority Leader Sam Smith spent the morning with us learning about our efforts to better prepare our students for the workplace. Among the many issues discussed by a variety of presenters that day was Drexel University's co-op program, some of our ongoing research efforts, our Center for Civic Engagement, the Governor's School for Information Technology, as well as some of our outreach efforts done in conjunction with the School District of Philadelphia.