President's Newsletter
August 3, 2001
page 1
Drexel to Lead Internet 2 Connection
The Sponsored Education Group Participation (SEGP) for Pennsylvania educational
institutions connected by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
(SSHE) has been approved. This means that all 14 colleges and universities
in the Pennsylvania SSHE will connect to Internet 2 via Drexel's GigaPop,
which will be known as the Keystone Crossroads Partnership for Internet
2 (KXP2). Dr. John Bielec, vice president for information resources and
technology, is overseeing this important technological advancement.
Drexel Acquires Math Forum
Math Forum, the nation's leading Web site for math and math education,
has been acquired at no cost by Drexel University from WebCT. Drexel assumed
Math Forum operating expenses effective August 1. Math Forum began in
1993 at Swarthmore College as a research project. The project was expanded
in 1996 when it received funding from the National Science Foundation
(NSF) for a study of the use of technology to improve math education.
It was purchased by WebCT in July 2000.
The Web site targets mathematics students in grades K through 12 and into early college.
Under the direction of Dr. Harvill Eaton, senior vice president for research and graduate studies, Drexel will maintain the Math Forum site as the nation's premier mathematics resource. The site will help brand Drexel nationally and provide an excellent tool for student recruitment.
CEO Named to Lead Drexel.com
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Tom Samph, a former Syracuse University
professor, vice president with Educational Testing Service in Princeton,
N.J. and successful entrepreneur has agreed to join us in our efforts
to build a comprehensive private education company for Drexel and lead
Drexel.com. Dr. Samph was most recently the chief executive officer of
Wired Vines, Inc., in Plymouth Meeting, Pa. He has hired Art Zamkoff as
Drexel.com's chief financial officer.
Drexel Ranks Second in PA College Awards
Drexel received $268,000 from the Common-wealth for graduating 388 Pennsylvania
residents last spring through Gov. Tom Ridge's program to reward institutions
that graduated at least 40 percent of their in-state students within a
certain time period. Institutions received $690 per student graduated
and Drexel's total ranked second among those receiving grants. Gov. Ridge's
program man-dates that the money be used for anything that supports a
timely graduation rate for students.
Trustees Honored
I would like to congratulate two trustees for outstanding achievements.
Paul "Mel" Baiada '82, '85 was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Greater Philadelphia Venture Group at the group's annual awards luncheon in June.
Renee Amoore received the Artemis Award from the Euro-American Women's Council, based in Athens, Greece. She was one of five women to get the award.
Alumnus Appointed to Board of Education
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge has appointed Larry Wittig to the State
Board of Education. Witting, a certified public accountant for 24 years,
and senior partner of Wittig CPAs of Tamaqua, Pa., earned his Drexel bachelor's
and MBA degrees in 1972 and 1975, respectively.