Biography of Honors College Benefactor C.R. "Chuck" Pennoni

The C.R. "Chuck" and Annette Pennoni Honors College, named for Drexel alumnus and trustee Dr. C.R. "Chuck" Pennoni '63, '66, Hon. '92, and his wife Annette, was established in March 2003, when the Drexel Board of Trustees voted to rename the University's successful 12-year-old Honors Program in tribute to Pennoni's many contributions to Drexel.

Pennoni is chairman of Pennoni Associates Inc., Consulting Engineers, a multi-disciplinary engineering firm focusing on civil infrastructure systems that employs more than 600 professionals and support staff in offices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Japan and the Philippines.

Pennoni was chairman of the Drexel Board of Trustees from 1997-2003. He also served as Drexel's president and chief executive officer during the 1994-95 academic year. His professional appointments have included serving as president of the American Society of Civil Engineers; trustee and president of United Engineering Trustees, Inc.; president of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and a member of the United States Council for International Engineering Practice. He has also served on the engineering advisory boards of Drexel, Widener University and the University of Pennsylvania. Currently, Pennoni is a member of the boards of Parke Bank, GCA Services, Inc., the Board of Governors of the State System of Higher Education in Pennsylvania, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia, and chairs the PENJERDEL Council. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in February 2000.

Established in 1991 as Drexel's Honors Program, the Pennoni Honors College is a learning community of scholars who share the common goal of achieving intellectual excellence and personal growth. It promotes increased academic excellence and achievement among Drexel's top student scholars by introducing them to special programs and an expanded curriculum that presents unique opportunities for learning and co-curricular endeavors. Since its inception, the College's enrollment has grown from 33 in 1991 to more than 1,000 in 2002. The academic caliber of students also rose during that time. Honors freshmen in 1996 averaged a 3.48 GPA and 1294 on the SAT. In 2002, they averaged a 3.89 GPA and 1350 on the SAT.