Center for Graduate Studies

October 14, 2009

To the Alumni of Drexel University:

What a wild and wonderful ride it has been for us here at the Sacramento Center for Graduate Studies since I last wrote to you three months ago!

The very best news is that we exceeded virtually everyone's expectations by seating 124 new graduate students this September! That means we have had over 175 working professionals enroll in our graduate programs here in just nine months!

To put in context just how impressive this is, just remember that when we did a telephone survey in January 2008, not a single one of the 114 respondents had ever heard of Drexel University. One year ago, on October 15, 2008, we had a grand total of 2 students enrolled in our inaugural classes scheduled to start in January. Only the roughest of framing, electrical and plumbing had been done and we were more than a month away from the delivery of the $1 million in technology that we were intending to install. We were recruiting students by holding information sessions in area hotels, and we had just had our web site go live. And while the economy had certainly turned downward, the extent of the free-fall would not be seen for months.

Today, we are teaching one doctorate (the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Management) and eight master's programs. Our faculty in Philadelphia are thrilled with the quality of the students we have attracted – with their work and career experience, their GPAs and GRE/GMAT test scores, their intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm and energy. Our Graduate Center is alive during the day, with for-profits renting our high-tech space as a conference facility and non-profits using it for board meetings, retreats, and education seminars. Our faculty, staff and students are out in the community, putting our heads and hands to good use here as we have for decades in Philadelphia.

I hope you have heard or seen the Drexel name, because we are clearly getting noticed:

• The Chair of the Metro Chamber Board complimented Drexel for our “long-term vision that only comes with 118 years of experience,” saying that our “forward looking is the exact kind of thing we need.”
• The Sacramento Bee carried a story that began “there was no missing the stylized golden dragon” when Drexel President Pennoni and Board Chairman Greenawalt visited in July.
• The California Secretary of Education, Glen Thomas, was our keynote speaker the night we held Convocation and New Student Orientation.
• The Business Journal just published an article in September confirming to all that we have definitely arrived.
• At the Metro Chamber “Perspectives” event just last week, every attendee received a “Drexel Green” bag – an “eco-friendly” way of reminding them about our university’s active engagement in sustainability. 

And who has not seen the DREXEL UNIVERSITY sign on the top of our building, bright gold against the blue sky and visible to all on I-5?

I would like to invite you to participate in two very special events.

On Thursday, October 29, for the first time ever, we will be participating from both coasts in the annual Colonial Athletic Association Blood Drive. Drexel has won this contest three years running! It would be awesome if you would participate! Just call the local BloodSource nearest you to make an appointment and give them Drexel’s special code - L100 - which will allow them to track the total Dragon contribution. To count towards the CAA challenge, your donation must be on this one day.

We have started a new bi-coastal speakers program. It is called “What It Means To Lead: Coast to Coast Conversations with Business and Civic Leaders.” It is a one-hour program that begins at 6 p.m. (5 p.m. with pizza and sodas) and includes both prepared remarks and discussion with our students. On Wednesday, November 11, at 6 p.m., our speaker will be the Honorable Darrell Steinberg, President Pro Tem of the California Senate. It would be wonderful if you could join us, but please RSVP here.

The fact that Education Secretary Thomas and State Senate President Steinberg are willing to talk with our students speaks powerfully to the reputation we are building in this region. I hope you are as proud of Drexel as I am. If you would like to see what we are doing, come visit us this Saturday morning at 10 a.m. when we are holding an Information Session – click here for more information. You are also welcome just to stop by whenever you are in the neighborhood.

We look forward to seeing you.

Best regards from Drexel,

Carl (Tobey) Oxholm III
Dean

One Capitol Mall, Suite 260, Sacramento, CA 95814 • TEL 916.325.4600 • URL www.drexel.edu/sacramento