Welcome

To our Benefactors, Alumni and Friends,

What a stellar year it’s been! Drexel University’s indomitable culture of philanthropy has made a significant difference once again. On behalf of everyone at our great University, I would like to thank our nearly 18,000 benefactors who contributed to Drexel in fiscal year 2011. 

We also are most grateful to the 33,783 individuals, corporations and foundations that have made gifts in the last four years. Remarkably, 2,815 benefactors have honored us with their philanthropy for 25 years or more.

Your generosity has helped propel Drexel into the top 100 research universities in the United States. Without you, we could not have achieved this and so much more. We invite you to explore our website, share your comments and visit our campus.

Your insights and ideas are always welcome, and I encourage you to contact me at ead52@drexel.edu or (215) 895-2436.

Thank you again for your investment in Drexel University. With your support, we will continue to accelerate our ascendancy into the ranks of America’s top research universities.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth A. Dale
Senior Vice President
Institutional Advancement

Your gift can do it!

The Susan and Donald Larson Endowed Scholarship Fund for Outstanding Students in Physics
Education is a prime consideration in Don and Susan Larson’s philanthropy. Don, a professor emeritus of Drexel University’s Department of Physics, and Susan, also an educator, established The Susan and Donald Larson Endowed Scholarship Fund for Outstanding Students in Physics at the College of Arts and Sciences. Don and Susan see this endowment as a solid investment because they believe “this is going to make a happier world.”

John W. Via III Establishes Endowed Scholarship in the College of Engineering

To John W. Via III, MS CoE ’92, MS CoE ’94, education is essential to his personal development. “There are always new discoveries, best practices, and advances in technology,” he says. “Continuing education keeps your skills fresh and allows you to gain new knowledge.”

John should know. He has a bachelor’s degree (in Chemical Engineering), two master’s degrees from Drexel (in Chemical Engineering and Engineering Management), three other master’s degrees (in Engineering Science, Manufacturing Systems, and Liberal Arts), and a doctorate (in Engineering Management). In addition, as an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University, he teaches graduate courses in engineering management and production and operations management.

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Richard P. Brown, Jr., Honors Father’s Legacy in the New Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building

Richard P. “Dick” Brown, Jr., Esq., wasn’t at all sure he wanted to talk to Drexel about his gift to the College of Arts and Sciences. “Why do you want to interview me?” he asks. Only with the assurance that the article will focus on his father, Mr. Richard P. Brown, Sr., ’03, HD ’47, does he acquiesce.

A 1903 graduate of the Evening College at Drexel Institute and the recipient of an honorary doctorate in Engineering in 1947, Mr. Brown (1884–1976) served as vice chair of Drexel’s Board of Trustees from 1946 to 1956 and then as chair from 1956 to 1958. He remained honorary chairman for the rest of his life. A founding member of the A.J. Drexel Society, Mr. Brown received the A.J. Drexel Paul Award in 1970. He established The Richard P. Brown Scholarship Fund in 1960, and a lab in Stratton Hall at the College of Arts and Sciences also bears his name.

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Dr. Brian Alper Relishes the Ability to Give Back to the College of Medicine

Brian Scott Alper, M.D., M.S.P.H., HU ’96, has returned to his childhood home in Northeast Philadelphia. Based in Ipswich, Mass., he is here to visit his parents, Sandy and Al Alper.

Not yet 40, Brian has taken an idea he originated in medical school some 18 years ago and developed it into a thriving initiative called DynaMed, a medical reference database. The success of this venture has brought the luxury of giving back, and he recently made a sizable gift to the general scholarship fund of Drexel University College of Medicine. But through his ongoing work on DynaMed, he gives back to the College of Medicine and the medical field every day.

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