Heard Around Campus: July 2015

Powering through the dog days of summer, Drexel is looking ahead to the start of the 2015-16 school year with many construction projects wrapping up and a new provost in place.

New Provost Beginning

Starting Aug. 10, M. Brian Blake will officially take over as Drexel’s provost.

Blake, PhD, comes to Drexel from the University of Miami (Fla.), where he served as vice provost for academic affairs and dean of the Graduate School.

At Drexel, his focus will be to provide the necessary leadership for a unified, interdisciplinary academic environment that encourages innovative teaching and research that benefits the University’s students, community and society.

James D. Herbert, PhD, who served as interim provost, will move into the role of inaugural dean of the Drexel Graduate College in August.

Construction Projects Update

• Graduate College Offices: Renovations on the third floor of the Main Building to accommodate the newly established Drexel Graduate College will be complete in fall 2015. 
  
• The Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11^th Street Family Health Services Center: A new, two-story 17,000 square foot space addition doubling the size of the clinic — made possible by generous support from Stephen and Sandra Sheller — officially opened June 29. Renovations to the existing building will be mostly complete in late October. 
  
• University Crossings Renovations: Complete renovations of the living spaces are underway, with an early September completion expected for American Campus Communities’ student living areas. Meanwhile, the new leased space on the third and fourth floors for graduate student offices is being built out for occupancy in the fall. 
  
• 3401 Market Street (CASTL, DragonsTEACH and College of Arts & Sciences): Drexel has entered into a new lease at 3401 Market for approximately 7,400 rentable square feet to house two grant-funded initiatives, DragonsTeach and the Center for the Advancement of STEM Teaching and Learning (CASTL), as well as space for components of the criminology and justice studies programs in the College of Arts and Sciences. The space is expected to be able to be occupied in mid-November.
  
• The Study Hotel at University City (Hospitality 3): Construction is now in progress at 33rd and Chestnut Streets for Hospitality 3’s 212-room boutique hotel. The hotel is on schedule to open in fall 2016.
  
• 1427 Vine Street – Exterior and Fifth Floor Renovation: Renovation of the north and west facades has begun, with completion expected in late September. Construction will begin in early Fiscal Year 2016 for the complete renovation of the fifth floor to accommodate the relocation of the College of Medicine’s Women’s Care Center from the seventh floor.  Occupancy is anticipated in mid-2016. 
  
• The Summit at University City (American Campus Communities): American Campus Communities’ 580,000 square foot student housing, dining and retail complex on the southwest corner of 34th Street and Lancaster Avenue, as well as The Urban Eatery dining facility, are on schedule to open in September.