Drexel University President Constantine Papadakis Elected to Greater Philadelphia First Board
August 8, 1997

Drexel University President Constantine Papadakis has been elected to the board of directors of Greater Philadelphia First (GPF). He was elected along with Corbin McNeil, Jr., president and chief executive officer of PECO Energy.

A registered professional engineer, Papadakis came to Drexel in 1995 after serving for nine years as dean of engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Prior to joining academia, he held executive positions in the private sector at Tetra Tech, a Honeywell subsidiary; STS Consultants, Ltd.; and Bechtel, Inc.

Papadakis, 51, sees higher education as a business. Under his leadership Drexel has undergone an extraordinary turnaround. He has reorganized Drexel's administrative structure for increased efficiency, and put an emphasis on quality customer relations and student input.

In the fall of 1996, Drexel experienced a 37 percent increase in the enrollment of entering students. This rate of growth far out-paced all local, regional, and national trends. And the growth is continuing. The number of incoming students in the fall of 1997 will be double the number of just two years ago. Qualitatively, freshmen entering Drexel this fall have an average SAT score 40 points higher than students who entered in 1995.

A member of many professional and honorary societies, Papadakis serves on the board of directors of the National Commission for Cooperative Education, the University City Science Center, Corcell Inc., and WHYY, among others.

He earned his undergraduate diploma in civil engineering from the National Technical University in Greece, his native country. He also holds a master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Michigan.

"We welcome Constantine Papadakis and Corbin McNeil to the Greater Philadelphia First board," said John P. Claypool, executive director of GPF. "Their extensive knowledge of the region and involvement in its technology sector will be valuable assets in our work to strengthen the Philadelphia area's competitiveness. Drexel University and PECO Energy have been significant partners over the many years."

Drexel is a new member of the business leadership organization.

Greater Philadelphia First, established in 1983, is an association of chief executives from 34 of the region's larger employers. GPF works to improve the business climate, generate employment by attracting new investment, and market the region nationally and internationally. GPF also applies private sector talent and resources to improve state and local government and Philadelphia's public schools, working closely with other organizations and government leadership at all levels.

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