From the President

During the University’s 125th anniversary year, the Drexel community has been fortunate to be able to pause, re ect and honor our rich traditions in many meaningful ways.

In early December, we gathered in a festive mood in the Great Court of the Main Building to commemorate the vision of our founder, the great nancier and philanthropist Anthony J. Drexel, and to seal a new time capsule for the next generation. In the weeks preceding, we retraced our institutional voyage through a series of in-depth lectures, and also debuted a comprehensive book of University history, “Building Drexel, The University and Its City 1891–2016.”

But the observance of Drexel’s milestone doesn’t end for us there — far from it. Rather, it’s clear to me that our storied past is prologue for the breadth of opportunity, ambition and spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship that characterizes the Drexel of today.

How can 19th-century beginnings guide a 21st-century institution of higher learning? The solution to that seeming riddle lives in the founding values that motivated A.J. Drexel to create his Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry — an endeavor that, at its birth in 1891, was predicted to trigger “a practical revolution in educational methods” of the time.

On the following pages, you can see how A.J. Drexel’s insistence upon innovation, practical training, inclusion, cosmopolitanism and engagement were deeply bound into the University’s DNA and remain evident in everything we do.

Whether it’s the experiential learning that enriches Drexel graduates’ career horizons, the faculty-guided student research that starts in freshman year, our deep engagement with neighbors and improvement efforts in West Philadelphia, the daily encounters with great art and architecture on campus, or our embrace of equal opportunity, the University’s founding values serve as present-day guideposts. In our fundamental mission to ready Drexel graduates to be productive citizens in the workplace and their communities, these values also will enable the University to evolve to meet society’s demands in the future.

I am proud to share this report with Drexel alumni and employees and its many friends and allies in the wider community. As you read on, I hope you will see how we’re drawing strength from our founding values and building on a proud history to take this University to new places and greater heights.

Sincerely,

John A. Fry
President

Read the 2016 President's Report [PDF]