Following approval by the Board of Trustees on May 21, President Papadakis announced the launch of Drexel’s Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento, Calif. The announcement was made to the Sacramento community by Carl “Tobey” Oxholm III, executive vice president and chief of staff, at a press conference that was also attended by Drexel trustee Renee Amore, George Tsetsekos, dean of the LeBow College of Business, Marcia Gardner, assistant dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions and alumnus Bruce Berardi ’87, senior vice president, Bovis Lend Lease. They were joined by business and civic leaders from the Sacramento community including Kyriakos Tsakopoulis, a Sacramento businessman and trustee, California State University System and Columbia University and Michael Jacobson, chairman of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and head of corporate affairs in California for the Intel Corporation. The Center, housed in One Capitol Mall in the historic district of downtown Sacramento, will offer five master’s programs in January 2009 and add four more in September 2009. The programs are intended to address the needs of Greater Sacramento’s growing innovation economy, in hybrid formats convenient for working adults, combining online and classroom instruction. In January, the Center will offer the MBA and graduate programs in engineering management, higher education, information systems and library and information science. In September 2009, the University will offer additional programs in nursing education and faculty role, nursing leadership in health systems management, science of instruction and human resource development. “Drexel has seen enormous success in Philadelphia due to its strong partnerships with the business and civic community here, said Papadakis. “We’re looking forward to building equally strong relationships in Northern California. We were drawn by the exciting future of Greater Sacramento, the passion of its community, business and education leaders and the opportunities available to serve this region.” President Papadakis also announced the establishment of the $10 million Sacramento Leaders Fellowship Fund for graduate student support. Efforts are underway to recruit an executive director and dean for the new Center. For more information about the Sacramento Center for Graduate Studies, call 888.389.3781 or visit www.drexel.edu/sacramento/.