On behalf of the entire University, I welcome our new students and their families to the Drexel community.

Our new students represent the largest and most academically talented class in the University’s 113-year history. The 2,150 members of the freshman class have an average SAT score of 1214. The class also includes 26 high school valedictorians and 19 salutatorians. The more than 400 freshmen who will enter our Pennoni Honors College this fall have an average SAT score of 1370 and a high school GPA of 4.06.

Our new students have a tradition of scholastic success to uphold. For example, current undergraduate and graduate students across the University have received honors from professional organizations for their outstanding papers and posters presented at conferences across the country. Teams of students from our One Year MBA program and College of Engineering competed against teams from around the world in two prestigious business plan competitions: the New Venture Championship and University of San Francisco’s 2004 International Business Plan Competition. In the College of Media Arts & Design, students have won numerous competitions for their designs. Bobby Miller ‘04 was a finalist in MTV-U’s “Best Animation on Campus” contest and junior photography major Sarah Stolfa was the grand prize winner of the New York Times Magazine’s “Capture the Times” college photography competition.

The academic achievements of our students are also enabling them to win prestigious scholarships and fellowships. Adrienne Dolberry, a bioscience and biotechnology doctoral student received a Fulbright Award in the University Student Category in Germany for the 2004-05 academic year to conduct research at the University of Giessen. Recent information science and technology graduate Kevin Meagher was part of a two-week international mission on business in China sponsored by the Envision Institute. Over the past three years, College of Engineering students have twice conducted research in zero-gravity, flying in NASA’s KC-135 Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. This program will continue in the future.

Our students also excel outside of the classroom. Several members of our sports teams have won scholar athlete awards. Travis Mohr ’04 is a gold medal winning Paralympian who will compete in the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. He is also nominated for an ESPN ESPY Award.

The University celebrates the achievements of our students and graduates, and looks forward to the future successes of our new students.

C.R. "Chuck" Pennoni Interim President