This is an exciting time to be a part of the Drexel community. The University is one of the country’s top comprehensive research institutions, and we continue to receive national and international accolades for academic and research excellence. In John Fry, we have a dynamic new president who is poised to maintain and build upon the momentum Drexel has gained.

As president of Franklin & Marshall College, President Fry oversaw the institution’s record academic and physical growth. As Drexel continues to broaden the scope of its academic and research offerings and welcome record numbers of students to our campuses, having a president like John will be invaluable.

President Fry is also quite familiar with Philadelphia, specifically Drexel’s University City home, as he spent several years with the University of Pennsylvania. As Penn’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, President Fry was responsible for finance, investments, human resources, facilities and real estate, public safety, computing, technology transfer, research administration, corporate relations, auxiliary enterprises and internal audit and compliance. He also served as the university’s liaison to the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

I would like to thank the presidential search committee and our Board of Trustees for their work on finding our new president. Clearly, they have made the right choice for the direction in which Drexel is headed.

I would also like to thank our students, faculty, staff, alumni and trustees and my family for their support during my tenure as interim president. This is the second time I stepped into this role for the University I love and, as before, I am certain Drexel is in the very capable hands of an outstanding leader.

Please join me in welcoming President Fry and his family to Drexel. I wish him many successful years and I look forward to working with him as he transitions into his new role.

C.R. "Chuck" Pennoni Interim President