Drexel University

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Drexel University is an institution of higher learning located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. The current president is Constantine Papadakis.

Contents

History

The Main Building, dedicated in 1891.

Drexel University was founded in 1891 as the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry by Philadelphia financier and philanthropist Anthony J. Drexel to provide educational opportunities in the “practical arts and sciences” for women and men of all backgrounds. The Drexel Institute of Technology gained university status in 1970, becoming Drexel University. On July 1, 2002, Drexel was officially united with the former MCP Hahnemann University. Drexel has also recently begun work on a new Law School, which will open in the autumn of 2006.

Academics

Mario the Magnificent, mascot of Drexel

In the 2006 edition of U.S. News, Drexel University is ranked the #109 university in the National Universities Doctoral category and the LeBow College of Business is ranked #116. In 2006, Business Week ranked the undergraduate business program #58 in the country.

Drexel University is primarily known for its engineering school, which includes The Drexel Engineering Curriculum, or "tDEC" for short. tDEC is a rigorous series of online and offline courses designed to prepare students for future engineering work. tDEC is currently undergoing a major overhaul for the incoming Fall 2006 class. Each year more than one percent of the graduating engineers in the United States get their degree from Drexel.^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} The 2006 edition of U.S. News ranks the undergraduate engineering program #57 in the country and the 2007 edition of graduate schools ranks the graduate program #61.

Co-op program

Branded as "the Ultimate Internship™", Drexel's cooperative education program is one of the largest in the nation. Drexel has a fully internet-based job database, where users can submit resumes and request interviews with any of the hundreds of companies that are offering positions. A student graduating from Drexel with a 5-year degree typically has a total of 18 months of internship with up to three different companies. Major co-op employers include ["Drexel Co-op Employers"], Drexel University Undergraduate Admissions. Last Accessed on March 24, 2006. :

Schools

School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
[School of Education]
School of Public Health
School of Information Science and Technology

Colleges

Drexel Achievement

Drexel has been ranked among the "Best National Universities-Top Schools" by a U.S. News & World yearly report on "America's Best Colleges".^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} The 2006 rankings placed Drexel as 109th. U.S. News and World Report. America's Best Colleges--2006 edition (September 2005). Drexel and Penn are the only Philadelphia colleges in this category.

Drexel frequently ranks among the top 25 schools in the nation for technology use according to The Princeton Review ["25 Most Connected Campuses"], The Princeton Review. (Jan 20, 2006) Last Accessed on March 24, 2006. and The Intel Corporation ["Most Unwired Campuses"], Intel's 2nd Annual "Most Unwired College Campuses" Survey, (2005). Last Accessed on March 24, 2006. , and was ranked first for wireless access by Yahoo!.^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

[The Math Forum@Drexel] has been selected as one of the most useful websites by PC Magazine ["The Math Forum @ Drexel"], ["Top 101 Most Incredibly Useful Sites"], PC Magazine. (October 14, 2003). Last Accessed on March 24, 2006. and Scientific American^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}.

The universities endowment is currently over $500 million, placing it 108th among all U.S. colleges and Universities. The Chronicle of Higher Education (2002-2003)

Drexel is the 18th largest private university in the U.S., with an enrollment of 17,500 students. National Center for Educational Statistics (2001-2002)

Campuses

Drexel University's campus is divided into three parts: the University City Campus, the Center City Hanneman Campus, and the Queen Lane College of Medicine Campus. The latter two are recent acquisitions by the university.

University City Campus

Located just west of the Schuylkill River, this is Drexel's largest and oldest campus. It stretches from Chestnut St. in the South to Powelton Ave in the North, and from the Amtrak rail yard in the East to 34th St in the West. The majority of buildings are constructed of orange brick, mostly in the Art Deco style, with many dating from the mid 1960s. North of Drexel's campus lies Powelton Village, a neighborhood of primarily Victorian homes. Drexel's continued efforts to expand the university and the dormitories have brought them into conflict with the [Powelton Village Civic Association], which has attempted to block university projects on several occasions.The Triangle: [Drexel, PVCA near end of lot dispute], 12/9/05. Accessed 5-10-2006.

Residence Halls

Drexel requires all non-commuting freshmen to live in one of the six (soon to be seven) freshmen residence halls. Kelly Hall, Myers Hall, Towers Hall, and Calhoun are traditional dormitories, while North Hall and Van Rensselaer are arranged into suites of 4-6 residents. North Hall is currently reserved for students of the [Pennoni Honors College]. All dormitories except East Hall are located on the north side of campus, north of Arch Street, in the Powelton Village area.

For upperclassmen, East Hall and University Crossings bottom 4 floors are the only on-campus housing available. Most students find apartments within Powelton Village. Academic Properties Inc., a subsidiary of Drexel, offers apartments, and there are also apartments in the upper floors, from 5-17, of the University Crossings building, which was previously owned by Conrail and used as an office building.

Food

All non-commuting freshmen are required to purchase a gold meal plan which entitles them to unlimited visits to the recently renovated Handschumacher Dining Center on Chestnut Street. They also receive a per-term allowance of meal-plan dollars which can be spent at any of several campus locations including The Grill and Fresh Bytes at Ross Commons, the Creese Cafe, and a convenience-type store popularly called the Kelly Deli because it is on the first floor of Kelly Hall. Upperclassmen may purchase meal plans that allows them a limited number of visits and a different amount of meal-plan dollars.

Non Drexel-owned food options include over ten lunch trucks, some spread out around campus and some on a road behind the main building. Taco Lou's, a truck next to the freshmen dormitories and greek housing, sells mexican food and is only open after midnight. There is also a large number of restaurants near campus, including many on Lancaster Avenue. The 7-Eleven store on Lancaster Ave is also a popular spot for students to purchase food. A Starbucks is currently under negotiation for the ground level of the Pearlstein Business Learning Center.

Art galleries

Drexel maintains several art galleries on its main campus. The Drexel Collection is housed primarily in the Westphal Picture Gallery, on the third floor of the Main Building. The collection was established by the university's founder, Anthony J. Drexel, who collected many types of art. The collection continued to receive donations after his death from family, friends, and alumni. The collection has a large variety of artifacts, including porcelains and furniture.

The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery is an aluminum and slate structure connected to Nesbitt Hall (the building for the College of Media Arts and Design) in which art exhibitions are frequently held. The slate side of the building is frequently covered with chalk messages about upcoming events.

Queen Lane Campus

The Queen Lane campus was purchased in 2003 by Drexel University from MCP Hahnemann University. It is located in North Philadelphia and is primarily inhabited by first- and second-year medical students. A free shuttle is available connecting it to the center city Hahneman and University City campusesThe Triangle: [Queen Lane Finishes First Year As Part Of U]. 7-23-04. Accessed 5-20-06.

Student Organizations

Drexel has a large variety of students organizations, including chairity groups, political groups, and study-related groups.

Student Government

The [Undergraduate Student Government Association] of Drexel University works with administrators to solve student problems and tries to promote communication between the students and the administration.

Campus Activities Board

The Campus Activities Board, or CAB for short, is in charge of organizing activities such as movies, trips to special events, and other on-campus entertainment such as the fall comedy show. CAB is funded through a student activities fee collected from each student.

WKDU

WKDU is Drexel's student-run FM radio station, with membership open to all undergraduate students. Its status as an 800-watt non-commercial station in a major market city has given it a wider audience and a higher profile than many other college radio stations.

Fraternities and Sororities

Eight percent of Drexel's undergraduate population is a member of a social greek organization. There are currently nine Interfraternity Council (IFC) chapters, five National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) chapters and nine Bicultural Inter-Greek Council (BIG-C) chapters. Each year, the dean of students awards the Dean's Cup, which goes to the chapter with the highest overall points in various categories ranging from events and organization to community service and philanthropy.

Each year, all of the social greek organizations at Drexel compete in Greek Week, a week long competition with events such as an obstacle course, talent show, step show, with the culminating event being the tug of war.

Greek life at Drexel University has shrunken recently with the expulsion of several fraternities for various reasons including hazing and drug violations. The latest fraternity shut-down was that of Lambda Chi Alpha on June 6, 2006. Several illegal substances were found in one of the members' rooms in Kelly Hall. Drexel has a Zero Tolerance Policy with illegal drugs, and a three-strike policy for alcohol.

A list of Drexel fraternities and sororities (including rankings, and Dean's cup winners) can be found [here].

Student Publications

The Triangle

[The Triangle] is the independent student newspaper at Drexel University. Operation began in 1926, under the direction of students with University advisors functioning only to offer advice. Publication has been on a weekly schedule during the academic school year with semi-weekly publication during summer. The Triangle recently began publishing in color in 2004. Notable former columnists include Chuck Barris, creator of The Gong Show and subject of the movie Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.

The current Editor-in-chief is Kaushal Toprani.

Lexerd

Lexerd is the student-run Drexel yearbook, the name is simply "Drexel" spelled backwards. In April 2006 The Triangle reported that the yearbook may not publish due to shortage of student volunteers.

MAYA

[MAYA] first published in June of 2006, is the student literary and artistic publication. It accepts poetry, prose, short stories, creative nonfiction, photography, and other art.

Upcoming publications

The first issue of [Format C:/], the Science, Technology and Culture Magazine at Drexel University, is planned for publication before the start of the 2006 school year. The magazine plans to focus on technological achievements and developments being made, as well as the cultural impacts of emerging technologies.

Sports

The school's sports teams are called the Dragons. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A and the Colonial Athletic Association. Drexel participates in the following sports:

Men's:

Women's:

Basketball
Crew
Field Hockey
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Swimming and Diving
Tennis

More information about Drexel sports can be found at [DrexelDragons.com].

Student lore and traditions

The Drexel Shaft

Drexel students often speak with bitterness about the perceived excess of administrative red tape when trying to deal with the University and its various departments. When students think they are being mistreated by the University, they often refer to it as getting the Drexel Shaft. The Drexel Shaft is also a disused smokestack structure located just off campus which used to be part of a steam power plant. According to university legend, the structure grows one more inch every time a student is "shafted".

To receive good grades on exams, a tradition is to rub the toe of the bronze "Waterboy" statue located in the Main Building atrium. Although the rest of the bronze statue has turned dark brown, the toe has become highly polished and shiny.

Trivia

Drexel University's campus is located right next to the University of Pennsylvania in the University City section of Philadelphia. When Drexel and Penn play, it is sometimes referred to as "the shortest roadtrip in the NCAA". In fact, it is such a short "roadtrip" that even busing to a sports event at the host school would make little sense; the visiting team usually walks as a group to the road game. On a related note, Penn's official parking lot for athletic events is located much closer (1 block) to Drexel's Daskalakis Center than it is to the school's own Palestra (about 3 1/2 blocks).

Drexel has been ranked 2nd under the category of "Campus Is Tiny, Unsightly, Or Both" in the 2005 Princeton Review.[| Princeton Review (free registration required)] It is presently in the middle of several renovations to rectify this situation.

The main quad used to have a water fountain called "The Flame of Knowledge". It is currently being replaced by a different and as-yet-unnamed fountain as part of the university's campus improvement programs.

Drexel University is the location of ABC Family's popular reality show "[Back on Campus]."

In the movie Enemy of the State, Brill (played by Gene Hackman) is revealed to be a Drexel alumnus.

Notable alumni

Michael Anderson: NBA Player.
James P. Bagian: Astronaut and medical doctor.
Paul Baran: A founding father of the Internet and inventor of the airport metal detector.
Chuck Barris: Entertainer, creator of The Gong Show.
Michael Behe: A leading proponent of Intelligent Design.
Douglas Briggs: President of QVC.
George Campbell: President of The Cooper Union.
Albert Carnesale: Chancellor of the University of California at Los Angeles.
Kenneth C. Dahlberg: CEO of SAIC and previously Executive Vice President of General Dynamics.
Ruth Hale: Fought for women's rights in 1920s; member of the Algonquin Round Table.
Jon "maddog" Hall: Open Source Developer and Advocate.
Robert Hall: Publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News.
Chris Harn: Breeders' Cup pick six scam
Bennett S. LeBow: CEO of the Vector Group and broker of the landmark tobacco settlement by corporate subsidiary Liggett & Myers.
Peter Liacouras: Former president (18 years) of Temple University.
Peter Mafany Musonge: Prime minister of Cameroon.
Chris McKendry: ESPN anchor and journalist
Jiang Mianheng: Vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and co-founder of Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation.
William H. Milliken, Jr.: US Congressman from Pennsylvania
Malik Rose: NBA Player.
Joseph Woodland: Inventor of the bar code technology.
Bruce H. Miller: One of the key inventors in Fault Detection Algorithms and Electrical Designer of RTKL Associates in Baltimore, MD

References

External links

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