DREXEL UNIVERSITY

'Drexel University' is an institution of higher learning and research 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.

History

A machine testing laboratory at Drexel University, circa 1904.

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. Drexel became the Drexel Institute of Technology in 1936, and in 1970 Drexel Institute of Technology gained university status, becoming Drexel University. On July 1, 2002, Drexel was officially united with the former MCP Hahnemann University, creating the Drexel University College of Medicine; and in the fall of 2006, Drexel established its College of Law.

Academics

Mario the Magnificent, mascot of Drexel

In the 2006 edition of U.S. News & World Report, Drexel University is ranked the #109 university in the National Universities Doctoral category and the LeBow College of Business is ranked #99.^[1] In 2007, Business Week ranked the undergraduate business program among the top 30 private institutions in the country.^[2]

tDEC

Drexel University has developed a reputation of being a superior engineering school through the Drexel Engineering Curriculum (tDEC). Formerly named the E4 program (Enhanced Educational Experience for Engineers), tDEC curriculum is composed of two full years of rigorous core engineering courses which encompass the freshman and sophomore years of the engineering student.
tDEC was originally designed to increase retention rates and promote interest in engineering. However, since its inception, tDEC become known for the exact opposite of its originally intended goal. The program became the governing cause of dropouts in the engineering program with approximately 67% of students dropping out of tDEC to pursue other degrees. A distinct sense of pride is held by students who 'graduated' from the program based on successes in such a demanding curriculum. Many students feel that the tDEC program is a right of passage.
tDEC is currently in the process of being phased out beginning with the freshman class of 2006. It is speculated that the low retention rates coupled with the rigidity of the program has led to this phasing out of the program. Each year more than one percent of the graduating engineers in the United States get their degree from Drexel. 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 longstanding cooperative-education or "co-op" program is one of the largest and oldest in the United States. Drexel has a fully internet-based job database, where students can submit resumés and request interviews with any of the hundreds of companies that offer positions. Students also have the option of obtaining an internship via independent search. A student graduating from Drexel's 5-year degree program typically has a total of 18 months of internship with up to three different companies. The majority of Co-ops are paid, averaging $13,000 per 6-month period, however this figure changes with major.^[3]

Schools

★ School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems

★ School of Education

★ School of Public Health

Colleges

Drexel is composed of several colleges, including the Drexel University College of Law, which opened in the fall of 2006; the College of Information Science and Technology and the College of Arts and Sciences, two of the oldest colleges within Drexel; and the Drexel University College of Engineering, for which Drexel is perhaps best-known. The Goodwin College of Professional Studies is intended for currently employed people seeking continuing higher education; almost 90% of its students attend part time. It offers primarily night classes in areas such as construction management and culinary arts. The Bennett S. LeBow College of Business has been ranked among the top 60 in the nation for business. The Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design houses Digital Media, Architecture, Fashion Design, Photography, Visual Studies, Performing Arts, Music Industry and Film & Video. The Drexel University College of Medicine is a recent addition to the university. Formerly MCP Hahnemann University, it contributes two additional campuses and a teaching medical hospital, along with the College of Nursing and Health Professions and the School of Public Health. The Pennoni Honors College recognizes and promotes excellence among Drexel students.

Most popular undergraduate majors

★ Business Administration: 2,188 enrolled

★ Mechanical Engineering: 651

★ General Information Systems: 499

★ Biology: 475

★ Nursing: 469
Drexel University is also known for creating the world's first Engineering Degree in Appropriate Technology.^[4]
Source: Drexel University Factbook

Rankings

Drexel has been ranked among the "Best National Universities-Top Schools" by U.S. News & World Report in its annual "America's Best Colleges". The 2006 rankings placed Drexel 109th.^[1] 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^[6] and The Intel Corporation,^[7] and was ranked first for wireless access by Yahoo!.^[8]
The Drexel College of Medicine and College of Nursing & Health Professions also share accolades. The Physician's assistant program is in the nation's top 50, the CRNA program in the top 25.
Not all of its rankings are positive, however. The Princeton Review ranked Drexel 1st for "Campus Is Tiny, Unsightly, or Both," 4th for "Professors Make Themselves Scarce," 7th for "Long Lines and Red Tape," 11th for "Least Happy Students," 14th for "Professors Get Low Marks," and 17th for "Teaching Assistants Teach Too Many Upper-Level Courses".^[9]
The Math Forum@Drexel has been selected as one of the most useful websites by PC Magazine^[10] and Scientific American^[11].
The university's endowment has grown to $640 million^[12] and is the 16th largest private university in the U.S., with an enrollment of over 20,000 students.¹²
Drexel is the third largest private engineering college in the nation.^[13]

Campuses

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

University City Campus

The 'University City campus' of Drexel University is located just west of the Schuylkill River and is Drexel's largest and oldest campus. It is the center of its administrative offices, as well as the main academic center for students.

Queen Lane Campus

The Queen Lane campus was purchased in 2003 by Drexel University from MCP Hahnemann University. It is located in East Falls, which is in the Northwest part of 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 campuses.^[14]

Center City Hahnemann Campus

The Center City Campus is in the middle of Philadelphia, straddling the Vine Street Expressway and centered around Hahnemann University Hospital. It is a part of the university's recent expansion into the medical field.

Student life

Activities

The university has a large variety of students organizations, including charity, fraternities and sororities, political, and academic 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.

Residence halls

Drexel requires all non-commuting freshmen to live in one of the seven residence halls. Kelly Hall, Myers Hall, Towers Hall, and Calhoun are traditional dormitories, while North Hall, Anthony Caneris Hall, the new Race Street Dormitory, and Van Rensselaer are arranged into suites of four to six residents. Portions of the new Race Street Dormitory is currently reserved for students of the Pennoni Honors College. However, during the 2007 spring term, the Race Street Dormitory housed Kelly Hall residents, while Kelly Hall underwent renovation. All dormitories except Anthony Caneris Hall are located on the north side of campus, north of Arch Street, in the Powelton Village area.
For upperclassmen: Anthony Caneris Hall, North Hall, and floors two through six of University Crossings are the only on-campus housing available. In recent years, the expanding freshman class has pushed most upperclass students out of on-campus housing. Most students find apartments within Powelton Village. Academic Properties Inc., a subsidiary of Drexel, offers apartments, and there are also non-Drexel-owned apartments in the upper floors of the University Crossings building, which was previously owned by Conrail and used as an office building.

Greek life

Twelve 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 eight 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. Illegal substances were found in a student's room in Kelly Hall and traced back to Lambda Chi. Drexel has a Zero Tolerance Policy with illegal drugs. Recently shut down fraternity Alpha Pi Lambda has made a return to the University.
A list of Drexel fraternities and sororities rankings, and Dean's cup winners can be found here.

List of Fraternities at Drexel

★ Alpha Chi Rho, Lambda Chi Phi (est. 1992)

★ Alpha Epsilon Pi, Delta Rho Chapter (est. 1995)

★ Alpha Pi Lambda, Local Fraternity(est. 1935)

★ Delta Sigma Phi, Gamma Chi Chapter (est. 1956)

★ Kappa Alpha Psi, Delta Eta Chapter (est. 1952)

★ Phi Beta Sigma, Alpha Chi Alpha (est. 1998)

★ Phi Kappa Psi, PA Upsilon Chapter (est. 2002)

★ Pi Kappa Alpha, Lambda Zeta Chapter (est. 2001)

★ Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Epsilon Chapter (est. 1971)

★ Sigma Phi Epsilon, Pennsylvania Beta Beta Chapter (est. 1999)

★ Tau Kappa Epsilon, Alpha Tau Chapter (est. 1919)

★ Theta Chi, Beta Theta Chapter (est. 1927)

List of Sororities at Drexel

★ Alpha Kappa Alpha, Gamma Epsilon Chapter (1945)

★ Alpha Sigma Alpha, Nu Nu Chapter (est. 1925)

★ Chi Upsilon Sigma, Omicron Chapter (est. 1997)

★ Delta Phi Omega, Gamma Chapter (est. 2000)

★ Delta Phi Epsilon, Delta Epsilon Chapter (est. 1942)

★ Delta Zeta, Epsilon Zeta Chapter (est. 1928)

★ Phi Mu, Beta Tau Chapter (est. 1954)

★ Phi Sigma Sigma, Beta Rho Chapter (est. 1959)

★ Sigma Lambda Upsilon

★ Sigma Psi Zeta, Nu Chapter (est. 2002)

★ Zeta Phi Beta, Kappa Sigma Chapter (est. 2005)

Publications

Drexel has a number of publications to its name by both the student body and the university. The Triangle has been the university's newspaper for over 80 years. Other publications include the campus yearbook, the Lexerd; Maya, the undergraduate student literary and artistic magazine; and Dragonfire, the digital magazine.

Sports

Drexel Dragons logo

The school's sports teams, known as the Drexel Dragons, participate in the NCAA's Division I-A and the Colonial Athletic Association.
===Mascot===
Drexel's school mascot is a dragon known as "Mario the Magnificent," named so in honor of a former alumni and Board of Trustees member.^[15] The Dragon has been the mascot of the school since around the mid 1920's; the first written reference to the Dragons occurred in 1928 when the team was called The Dragons in The Triangle. Before becoming known as the dragons the athletic teams had been known by such names as Blue & Gold, the Engineers, and the Drexelites.¹⁵

Student lore and traditions

The "New" 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 can also refer to the disused smokestack from the former Pennsylvania Railroad power plant located just off campus. According to university legend, the structure grows one more inch every time a student is "shafted".
The reference to the smokestack as The Drexel Shaft is relatively new, coming sometime after 1983. Originally the "Flame of Knowledge", located in the fountain which stood in the main quad, was known as The Shaft. That fountain has since been relocated to the lawn before North Hall.^[16]
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 developed a dark brown patina over the years, the toe has remained highly polished and shines like new.¹⁵
The Ryder Clock, positioned in the Main Building Grand Entrance is named after the 1st dean of engineering students with the phrase "Be on Time" inscribed below its face. Ryder was known to stand atop the grand staircase during his tenure, pocketwatch in hand, telling students to "be on time" for class every morning.¹⁵

Drexel in popular culture

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

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

Alumni

Main articles: List of Drexel University alumni

Notes

1. USNews.com: America's Best Colleges 2006:National Universities: Top Schools
2. Business Week Undergrad B-School Rankings
3. Drexel Co-op Employers
4. Appropriate Technology
5. USNews.com: America's Best Colleges 2006:National Universities: Top Schools
6. 25 Most Connected Campuses
7. Intel's 2nd Annual "Most Unwired College Campuses" Survey, (2005)
8. Recent Drexel Rankings and Milestones, , Heather, Redfern, Drexelink,
9. Drexel University's Best 361 College Rankings
10. Top 101 Most Incredibly Useful Sites
11. 2002 Sci/Tech Web Awards: MATHEMATICS
12. Drexel University considers Sacramento campus
13. Message From the Dean.
14. Queen Lane finishes first year as part of U.
15. Student Handbook - University Traditions & Legends
16. Drexel Gateway And Quadrangle

External links

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