During my first five months here at Drexel, our campus was both slammed by a hurricane and shaken by an earthquake.
The former sent most of Philadelphia scurrying to the stores for batteries and bottled water before dumping buckets of rain on an already sopping-wet city. The latter arrived out of the blue on an otherwise nondescript Tuesday afternoon, rumbled for a good seven seconds or so, and made all of us working here in Main Building wonder, at least for a moment or two, just how earthquake-safe a building from the 1800s could possibly be.
In other words, it’s been an eventful first few months.
But I must admit: Neither the hurricane nor the quake stands out as the most memorable event of the past half-year. In truth, neither is even close. And I suppose that’s a testament to just how exciting things have been here at Drexel of late.
Under the leadership of President John A. Fry, Drexel has continued transforming itself in most every way—launching new partnerships, building beautiful new facilities, and forging new connections both here in Philadelphia and in all corners of the globe. In this new (and, yes, completely redesigned) issue of Drexel Magazine, we take a look at just a few of the amazing initiatives and remarkable people that are reshaping our campus, revitalizing our neighborhood, and changing the way the world looks at Drexel.
- In May, Drexel formally announced its exciting new affiliation with The Academy of Natural Sciences—a venture that joins together two of Philadelphia’s most renowned and respected institutions. In “Perfectly Natural,” associate editor Katie Clark and photographer Ryan Donnell introduce you to a few of the people that have helped make the Academy a leading light in natural sciences research.
- With the opening of the Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building in September, Drexel made a real statement to the world of higher education—a statement about its ambitions as not only a major research institution, but a home for beautiful design as well. The stunning new facility has brought new life to campus, and in “A Great Leap Forward,” Richard Quindry offers a photographic tour that will give you a sense of just how dramatic and beautiful this building really is. But take our advice: You really need to come see it for yourself.
- Christopher Ferguson, ’84, will forever hold a unique place in American space history: He served as Commander for the last-ever Space Shuttle mission, guiding the Atlantis up into low-earth orbit and safely back to earth in July, and bringing an end to a program that revolutionized space travel. In our cover story, Ferguson offers his thoughts on the legacy of the Shuttle, NASA’s new direction, and what he plans to do now that the Shuttle is no more.
We also have coverage of President Fry’s October trip to China, a look ahead to a big season for Drexel basketball, an update on the building project at the LeBow College of Business and more.
We hope you enjoy this issue of Drexel Magazine and hope, too, that you’ll share your thoughts with us. We welcome your letters to the editor via email at [email protected].
Tim Hyland / Editor (June 2011 – April 2013)