As President John A. Fry announced during a special Oct. 4 event in West Philadelphia, noted philanthropists Dana and David Dornsife pledged $10 million to Drexel in support of the new Dana and David Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships.
Expected to open in 2014, the Dornsife Center will be located at 35th and Spring Garden streets on a vacant site that currently includes two historical properties and a school totaling more than 29,400-square-feet of space. The Dornsife Center will serve as a resource for sharing expertise and knowledge with the members of the local community. Dedicated to education, problem solving, social entrepreneurship and innovation, it will offer a welcoming environment for local children and families, rich with technology, and fully accessible to senior citizens.
“In the tradition of the cooperative extension programs that brought university education and services to rural areas, we’re thrilled that the Dornsife Center will allow Drexel to teach and partner with our neighbors right where they live,” said Fry.
The Dornsifes are well-known for helping to solve the biggest problems facing today’s world through their intelligence, talent, generosity and time. Their steadfast focus is on improving the quality of life for all people.
Dana Dornsife received her bachelor’s degree in business from Drexel. She is the founder of the Lazarex Cancer Foundation and serves as its president and CEO. David Dornsife, a University of Southern California trustee and 1965 alumnus, is chairman of the Herrick Corp., the largest steel fabricator and contractor on the West Coast. Herrick’s projects include high rises, specialty projects, hospitals, airports and hotels.
“Drexel’s project inspired us because of its potential to serve as a model for urban outreach by universities nationwide,” said Dana Dornsife. “I’m proud of my alma mater, and I look forward to seeing Drexel’s impact on the Powelton Village and Mantua neighborhoods.”
In order to create the Dornsife Center, the University will renovate the site’s three existing buildings. The site was formerly used to house an elementary school and two administrative buildings but has been vacant for a number of years. Philip B. Lindy, the driving force behind Drexel’s Lindy Center for Civic Engagement, secured the Spring Garden Street property for the University and will be an active participant in the renovation. The Dornsife gift will be used for the development of the site and operation costs of the center.
The Dornsife Center will offer space for activities developed and delivered by the University’s participating colleges and schools. Through offerings—such as a free law clinic, health and wellness programming, homework help, arts collaborations, architectural design-build studios and environmental engineering demonstrations—Drexel faculty, students and professional staff will provide service and instruction as they fulfill the requirements of their academic programs. Whether through courses, research projects, service and class assignments, or required co-ops, experiential projects and internships, the programs offered at the Dornsife Center will be self-sustaining.
The Dornsife Center will engage every college and school at Drexel, and programs in the University’s Student Life, Lindy Center for Civic Engagement and Drexel Libraries. The Dornsife Center will attract adults and senior citizens, children and neighborhood youth, and its programming and services will be expansive.
“The Dornsife Center, and the generosity of Dana and David Dornsife, will help make Drexel’s commitment to neighborhood partnerships tangible,” said Drexel Vice Provost for University and Community Partnerships Dr. Lucy Kerman. “Rather than bringing our neighbors to campus, or bringing education and services to Powelton Village and Mantua as visitors, Drexel will stand alongside residents in an inspiring, inviting facility open to all.”
