A generous gift from Jeff Westphal will honor his father, Ray Westphal (’59, HD ’02), while deepening Drexel’s experiential learning and collaborative research mission. The gift establishes an Innovation Engine that will allow Drexel to put together muscular mechanisms to cultivate and expand relationships with co-op partners and infuse experiential learning into academics, research and innovation across the University.
The Innovation Engine will build upon the success of the Drexel Solutions Institute, which in 2018 became the first centralized hub at Drexel dedicated to organizing interdisciplinary partnerships with external parties. Teams of students, faculty and external partners will collectively develop an array of projects shaped by student interests, faculty expertise and partner needs.
Raj Suri, who is senior vice provost for academic-industry partnerships, is leading the Innovation Engine. The project has begun with business development and communications staff hires to build bridges that amplify the University’s R&D, innovation and talent capabilities to external partners.
With his gift, Jeff Westphal continues a family tradition that first began in 2005, when his father demonstrated devotion to his mother Antoinette Westphal (’59, HD ’02) by pledging support that resulted in the naming of the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. At the time, that gift represented the largest single private donation in Drexel’s history.