Permit me to interrupt this editor’s letter for a brief public service announcement about partnerships.
Obviously, as alums of experiential learning, you already know Drexel’s spirit of partnership runs deep. The close collaborations we have built with more than 1,600 co-op employers worldwide form the very DNA of our institution.
But while the co-op program is the most outstanding example of the power of Drexel’s classroom-to-career network, it’s just one spoke in the wheel. The University’s relationships with for-profit, nonprofit, academic and civic partners have sparked specialized programs and opportunities in an array of fields.
Even if you graduated long ago, you can find experiences through Drexel to enhance your career, serve your community, create new business ventures or just get involved.
If you’re a business leader, for example, Drexel’s Business Solutions Institute is your gateway to our faculty, students and workforce development programs. Corporate Partner of the Month status opens doors to networking events, speaking engagements and thought leadership through guest lectures or panel discussions.
Not yet a business leader, but hoping to become one? Drexel recently launched a fund that will provide cash to early-stage startups founded by Dragons, including postgrads and alumni, who are bold enough to take Drexel discoveries to market. Each year, Drexel commits $150,000 to up to four startups. Consider this program to accelerate your entrepreneurial endeavors. Or, for the more adventurous, Drexel has hundreds of technologies available for R&D collaboration or licensing, listed by industry sector on the website of Drexel Applied Innovation.
Maybe you’re looking for a career change? Drexel began a new partnership this year with Peirce College in Philadelphia to help adult learners prepare for jobs in the growing health care and medical research fields. Check out the story here.
As you explore the pages of this edition, you’ll discover many more ways that Drexel’s partnerships create opportunity and a thriving civic culture that pays dividends after college. These include supporting the local workforce…restoring the city’s cultural history… community-centered housing solutions…empowering schoolteachers to cultivate caring citizens… and more.
I invite each of you to engage with, or simply appreciate, how these relationships may improve your own life. Your connection to Drexel University is not merely a past affiliation but an ongoing opportunity to thrive, contribute and excel.
Thanks for reading.
Sonja Sherwood / Editor
About the cover: odds and ends from the Atwater Kent catalog.