Over the winter Drexel said “goodbye” to a long-time dean and “hello” to a couple of new faces.
Hats off to Donna Murasko, who concludes a 15-year stint as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences this year to return to teaching. Dean Murasko elevated the reputation of the college, demonstrating that a continuum — not separation — of humanities, social sciences and physical and natural sciences is the ideal foundation for student success, regardless of major. A search for a successor is under way.
Laura N. Gitlin’s commute just became much shorter. For the past seven years, the National Institutes of Health researcher has been commuting to Baltimore, where she was founding director of the Center for Innovative Care in Aging at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. In February, the native Philadelphian became Drexel’s new dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions.
The Academy of Natural Sciences has a new president and CEO in Scott Cooper, an expert in architectural conservation and former vice president for collections, knowledge and engagement at the Royal British Columbia Museum. Before joining the Royal BC in 2014, Cooper was director of museums at the Qatar Foundation in Doha.
Dean Donna Murasko, always identifiable by her signature hat, left her mark on the College of Arts and Sciences during her 15 years as dean.