College of Arts and Sciences Stewardship: Fall 2024

Dear valued alumni, family and friends, Drexel’s College of Arts and Sciences is committed to being a leader in liberal arts education. Thanks to our renowned faculty who are committed to research and innovation, and who are dedicated educators working alongside our students, the college proudly graduated 444 students in the class of 2024. These Forever Dragons will help shape industry and society in STEM, humanities and social sciences.

As we continue to grow our programs to best suit the needs of today’s students, community and our world, we recognize that our efforts would not be possible without your ongoing support. Thank you for your gift during last academic year! We are grateful to you and wanted to share how your generosity has recently impacted our college community.

David S. Brown, PhD

Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Drexel University

WITH YOUR HELP

STUDENT EXPERIENCE FUND

Thanks to your support last academic year, Arts and Sciences students have presented at academic conferences around the world, attended study abroad programs that address global issues and participated in paid coop work opportunities that were previously uncompensated. Our departments have also benefited from your suppo t, and over 250 students have been impacted by your generosity.

This fund helps students access rewarding extracurricular activities without being deterred by the cost. Financial assistance is available to qualified A ts and Sciences students who wish to pursue an academic or civic opportunity outside of the classroom including, but not limited to presentations at academic conferences; chances for study abroad; conducting research outside of Drexel; and civic engagement aligned with their major.

An extra thank you to those who gave during last year’s fall Build Relationships in Diverse Group Experiences (BRIDGE) appeal. The college is also proud to be partnering with other BRIDGE programs across the university to enhance our students’ experience.

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Being able to travel and meet people from all over, while also getting to present my own research at a round table as an undergraduate student, is something I am so grateful for and will never forget.

—Jordana Benblatt Psychology Major

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SUPPORT FUND This unique opportunity for Arts and Sciences undergraduates matches students with mentors from across the college to engage them in interdisciplinary research. The program launched in 2023 and is supported by the Dean’s Excellence Fund. So far, two cohorts have been successfully matched, giving undergraduates access to valuable research experience.

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CO-OP OPPORTUNITIES FUND Immersive cooperative education is a distinctive hallmark of the Drexel experience. This fund provides financial suppo t to students who find unpaid or underpaid co-op positions with nonprofits or other wo thy organizations, or who wish to complete a co-op abroad to widen their global perspectives. Co-ops directly impact our students’ growth by providing an invaluable experience integral to their future success. Your support recognizes the importance of this handson, real-world experience and empowers students to realize their greatest potential.

QUESTIONS ABOUT GIVING? Contact Alex Coll, Director of Development, at abc359@drexel.edu.

This has been a great opportunity to get experience in research, where it might be more difficult to do so for a co-op position. It has given me the chance to explore how I feel about research and will help me decide if I want to pursue it in the future.

—Student Participant

IF YOU’D LIKE TO GIVE AGAIN You may do so by visiting our website or scanning the QR code below.

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Working with undergrads has been invaluable to my project. Ideas or information I would have taken for granted needs to be explained to them—and that’s a very good thing! Doing so has provided a footpath for how to go about organizing my research and how to make the project accessible. Without this, my project would have lacked the relevance that is so crucial.

—Harriet Millan Professor of English

My co-op has been at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, working under the veterinary team.

The center aims to train dogs for jobs including research, scent detection, search and rescue, and even law enforcement. My job at the center is to monitor the health of the dogs and also help improve the canine fitness program. I have learned so much about working dog training, canine fitness and canine functional anatomy.

Every day at the center is different and exciting with five different training teams and around thirty dogs to be trained at a given time. I have enjoyed my time at Penn Vet Working Dog Center training and providing veterinary care to the dogs who one day will graduate and serve the community.

—Natalie Richards, Biological Sciences Major

drexel.edu/coas