The Triangle

Issue date: 3/12/10 Section: Ed-Op

Our University has been without a permanent president for almost a year since the passing of Constantine "Taki" Papadakis in April 2009. Taki helped to bring the University out of financial distress in the mid-90s with his strategic vision. Enrollment more than doubled, a medical campus was acquired, and most recently a law school was founded. Because of him, we are undoubtedly a "school to watch."

This week a 10-month search culminated in the Board of Directors' unanimous appointment of John A. Fry as Drexel's 14th president. Though he will not be joining the University until August, we are already filled to the brim with excitement. People say first impressions are important, and Fry certainly had an impact on us with his inaugural public appearance on campus.

As a former consultant, he understands it would be "presumptuous" to come in on Day One with specific plans, as he needs time to learn the unique strengths and challenges Drexel faces. However, he already has five broad goals which we whole-heartedly approve.

Build a strong, open community. With our largely commuter-based student population, Drexel students have a relatively weak sense of affiliation with the University. Current students should be thrilled to be a part of the Drexel family, prospectives should catch Drexel fever when they visit campus, and graduates should have lasting fond memories of their time in college. We look forward to seeing what Fry has in store for growing school spirit and developing spaces that encourage more interaction inside the University community - particularly between the trifecta of students, faculty and staff.

One of the biggest things we're looking forward to with Fry is office hours. We've had professors who claimed to have open office hours but failed to show, so a president with them is unexpected and inspiring. Based on Princeton Review rankings, Drexel is known for long lines, red tape and bureaucracy (ranked #8 in the nation). Smaller schools at Drexel, such as the iSchool and Biomed, have good student contact with faculty, advisors and deans, but this accessibility is not as common in the bigger colleges like CoAS and Engineering. We would like to see if Fry's mentality will trickle down to the bigger colleges to make student-administrator contact more prevalent. We also hope his offer does not get marginalized once the incoming president arrives and his schedule begins to fill. Drexel is orders of magnitude larger than Franklin & Marshall, where his office hours have proven effective; we hope there is a way for this concept to scale gracefully for Drexel. We emplore students to help make this work by not abusing the policy, following proper channels and not wasting time with petty gripes and personal issues.

Next on Fry's agenda is to expand Drexel's presence domestically and build an international network. He seemed skeptical of the Sacramento "experiment," but it's good to know that he is willing to take a good hard look at initiatives and determine where they fit in the grand scheme of things. That big picture is globalization - a multinational academic network, which is an idea that has firmly taken root at New York University where Fry completed his graduate degree.

All this serves to develop research pursuits and grow the endowment. Fry believes Drexel can be a top-ranked research institution. Increasing these efforts will not just improve our reputation, but also allow the University to expand commercialization of research products and ultimately grow the endowment. The key to success is connecting people, ideas and resources. We look forward to the injection of Fry's liberal arts background as a catalyst for new approaches in Drexel's research methods.

On top of his positive outlook, Fry's most attractive quality is how he fully represents the "Drexel Experience." The spirit of Drexel is to acquire a multifaceted degree - one that combines classroom education with on-the-job experience. Fry's ascension to the elite rank of university executive followed an M.B.A. and leadership in academic consultation. During the March 10 press conference, Fry joked that one of his biggest fears as a consultant was putting his own suggestions into practice. The entrepreneurial spirit of Drexel is embraced by this comment; rarely can there be success without risk. The Board of Trustees' choice for president demonstrates a strong belief in the "ultimate internship" united with the degrees the University offers. The administration of Drexel University is living by the philosophy it advocates; the students do not live in an academic vacuum. The leaders of tomorrow are out in the real world, applying theory, and returning to the classroom with practical experience. Drexel has underscored the importance of real world experiences by looking past Fry's lack of a Ph.D. - something that is practically required to lead most universities. We anticipate that Fry's future intiatives will further this belief and enhance the duality of our degrees.

This appointment is a befitting end to a time at Drexel where we've been functioning without the guiding hand of a long-term leader. For the second time, C.R. "Chuck" Pennoni held the wheel steady as the Drexel ship sailed on, and now it is time for another great leader to speed us toward new horizons. We look forward to Fry's arrival in August, and to setting a course toward the intersection of academic ideals and business savvy in search of the ultimate treasure - a vital, balanced institution of learning.

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