Drexel University President Antonio Merlo’s First Year as a Dragon

When Drexel University President Antonio Merlo, PhD, met with students, faculty and professional staff during the first months of his presidency, he'd often share how he viewed his job.

He was the new coach of Team Drexel. Together they were going to build a successful, agile team. There were short-term goals and long-term goals to work on. And they were going to win.

"I am a coach, first and foremost," he said. "I want to tell Drexel that it's time to go win championships."

For Merlo, bringing the coach mentality to his academic administrative role is a tried-and-true strategy. He previously served as the dean of New York University's Arts & Science, the university's largest academic unit with more than 20,000 students and 1,600 faculty and staff members. He has even coached collegiate water polo teams while simultaneously teaching and leading large academic units at the University of Pennsylvania, Rice University and New York University. And he's used to looking at things from all angles: as a first-generation college graduate, a former international student still living away from his home country, an experienced faculty member, an accomplished scholar and a senior leader in higher education administration.

Merlo just completed his first season as Drexel's coach, having officially started July 1, 2025. There were a lot of wins, challenges and learned lessons that will inform his approach for the upcoming seasons.

"Everything we do begins with one guiding principle: ensuring our students thrive and succeed," he said in a message to the Drexel community sent on his first day as president.

His commitment to elevating the student experience and doubling down on experiential learning is stronger than ever, one year later, and will continue to guide Team Drexel going forward.

Getting to Know His Team

"The first thing that the coach needs to understand is how to recruit and attract people who want to become members of your team," said Merlo. "And the second thing is making sure that everybody understands their role. To be a winning team, everyone has to understand that if you do your job at your best, then that's the way you contribute to your team."

Even before his official start date at Drexel, he showed up to meetings and events to talk with and hear from his new team. That active and personal participation increased once he officially began his tenure.

He implemented monthly office hours to hear from students, faculty and professional staff members, with the long-term goal of fostering connection and transparency across Drexel's academic community. The sessions usually last about an hour and a half, involve around 30 participants and can cover everything from Merlo's short- and long-term goals for Drexel to his strategies to support student success.

"Office hours have been incredibly rewarding," Merlo said. "They provide a unique and personal opportunity for me to hear directly from my colleagues and the students who make this University run, and for them to hear from me. I am grateful for all those who have taken the time to connect, and I am looking forward to all the conversations to come."

Recurring meetings have also been set up with leaders from Drexel's Undergraduate Student Government Association, Graduate Student Association and Faculty Senate. Merlo also held town halls with departments, academic and administrative units, and colleges and schools toward the beginning of his tenure. More were held this past spring to update students, faculty and professional staff on Drexel's Academic Transformation, the University's comprehensive overhaul of its academic curricular, core competencies and switch from terms to semesters. The ongoing initiative, set to be finalized for the 2027-2028 academic year, places Drexel on a trajectory for future success largely because of the changes that will improve the student experience, which aligns with Merlo's presidential priorities.

All of this frequent and ongoing communication has been key for developing and leading a team through a new style of play.

Throughout the academic year, Merlo settled into Drexel by attending many of the University's annual traditions: Welcome Week in September, to greet incoming students; Family Weekend in October, to meet student families; Celebrating Drexel Authors in November, to recognize editors and writers on campus; Homecoming in January, to cheer on the Dragons (against Penn!) and celebrate Drexel pride; Celebration of Scholarship in April, to pay tribute to donors and the student scholarship recipients; Alumni Weekend in May, to welcome alumni back to campus; and Commencement in June, to send off graduating Dragons.

It's all part of his philosophy to be accessible and build relationships on Team Drexel. And by starting as soon as possible, Merlo has already finished one year listening, learning and moving forward together with the University community.

Earning Some Big Wins

The end of Merlo's first year brought promising news about the next one: he announced in June that the University saw a 16% rise in incoming students who indicated they will attend Drexel in the fall. They will be among the first to benefit from Academic Transformation and Merlo's vision for supporting students.

Around that same time, he also announced the largest gift in University history: $112.6 million from The Howley Foundation, a nonprofit philanthropic organization led by alumnus and trustee W. Nicholas "Nick" Howley '75, his wife Lorie and their daughter Meg Howley '10.

"Their gift is a bold vote of confidence for Drexel's future and catalyst for what comes next," Merlo said in a June message.

Through this support, Drexel established the Nick Howley College of Engineering and Computing, and will expand educational opportunities and develop state-of-the-art facilities for classroom, laboratory and collaborative learning spaces. This landmark gift will enable the first large-scale project started under his presidency, and one that directly relates to student success and experiential learning.

With the new college comes unique and innovative ways to connect Dragons and disciplines for faculty, professional staff and, most of all, undergraduate and graduate students. Its leader will be Eunice E. Santos, PhD, one of Merlo's first prominent hires. Santos will start in August as the inaugural dean and inaugural Thomas E. and Christine D. Berk Endowed Professor and Distinguished University Professor of Computer Science. She will lead the University's largest academic unit that has combined three of Drexel's schools, as planned through Academic Transformation: the School of Computer and Information Sciences, School of Engineering and School of Biomedical Engineering and Science.

Another prominent hire was Laura Turner, senior vice president for Institutional Advancement, who began at Drexel in September. She previously worked with Merlo as the associate dean of Development at New York University's Arts & Science, where she oversaw its most successful fundraising year in its history in 2024. Since coming to Drexel, Turner has led fundraising efforts to support educational and research needs for students while advancing Merlo's mission during a year that also saw Drexel's largest-ever donation.

Guiding Drexel Through Changes

Merlo's first months were also spent familiarizing himself with Drexel's internal and external challenges and opportunities. He has continued to guide the University through this phase of Academic Transformation, financial resilience and other institutional priorities.

Though Academic Transformation was enacted before Merlo's start date, he has wholeheartedly embraced the opportunity to reinvigorate academic, co-op and experiential learning opportunities for students. In fact, this forward-looking approach was something that drew him to Drexel initially; in addition to calling himself a coach, he also identifies as an "academic entrepreneur" who loves thinking outside of the box for all things higher education.

"We want to be a model university for the future, for where higher education is going. And Drexel was willing to do all the hard work, look under the hood and ask what could be done to really put us in a much better position," he said. "The thing that makes me the most excited is that this is an unbelievable opportunity for Drexel. It's really a time where, in some sense, the world is catching up with Drexel. A lot of universities now are realizing that the world around us is looking at higher education and asking what can be done for students."

Bringing the Team Together

Merlo was officially inaugurated as the University's 16^th president in April. At a formal investiture ceremony, Merlo spoke about his goals and priorities for Drexel that have been informed by his own personal history, the University's 135-year legacy and this current moment for higher education in America. He shared his formula for Drexel's future success that involves all Dragons fostering practical skills and applicable education, research opportunities and civic and community engagement.

"We will focus on providing for our students an education and an experience unmatched at any other university. I believe this comes best through passion and purpose. We want to bring excitement and engagement to the classroom while promoting research that makes the world a better place. We want to bring meaning to our students' studies, to their experiences, and so to their lives," he said at the event.

Inauguration was his biggest opportunity yet to speak to Dragons, and he met with the University community at various events throughout Inauguration Week to celebrate Drexel and its accomplishments. For example, he hosted a fireside chat to discuss the current state of higher education and participated in a Q&A session at a reception for student leaders.

A few months later, Dragons reconvened for another big first for Merlo: his inaugural commencement season. Merlo attended and spoke at several college and school ceremonies as well as the traditional University-wide Commencement held at Citizens Bank Park. Like at Inauguration, he used the big moment to highlight the bright futures of the University and, of course, its new alumni.

"We are dedicated to preparing students not just for your first job, but for your culminating last job as well. What has defined us from the beginning and makes us so very different than most other universities is that first and foremost, we are committed to an education accessible and available to anyone willing to work hard for it," he said at the University-wide ceremony.

Looking Ahead to The Next Seasons

With Academic Transformation finalized and officially enacted in August 2027, the next seasons for Merlo and Drexel are key. Plans are in place for the finalization of courses, semester calendar, processes, programs, systems and official launches of academic units.

"The one critical thing that is going to be really leveraging all this hard work with Academic Transformation is what I see as laying the foundation for the bright future that Drexel has ahead. Now that we have that foundation, we can build this new Drexel that is going to be the model institution for the next century," he said.

Some things won't be changing, however. He'll still meet with Dragons as much as possible and will always be supporting and leading Team Drexel.