Drexel University's Recent Academic Activity: Sponsored Opportunities and New Partnerships

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Campus & Community

Drexel University's Recent Academic Activity: Sponsored Opportunities and New Partnerships

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• Drexel Transfer Student Association Helps Foster Community

Last term, Drexel University's colleges, schools and departments received funding, created partnerships and otherwise contributed to the success of Drexel's academic enterprise. This update offers a snapshot of activity, courtesy of the Office of the Provost.

Sponsored Opportunities

The Environmental Collaboratory has been selected as one of 10 inaugural grantees of the Powering Economic Opportunity Fund, a new initiative by the GitLab Foundation. As part of this competitive cohort, The Environmental Collaboratory will receive funding to formalize and expand its partnerships with universities, workforce organizations and private-sector stakeholders, strengthening workforce development programs in the energy and climate transition sectors. This fund, co-convened with the Families & Workers Fund, invests in projects that propel low-wage workers into high-growth sectors like renewable energy and advanced manufacturing. The inaugural grants total $4 million and are designed to lift learners, underserved adults and veterans across the United States.

The Environmental Collaboratory will lead the independent pilot evaluation of The Clean Curb Program Pilot, an initiative developed by the West Philadelphia Corridor Collaborative. This pilot is a six-month initiative designed to help small businesses in Philadelphia address waste disposal challenges by using Trashmitter, an on-demand app that connects businesses with licensed waste haulers for timely and verified collection. The pilot aims to reduce illegal dumping, improve street-level cleanliness and strengthen compliance with city sanitation requirements. The Environmental Collaboratory's evaluation will include collecting and analyzing data on waste volumes, business satisfaction, community impacts and changes in illegal dumping trends. The assessment will work to inform long-term policy recommendations and scalable waste management strategies

The College of Nursing and Health Professions received $1 million from the Bedford Falls Foundation - DAF to create the Joanne and William Conway Nursing Scholarship to improve access to a high-quality nursing education and address the critical nursing workforce shortage. The Bedford Falls Foundation - DAF, a donor-advised fund associated with the foundation, has committed this gift to fund scholarships for students in Drexel's bachelor of science in nursing and accelerated bachelor of science in nursing degree programs. The scholarship fund is named in honor of the foundation's founders.

The School of Education is expanding its Philadelphia Teacher Residency program through a $600,000 multi-year grant from the William Penn Foundation. The grant will allow Drexel to train and certify 25 new teachers for careers in Philadelphia schools.

TheAtwater Kent Collection at Drexel received $25,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities in support of community exhibits for the nation's 250th anniversary.

The Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel is completing a two-year National Archives grant project digitizing a large group of archival material, the Local History Collection, making it available online.

Awards, Honors and Recognitions

Daria Waite, research associate in the Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice in the Dana and David Dornsife School of Public Health, was awarded a Stoneleigh Emerging Leader Fellowship for her project aimed at enhancing the understanding of the needs of survivors of violence and their access to services through 2027. Waite aims to foster broader utilization of hospital-based violence intervention program services.

Partnerships and Projects

The College of Nursing and Health Professions is now offering two experiential learning opportunities for students in the Accelerated Career Entry (ACE) BSN program. The most recent addition features a collaboration with DaVita - a nationally recognized leader in kidney care and clinical innovation - in which students will participate in an immersion in nephrology nursing, a 40-hour hands-on experience designed to deepen clinical competencies and expand career pathways. The other experience involves immersion in perioperative nursing in collaboration with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. This 40-hour, hands-on experience has led many ACE students into careers in perioperative nursing after graduation.

The College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Global Studies and Modern Languages hosted an immersive Chinese language summer program for 25 high school students in partnership with STARTALK, a federal grant program managed and funded by the National Security Agency.

The College of Arts and Sciences' English Language Center hosted 12 students and two faculty members from Ulster University in Northern Ireland in a four-week cultural immersion program this summer to explore topics of U.S. sociopolitical culture.

Libraries, Collections & Archives and guest faculty curators are implementing a new Library Exhibit Initiative, with a rotating display at W.W. Hagerty Library featuring courses that have engaged with Drexel collections. The pilot, The Philadelphia Challenge (May 30-Nov. 30), is a collaboration with Eric Zillmer, PsyD, Carl R. Pacifico Professor of Neuropsychology, College of Arts and Sciences, and students, featuring "General Psychology" (PSY 101) students' responses to artifacts in the Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel and a curated map showing Philadelphia places that bring joy.

The Bennett S. LeBow College of Business' Center for Corporate and Executive Education secured a major contract with Comcast for an MBA in artificial intelligence. This part-time MBA program, which will have 35 Comcast senior leaders participating, launched on Sept. 15.

The Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship's Rising Starters Summer Camp welcomed 40 high school students to campus for two one-week programs. In partnership with the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, 20 students from beyond the Philadelphia region, including Oregon, Ontario and Puerto Rico, took part in a fashion entrepreneurship camp. Participants explored business models, revenue streams, and sustainable fashion, with program highlights including design workshops led by local designers and a tour of The Ecology of Fashion exhibit at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

The Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship's annual Rising Starters Summer Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, held in partnership with Philadelphia Financial Scholars, welcomed 20 high school students. Throughout the week, students explored social entrepreneurship and tackled global challenges through innovative problem-solving. Highlights included developing creativity and innovation skills, learning about AI and influencer strategies, and cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset. Students also connected with local business leaders to hear their entrepreneurial journeys. The program concluded with team pitch presentations, an awards ceremony and a closing reception.

Annette Gadegbeku, MD, associate professor of family, community and preventive medicine, and senior associate dean of community health and inclusive excellence in the College of Medicine, collaborated with local health and community leaders in Chester, Pennsylvania, to hold the Together for Chester Healthcare Resource Fair on June 28 at Chester City Hall and the Chester Charter Schools Academy. The event was held in response to the closing of Crozer Health, which left thousands of area residents without access to reliable medical care. More than 20 volunteers, including Drexel faculty and several College of Medicine students, provided attendees with blood pressure screenings, health assessments, prescription refills, new provider referrals and assistance accessing medical records.

Atwater Kent Collection Faculty Staff Students Undergraduate Students Graduate Students College of Nursing and Health Professions School of Education Dornsife School of Public Health College of Arts and Sciences Bennett S. LeBow College of Business Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design College of Medicine The Environmental Collaboratory English Language Center Libraries, Collections & Archives Provost Office

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