A decade ago, we celebrated the grand opening of the Dana and David Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships. Nestled in the heart of the Mantua neighborhood, the Dornsife Center has been a beacon of collaboration, offering a central hub for the University’s outreach activities developed for and with the community — from wellness offerings and legal services to art collaborations, technology workshops and more. For Drexel, the Dornsife Center’s opening marked an important milestone in Drexel’s journey of civic engagement.

Today, within the Office of University and Community Partnerships, we continue to build on the Dornsife Center’s legacy. We integrate community-based learning for our students through the Lindy Center for Civic Engagement and support community-engaged research opportunities for our faculty through the ExCITe Center.

I often refer to the Dornsife, Lindy and ExCITe centers as the three “front doors” for Dragons to engage with the Philadelphia community. Of course, there are many other pathways to connect, especially through unique partnerships built by Drexel’s various schools, such as the School of Education, College of Medicine and Thomas R. Kline School of Law. Through diverse and innovative avenues of engagement, we strive to make meaningful progress on society’s most pressing issues.

This digital report celebrates Drexel’s accomplishments as an anchor institution throughout the years. We are proud of our commitment to bolstering public education through our work with the School District of Philadelphia, including securing funding from external partners for the development of a new facility for two neighborhood schools. We’ve spearheaded and supported projects that improve housing accessibility, job training, adult education and family health. And, year after year, our undergraduate and graduate students have raised the bar in making a difference. It is truly inspiring.

Take, for instance, the collaboration between Drexel Digital Navigators and the student organization TechServ. University students and staff are helping to close the digital divide by providing free-of-charge technical support, digital skills training and refurbished computers for those in need. Our students have tested soil for contaminants in vacant lots across West Philadelphia; they’ve advocated for neighbors who lack access to running water; they’ve connected side-by-side with veterans to ease the civilian-military gap; they’ve created recipes to prevent food waste; and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, they used their creativity and ambition to step up in novel ways, undoubtedly impacting — and potentially saving — the lives of many. And this barely scratches the surface of what I know is to come.

Civic engagement is experiential learning, and experiential learning is Drexel’s cornerstone. It is our thoughtful combination of expertise, interest and leadership that has enabled the University to become one of only 16 private institutions in the nation to receive two prestigious Carnegie Classifications, recognizing both top-tier community engagement efforts and high research activity. While it is meaningful to attain this designation alongside highly regarded peers, I believe it’s even more important that Drexel maintains this designation as a higher education anchor institution in Philadelphia. We can and will build an extraordinary future for this region, and it is my hope that we continue to foster a culture of civic engagement and responsibility that enriches the entire Drexel community.

A special thank you, first and foremost, to our incredible West Philadelphia neighbors, who make coming to work each day in this vibrant city a true joy and honor. My deepest gratitude also extends to Drexel’s thoughtful donors, supporters and partners, and to the entire community of students, faculty and staff, whose dedication and commitment are boundless. In this moment of leadership transition, I offer heartfelt appreciation to Drexel’s president of 14 years, John Fry, whose exceptional commitment to civic engagement has truly transformed Drexel. All of us at the Office of University and Community Partnerships are eternally grateful.

I look forward to all the ways this report inspires new ideas, advances and partnerships in and with the community. We will continue learning, thriving, inquiring, connecting, working and changing together.  

With heartfelt appreciation and hopefulness,

Youngmoo Kim