Heard Around Campus — October 2026

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Campus & Community

Heard Around Campus - October 2026

• Campus Construction and Renewal Update: Fall 2026
• International Graduate Student Leadership on Resources and Life at Drexel University
• Drexel Launches ALLIED Hub to Address the Nation's Literacy Crisis
• Stay Connected. Stay Safe.

In the next few weeks, there are important deadlines for Drexel's annual enterprise learning and conflict of interest disclosure and Open Enrollment period, as well as events like vaccine clinics, Election Day and Employee Engagement Sessions. There's a lot to keep track of! Here's what was heard around campus this month:

Due Nov. 2: Annual Enterprise Learning and Conflict of Interest Disclosure

The required online enterprise learning courses that all faculty and professional staff must complete by Nov. 2 are:  

• Protection of Minors and Reporting Child Abuse 

• Drexel University Information Security Compliance 

• Understanding Title IX 

• CR-1 Policy on Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation 

• A Safe Campus Community: Personal Safety for Faculty, Professional Staff and Students 

All the required courses are available for completion in Your Transcript in Career Pathway. Please ensure you have permanently allowed pop-ups and redirects for Career Pathway using these instructions. 

In addition, all faculty and professional staff must complete the Annual Conflict of Interest and Commitment Disclosure by Nov. 2. (View the Conflict of Interest and Code of Conduct policies on the University Policy Directory.) To access the Annual Conflict of Interest and Commitment report, log in to DrexelOne (not Career Pathway), navigate to the Employee tab, and select Conflict of Interest Disclosure under the Compliance and Privacy Programs channel.   

Election Day Is Nov. 3: Make a Plan to Vote!

Drexel encourages all eligible voters in the University community to register and participate in every election. The 2026 general election is coming up on Nov. 3. It is a midterm election year, meaning all U.S. House of Representatives seats and certain U.S. Senate seats are on the ballot. In Pennsylvania, all state House seats are up for election, along with select state Senate seats and the governorship. Key dates and deadlines for voting in person or by mail in Pennsylvania are provided on the Drexel Votes webpage. Information for all U.S. states can be found at vote.org.

As a reminder, there are no classes on Election Day, but the University's administrative offices will remain open.

Policy Compliance: Annual Reviews Due Dec. 18; Newly Approved Policies

Sponsoring Units are asked to complete their annual review of University policies and internal departmental directives by Dec. 18. New this year: Please be sure to check each policy for broken links. Any substantive changes that need to be made to Official University Policies must follow the Policy Review Process. Non-material changes can be submitted via the Intake Form for Non-Material Changes.

The following new policies were recently approved:

• PS-04: Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act Policy
• UMAC-08: Digital Accessibility Policy

Visit the Policy Directory for a full list of Official University Policies. Contact [email protected] with any questions.

Review Drexel's New Clery Policy

Drexel's new Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act Policy, PS-04 ("Clery Policy") establishes University-wide rules and responsibilities for compliance with the federal Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act and affirms Drexel's commitment to accurate, timely and transparent campus safety information. The Clery Policy applies to all members of the Drexel community, including faculty, professional staff, students, individuals designated as Campus Security Authorities (as defined in the policy), and University departments with specified Clery compliance responsibilities. You are encouraged to review the Policy and become familiar with the Clery resources available through the Department of Public Safety, including the 2026 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, which was published earlier this month.

You're Invited: Fall Employee Engagement Sessions

All professional staff members are welcome to register and attend any of the upcoming function-focused Employee Engagement Sessions, regardless of your college, unit or functional area. These meetings are intended to foster two-way communication, strengthen relationships, and encourage collaboration across the University. You can view all coming events on the Employee Engagement Sessions webpage. Please register in advance via Career Pathway for any sessions you plan to attend.

• Human Resources - Employee Engagement Session 2: Nov. 5, 1-3 p.m., MacAlister Hall, 6th Floor, Sky View
• Student Affairs and Campus Life - Employee Engagement Session 2: Nov. 10, 12-2 p.m., Gerri C. LeBow Hall, 2nd Floor, Room 220
• Institutional Advancement - Employee Engagement Session 2: Nov. 12, 10 a.m. to noon, MacAlister Hall, 6th Floor, Sky View
• Facilities and Operations Employee Engagement Session 2: Nov. 18, 10 a.m. to noon, Gerri C. LeBow Hall, Room 22

2027 Open Enrollment Is Here! Take Action by Nov. 11

Drexel's open enrollment period for 2027 runs from Oct. 21 through Nov. 11, 2026. Be sure to log in to the My Drexel Benefits portal during the open enrollment window, verify that your information is correct, and make the necessary updates to ensure your benefits are accurate for 2027. For complete details on what's new for 2027 and how to enroll, visit the Open Enrollment webpage. In addition, HR is hosting open enrollment benefit fairs and vaccine clinics on the University City and Elkins Park campuses, Oct. 27 and 29, respectively.

• University City: Oct. 27
  • Behrakis Grand Hall, Creese Student Center, 3210 Chestnut St.
  • Benefit Fair: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Flu Vaccine Clinic: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Register for vaccines at Behrakis Hall (required)

• Elkins Park: Oct. 29
  • Location: Hafter Student Community Center
  • Benefit Fair & Flu Vaccine Clinic: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Register for vaccines at Hafter Hall (required)

You can learn more about your Drexel benefits and about Medicare health plans at the following upcoming lunch-and-learn virtual workshops. As a bonus, you will earn 15 wellness incentive points ($15) for each event you attend. Register in Career Pathway.

• Oct. 28, noon: Medicare Basics: What You Need to Know
• Nov. 4, noon: Navigating the Wellness Incentive Program
• Nov. 11, noon: Employee Orientation to EAP: Life and Work Services

Log Wellness Activities by Nov. 30 to Earn Your Full $400?

The deadline for eligible employees and their spouse/partner to earn $400 for employees and an additional $650 for spouses is fast approaching. The Wellness Incentive Program ends on Nov. 30. All eligible employees and their partners looking to earn money while enhancing their wellbeing must complete their annual (2026) Personal Health Profiles before Nov. 30 to be paid out any points earned throughout this year. Still not sure how to get started? Visit the Wellness Incentive Program webpage for complete details, or contact Health Advocate at 1.866.799.2728 for assistance today.

Complete the Performance Development Process by Nov. 12

The annual performance development process for professional staff will conclude on Nov. 12, when all electronic signatures by eligible employees and their managers are due. All eligible professional staff members and their managers should have received an email containing directions for accessing and completing the process. Visit the Performance Development website for complete information on the performance development process, including a timeline and access instructions, examples, courses, and tools.

Note: Professional staff members who were hired on or after May 1, 2026, will still be in, or have just completed, their introductory period. For those individuals, the introductory review will count as their performance review for 2026.

Feedback Is a Gift

We need feedback to learn and grow. If we've done something well, specific feedback helps us keep doing that and improve upon it. If a situation doesn't go well, we need specific feedback to help us make changes for the better.

However, many people are hesitant or - let's face it - hate giving and receiving feedback. Why is that? One reason is that we often think about feedback only in terms of critical feedback, which has a connotation of hurt feelings, discouragement, or worse - an attack. Another reason is that we may not know how to offer or receive feedback clearly, kindly, and productively.

What if we genuinely looked at feedback as a gift - something given with the best intentions and the hope it can be used in the future? Try this: The next time you offer any form of feedback, be sure that it's specific and you're offering it as a gift to the recipient. Alternately, the next time you receive feedback, say "thank you" and give yourself time to decide what to do with it, just like a gift.

To find a treasure trove of online courses on giving and receiving feedback, access HR's Online Course Catalogue and type "feedback" in the search bar at the top of the screen. Also, for a great tutorial on giving and receiving feedback from Adam Grant, visit Career Pathway and view the featured video on the home page.

Heard Around Campus Faculty Staff