Drexel University

01/23/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/23/2025 13:54

Q&A: Academic Transformation Updates from Fall 2024

Q&A: Academic Transformation Updates from Fall 2024

Executive Vice President and Nina Henderson Provost Paul E. Jensen, PhD, shared progress made and a preview of what lies ahead for Dragons going forward.
January 23, 2025

Plans for Drexel University's Academic Transformation date back to 2022, but significant progress was made over the course of last term that has moved the University forward.

The Academic Transformation involves:

  • Restructuring schools and colleges into integrated, forward-looking pillars of expertise
  • Transitioning to a semester calendar
  • Defining and implementing core competencies and supporting pedagogical innovation, and redesigning curricula to improve the quality of our programs and enhance student learning and outcomes
  • Developing greater consistency in practices and policies across academic units to support efficiency, flexibility and collaboration.

More information about the process can be found in these explanatory FAQS published by the Office of the Provost.

"When I think about this Academic Transformation in its totality, it truly is a generational transformation," said Executive Vice President and Nina Henderson Provost Paul E. Jensen, PhD, who is leading and co-sponsor of the Academic Transformation along with co-Sponsor and Faculty Senate Chair Kevin Owens, PhD, associate professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences; the Transformation Steering Team and several working groups, which were announced last term.

In this Q&A, Jensen provided a broader look at what has recently happened with the Academic Transformation. He also shared what he's learned during this process and cleared up some common misconceptions encountered along the way.

Q: What happened this past fall term?

A: In mid-September, Interim President Denis O'Brien and I shared the intent to implement the recommendations of the University Advisory Committee, or UAC, to move forward with the Academic Transformation. We also formally sent a request to Faculty Senate to review the recommendations, which they voted on in early October.

The Senate approved the majority of the recommendations. There were two areas where Senate requested more work to be done on the structure of some academic units, so we've had dialogue with those academic units over the course of the fall and received a lot of valuable input that has helped shape our design process.

In October, we started soliciting faculty and professional staff volunteers to form working groups to lead and design Drexel's Academic Transformation, and in November, we worked with Faculty Senate to develop and staff this slate of working groups. In mid-December, we announced an initial set of working groups. The design phase will continue through June 2025. This was all important groundwork to lay a strong foundation for us to hit the ground running this term.

Q: This Academic Transformation process dates to 2022 with the creation of the UAC. What has it been like being Drexel's chief academic officer during the ideation, creation and implementation of the Academic Transformation?

A: In this order: exciting, challenging and rewarding. The first time I read the UAC recommendations, I was excited because it was a bold vision for the University that I embraced. But it's a lot of change, and change can be challenging. Working through some of those challenges in the fall has been, at some points, hard work, but it's been valuable to build a strong foundation for the work we are undertaking with Academic Transformation.

I also feel incredibly lucky to be leading what is, I think, the largest project I've ever seen at this University, at least in my time here. It has been rewarding to see teams come together to take on this important work. Often these are faculty and professional staff from across the University who have worked here for years but maybe never worked together, and now they are coming together to do transformational work. In some cases, this has been a great leadership development opportunity for them.

Q: What have you learned during this process?

A: It is critically important to engage with people. When I came into this office five years ago, I started holding town halls right away because I knew talking and connecting with people is so important. It's important to get input from faculty and professional staff and hear their concerns and keep an open dialogue. What we heard over the fall helped shape our design and implementation plans going forward and underscored the value of continuing to involve a variety of voices in defining Drexel's bright future. When you are proposing change on this scale, you can never overcommunicate. And when you think you've communicated enough, you haven't.

I think the other thing that was reinforced is the importance of taking the time to build buy-in. Sometimes there's a tendency to want to get things done quickly, but it's critical to invest the time to make sure everybody is on board.

Q: You joined Drexel's economics department in 1997 during another period of major change and challenges. How has your experience as a Drexel faculty member during that time influenced the leadership decisions you're making today during this transformation?

A: Drexel really went through challenging times in the early '90s, and I wasn't here for that or for the first couple of years under President Constantine Papadakis, but I was certainly a part of the first wave of faculty expansion for the University during his presidency. It was an incredible time. When I look back on that era, what I think about is the importance of vision. President Papadakis had vision, as did President John Fry, who was president afterwards. The importance of a shared vision was impressed upon me as a crucial step when undertaking a major project. I also learned not to be afraid of being bold, because there are benefits to bold moves. I think as leaders they both demonstrated that, and they were both successful in their own ways. The UAC's recommendations were bold and visionary.

Q: The Academic Transformation process started before President Fry departed Drexel, and Interim President O'Brien has signified his commitment to moving forward on the Academic Transformation. Meanwhile, you've been involved in this process for years - and so has the Board of Trustees. Can you talk about the continuity in leadership during this process? What would you say to concerns that a new president could impact the planned timeline and/or implemented changes?

A: At the last Board of Trustees meeting in December, the critical role that the board plays in this in terms of continuity was reinforced. The support of our trustees, the trustees on the Academic Affairs Committee, and our partnership with Nina Henderson '72, have been instrumental and invaluable for Drexel to move forward with the Academic Transformation.

Not only are they very supportive of the Academic Transformation plan, but they also made clear that it remains a key priority for them. That gives me a high degree of confidence that this work is going to continue over the next three years and beyond. A president will have plenty of opportunities to leave their mark and make their own contributions to the University's direction.

Executive Vice President and Nina Henderson Provost Paul E. Jensen, PhD.

Q: How have and/or will Drexel's financial challenges impact the Academic Transformation process? How are they separate?

A: These are not unrelated, but separate. The Academic Transformation did not start with financial goals; it started with academic goals. How do we make Drexel a better University? That was the charge to the UAC.

The Academic Transformation is not intended to address short-term financial needs, but it is essential for long-term financial success. If you boil it down, there are multiple goals for the Academic Transformation, but primarily it's about attracting more students and, once they're here, serving them better. If you do those things, then the University will be in a better financial situation in the long term.

Now, where they are related to some degree is that as you look at the financial situation of universities across the country, then there's a clear need for universities to evolve. People have acknowledged that universities must change, and that has helped build momentum for what we are undertaking with Academic Transformation. While it's human nature to embrace the status quo, we do need to rethink how we do things. Sometimes it takes an exogenous shock to make you embrace change.

Q: What changes are students and faculty likely to see first? Why are those changes being made?

A: We're looking at better aligning policies and practices, which will happen over the next year or two. Teams of faculty and staff have started to design the academic unit integrations. Students could see the structure starting to change beginning next academic year, but it will not affect their degrees. They're still going to graduate on time, and they won't notice a difference in their classes or their academic program in a negative way.

Calendar and curricular change are on a fixed timeline. When you change calendars, there's a point in time where we become a semester school. That will occur in August of 2027, and Drexel will launch the fall term like any other semester school. The new curriculum will also roll out in full. Development of the new curriculum could influence programs a bit in the next couple of years, but the full rollout can't really be completed until we become a semester institution.

Q: How is Drexel's Academic Transformation process being communicated to and received by prospective students and families this admissions cycle?

A: We have spoken with other schools that have done calendar changes, and one of the things they have relayed is that communication is critically important. We are talking about the 2027 switch to semesters to students that we're recruiting now. It's important to communicate the benefits of being a semester school, the benefits of this transformation in its totality and the opportunity to come to an institution that will have just reexamined all its courses and all its programs. We just need to make sure that students understand that there's going to be a transition that won't interrupt their studies or their graduation.

Q: What are some challenges or misconceptions you're hearing when you talk to faculty, professional staff, students, prospective students and parents?

A: The biggest one is the assumption that we're no longer doing six-month co-ops. For whatever reason, there was a belief that semesters and six-month co-op are incompatible. It's not true.

The other misconception I've heard from some of our faculty is that Academic Transformation is an effort to get rid of faculty. Not at all. Faculty remain critical to the success of our students and supporting the transitions that will occur because of Academic Transformation.

Q: What is expected for winter term?

A: In January, these working groups begin to ramp up their work. It's a six-month design phase from January to June, so we're going to see a lot of progress.

Q: Anything else you'd like to add?

A: I think the number one message to our community is just recognizing that this is truly a generational opportunity for the university. What I've been saying to people is that it's a little bit like what we experienced during the pandemic, when you would have thought it impossible for us to move all our courses online in three weeks. I think you would normally say it would be impossible for us to rebuild every academic program. When you decide to switch calendars, you're creating that opportunity. It's truly a system change, but we're thinking about how we're organized, thinking about policies and practices, and rebuilding every academic program from the ground up. That is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.It's leveraging the things that differentiate us - experiential learning, innovation, discovery - and enabling us to define what I would describe as an experiential, solutions-focused research university of the future. We've always had this pragmatic approach to education and research, and we're naturally drawn to solving societal problems. In many ways, this transformation is doubling down on the things that distinguish Drexel. In the end, the transformation plan is very forward-looking. It's what a research university like Drexel needs to become, but at the same time, it's very true to our roots, and I think that's critical.

We don't want people to feel like we're somehow trying to reinvent ourselves into something we've never been. We are just becoming a better version of who we've always been.

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