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Ideas>at work

thedornsife center

DREXEL UNIVERSITY

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mantua

powelton village

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“When Drexel first approached us with the idea for anurban extension center, we thought it was a wonderfulopportunity. We are proud to support a place where thecommunity can partner with the University and haveownership in the work and in building their own future.” Dana ‘83 and David Dornsife

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making the practical possibleDrexel has always had an affinity for the practical. Anthony Drexel’s founding vision to help young men and women in an emerging industrial societymake a better life through professional preparation is as relevant today as it ever was. We deliver an excellent education with a practical edge, sending forth students who both think and do.

Now we will partner with the community to make the practical possible. Drexel’s tradition of cooperative education stresses hands-on, tangible experience, and our emphasis on service promotes better citizenship by providing ample opportunities for students to apply theirskills on behalf of others and to address the challenges of everyday life.

Good neighbors. Better neighborhoods.As members of a broader community, universities have an obligation to help improve their neighbor-hoods. By doing what good neighbors do — lending an ear, sharing solutions, offering advice, and givingconcrete assistance — we become partners in creating better spaces in which to live and work.

A perfect marriage of presence and purpose. In 2014, Drexel will open the Dornsife Center for Community Partnerships, on an historic site at 35thand Spring Garden Streets. Seven days a week, residents will have access to expertise from across ourschools, colleges, and centers. They will be able to come together with Drexel students and faculty —community and campus learning from one another — and the synergy sparked by this give and take will build trust and mutual respect.

An ideal site secured by generous donors. Thanks to the generosity of alumni such as Dana Dornsife, class of 1983, and her husband, David, as wellas friends such as Phil Lindy, Drexel is well on its way to realizing its ambitious plans that will improvequality of life for the community as well as the University. But we are far from finished.

Help us raise the $10 million we need to put our ideas to work.

Dana Dornsife ‘83 and David Dornsife help to solve the biggest problemsfacing today's world through their generosity, talent, and time. Dana ‘83 is founder and president of the Lazarex Cancer Foundation, a nonprofitthat provides financial assistance to defray costs associated with patientparticipation in clinical trials. She also serves on the Board of Directorsof Epeius Biotechnologies, Inc. David is chairman of the Herrick Corporation,the largest steel fabricator on the West Coast. The couple are active supporters of World Vision, supporting microeconomic enterprise, agriculture, and literacy programs. The Dornsifes are also supporters of the Alzheimer's Association and are part of the Yosemite Conservancyleadership team.

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the visionBUILDING A LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP ON COMMON GROUND

DREXEL IS HERE TO STAY in West Philadelphia, and like all long-time residents, we are well-served to look beyond our own property to see that the communities around us — Mantua and Powelton Village— are vibrant and strong. No vision for Drexel will succeed without careful attention to the health andwell-being of our neighborhoods.

What strengthens a healthy neighborhood?Affordable Housing. Strong Public Schools. Accessible Healthcare. Good Jobs. Diverse Retail. Artisticand Cultural Activity. Safe Streets.

A Comprehensive, Long-term Commitment.The Dornsife Center is just one part of Drexel’s vision for the community, the defining elements of whichare commitment and collaboration. We are in it for the long term and will work hand in hand with groupsand coalitions on the ground, with the Mayor’s Office, and within city agencies and departments, CityCouncil, and the School District of Philadelphia, partnering to create positive change.

Already, we are planting trees, adding lights, and greening landscapes beyond our campus. To tip thebalance toward home-ownership, Drexel offers qualified staff and faculty forgivable loans to purchaseand renovate single-family dwellings in the area. We’re also forming relationships with local schools —Samuel Powel Elementary and Morton McMichael School — and helping to transform Lancaster Avenueinto a thriving retail and commercial corridor.

And that is simply the beginning.The Dornsife Center is the cornerstone of Drexel’s vision for the community; it focuses our best features— experiential learning, research, student and employee volunteerism, and neighborhood investment —on making this a better environment for all. Modeled after the public extension centers that connectcommunities to the knowledge and expertise of the great land-grant universities, the Center will pioneerthe same concept in the urban environment.

“My aspiration for Drexel University is for it to be themost civically engaged university in the United States.”John A. Fry, President, Drexel University, convocation speech

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T H E H I STO R I C BU I L D I N G

A hub for Drexel’s local outreach efforts, theDornsife Center will also provide a physical gatheringspace for the community. In a world where back-fenceconversation has been replaced by Twitter feeds, theCenter’s three buildings and surrounding green spacewill serve as a 21st-century public square.

Ideally situated close to campus where Mantuameets Powelton Village, the site is equally accessibleto Drexel students, faculty, and community residents.

Flexible spaces will accommodate everythingfrom small seminars to large meetings, from socialentrepreneurship to individual learning.

QUICK FACTS: Three properties on 1.3 acres — Three-story historic building

the siteA PHYSICAL SPACE IN A VIRTUAL WORLD.

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T H E S C H O O L

T H E CA R R I AG E H O US E

“I believe that today’s students are more civic-minded — they want to be engaged in the community. Through this project, Drexel has an opportunity toprepare students for the world they will live in. It is also an opportunity for the community to take ownership in building their future. The Dornsife Center is a perfect vehicle for both.” Phil Lindy, the driving force behind Drexel’s Lindy Center for Civic Engagement, secured the Spring Garden Street properties for the University and will be an active participant in the renovation.

carriage house, c.1854, and a 12-classroom schoolhouse — Nearly 30,000 square feet of space — 35th and Spring Garden Streets

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The community itself is the catalyst for change. Through the work of the Dornsife Center, we will create an incubatorfor practice so students can experience, innovate, and receive optimal preparation. But all of this must build from the community’sauthentic knowledge of itself and what it needs.

It is not what we do for the community. It is what we do with it. Each community has valuable assets to contribute. Knowledge, expertise, and tangible skills. They all have a vision. They also understand what challenges and motivates their neighbors. TheCenter is a place where their vision and experience can come togetherwith ours. For we have as much to learn from our communities asthey do from us.

MA N TUA

the communityGOOD NEIGHBORS. BETTER NEIGHBORHOODS.

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L A N CAST E R AV E N U E

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P OW E LTO N V I L L AG E

Conversations about our Master Plan with Drexel make clear that weshare a vision for a stable, clean, safe Powelton Village with greatschools, good homes for faculty and staff, interesting retail and greatpublic spaces that work well for the area, the institution, AND theneighborhood.Powelton Village 2011 Neighborhood Plan

Not one community but many.Our communities are made up of diverse popula-tions, but their similarities are greater than theirdifferences. In every neighborhood, parents wantbright and productive futures for their children. Adults must determine how to retool their skillsfor a new economy. Young adults are weighingpost-high school options or struggling to findtheir first jobs. Entrepreneurs attempt to startsmall businesses. Our job is to make Center programming responsive to a broad cross-sectionof needs.

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engagingEVERY COLLEGE AND SCHOOL

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the programsA PERFECT MARRIAGE

OF PRESENCE AND PURPOSE.

MORNING, NOON, AND NIGHT, across its three buildings, the Dornsife Center will be a hiveof activity, hosting self-sustaining programs forneighborhood adults, senior citizens, children, and youth. Plans call for open spaces and multi-purpose classrooms that can accommodate profes-sional development for teachers, job trainingprograms for residents, and tutorials in roboticsand social media for teens. The possibilities are limited only by Drexel’s expertise and the community’s interests.

Ideas for programs and services have alreadycome from all of Drexel’s schools and centers —and competition for space is keen. We will deter-mine the final offerings in consultation with ourneighborhood partners, and we intend for them to change over time in response to shifting community needs. Likely candidates include:

Healthy Living ProgramsHealth screenings, fitness classes, yoga, and dancetherapy — to name just a few examples — that willpromote and sustain healthy lifestyles.

Community KitchenA hands-on place where residents can learn — and teach — cooking and nutrition, perhaps usingfruits and vegetables grown in the Center’s urbanfarming program.

Law ClinicA free clinic where residents can learn about theirrights and responsibilities as citizens and home-owners and get sound advice on many legal issues.

Design StudioStaffed by Drexel’s student architects, this will bean area where residents can consult on householddesign and structural challenges — from preventingflooding in basements to reconfiguring spaces forelderly parents.

“Academy” WestAn extension of Drexel’s Academy of Natural Sciences that introduces the neighborhood to theAcademy’s treasures by bringing exhibits on thenatural world uptown.

InventoriumFabrication space where engineering students caninvent practical tools that solve real-life problemsfor residents — from wheelchair modifications towater filtration systems.

Learning LibraryA quiet place that combines the productivity ofstudy space with the resources of the library andexplores new ways to support learning throughtechnology.

Computer LabsSpace that will provide digital access in a commu-nity where fewer than half of the residents havecomputers in their own homes.

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Dana ‘83 and David Dornsife’s transformational gift will allow the University to form true and lasting partnerships that will enrich Drexel and sustain ourneighborhoods for generations. The everyday lives of residents will get easier through access to badly needed services. Students will have expandedopportunities to enhance learning and deepen engagement.

All of this — and more — is possible.

Purchasing the property was the first step. But we need your help to make it our own. Our challenge: to preserve the beautiful features of the originalhouse and carriage house, which appear on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, while modernizing all three buildings and making themcompatible with the way people learn today.

the opportunities

Keep it Going

Make it Sm

art

Give it a Name

Build it Out

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HELP US RAISE THE $10 MILLION WE NEED TO:

Build it OutA thorough needs assessment led to a comprehensive renovation plan to ensure the buildings’ safetyand security. Exact specifications are still emerging, but at a minimum, we will replace virtually all electrical and mechanical systems, add amenities and elevators, configure flexible floor plans that canaccommodate a range of uses, and make exterior repairs.

Make it SmartDrexel has always put a premium on smart learning environments, and the Dornsife Center will be noexception. Community spaces are also student classrooms, and both demand the latest technology. Allthree buildings will have the appropriate infrastructure to support interactivity and telecommunications,and we will equip them with the requisite technological tools to support the Center’s functions.

Keep it GoingWhile expenses for Center programs will be borne by the sponsoring college or school — for example,the Earle Mack School of Law will underwrite the Law Clinic — we seek unrestricted funds to cover thefirst five years of the Center’s fixed operating expenses. This support will outfit the Center and give usthe capital we need to launch and run it efficiently in its crucial start-up years.

Give it a NameThe Center will offer a host of naming opportunities designed to match individual interests. Whetheryou have a special affinity for design or dance, healthy lifestyles or mechanical engineering, you can finda program that connects to your passion.

For more than a century, Drexel has served as an excellent steward of philanthropic dollars. Your supporthas enabled us to achieve tremendous growth over the last decade, and, once again, we invite your participation as we pioneer an exciting concept and turn it into a successful program.

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“The possibilities for the site have excited our deans and faculty. Every one of Drexel’s schools and colleges has expressed an interest in participatingin Center programming. We can see labs where the community can bringcomputers that need fixing, or address architectural and environmental problemsin individual homes. We are taking the mission of the cooperative extensionprograms funded by land-grant universities and applying it to an urbancommunity. As a private university, we are breaking new ground.”Dr. Lucy Kerman, Vice Provost, University and Community Partnerships

AS A RESULT OF THIS INITIATIVE, people will live healthier and safer. Working on their own initiative, neighborhoods will experience innovation and growth. Drexel can gain a competitive advantage in recruitment and serve as a national model for how urban universities can share assetswith communities. The students who choose us will leave us better prepared.

Best of all, with your support, we can offer our closest neighbors hope as well as help.

dc:du timeline

[CAN WE DO A TIMELINE??? 24 months total] --- using little buildingicons or somesuch?August 2012 (secure property; plan programs, design space)2013 (renovation, construction)September, 2014 (Center opening)

august 2012 > secure the property

october 2012 > plan programs

december 2012 > design the space

february 2013 > approval process

april 2013 > community review

june 2013 > site stabilization

august 2013 > construction documents

october 2013 > construction

december 2013 > construction

february 2014 > construction

april 2014 > interior finishes

september 2014 > grand opening: now let’s get to work...

the dornsife center