Philadelphia Inquirer: “Joining a trend among universities across the country, Drexel University will develop a residential complex for its more than 1,500 Pennoni Honors College students, paying for part of the cost through a new $5 million donation, the school has announced … The money also will go toward a 10,800-square-foot, two-story glass and stone extension onto the building that will house three seminar rooms, study and social lounges, and honors college offices … So-called honors colleges, which have more stringent admission and academic requirements for students, have been proliferating around the country, along with programs to house those students.”
“The gift, which was announced Tuesday and is one of the larger ones the honors programs have received, will make Drexel ‘more appealing for students who might otherwise consider a liberal arts school,’ said Paula Marantz Cohen, dean of the honors college. ‘They can get the best of both worlds: the co-op and the interdisciplinary experience’ … The honors complex will create an ‘intellectual oasis’ where ‘students from all disciplines can gather to discuss ideas, take seminar-style, cross-disciplinary courses, and learn more about opportunities for research, fellowships and mentoring on campus,’ Marantz Cohen was quoted as saying in a news release.”
“Drexel’s Honors College houses five initiatives: the Honors Program, the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry, the Center for Scholar Development and the Center for Marketing and Media. A new Center for Civil Discourse is also in the works and aims to bring together students, activists, and experts in analyzing today’s political climate.”
