Drexel Celebrates Civic Partnership Milestones: Release of “Our Shared Community” Report

Posted by Drexel University on October 29, 2024

Drexel University’s Office of University and Community Partnerships is proud to announce the release of  Our Shared Community, a digital report cataloging over a decade of building mutual partnerships through civic engagement in West Philadelphia and beyond.

The report’s release coincides with the 10th anniversary year of the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships, a centerpiece of Drexel’s community engagement, and communicates for the first time the array of initiatives led by Drexel’s faculty, professional staff, students and alumni over the past 10–15 years to foster positive social, economic and educational outcomes in the broader community.

In all of these initiatives, Drexel has worked alongside West Philadelphia residents and a wide range of civic and nonprofit partners to address critical challenges such as health equity, climate resilience, education access, the digital divide, workforce development and community safety. Through Drexel’s special brand of experiential education, these initiatives have also connected students to valuable roles in socially meaningful research, impactful practices and true community partnership.

This report organizes these initiatives into six core themes underlying Drexel’s approach to community engagement:

• Learning: Collaborations with public schools to improve instruction and learning, provide “near peer” mentorships, and deepen classroom teaching opportunities for Drexel students.
• Thriving: Health and wellness initiatives run by students across the University, and particularly in the health sciences disciplines, to support all aspects of community health.
• Inquiry: Research partnerships with community members to address local challenges, from climate change to social justice.
• Connection: Building cultural and social ties through arts, athletics and creative programming.
• Work: Workforce and economic development initiatives, including legal, technical, digital and employment support.
• Change: Efforts to create a cradle-to-career pipeline rich with opportunity for the residents of West Philadelphia.

This work underscores the importance of respectful and reciprocal relationships between the University and community organizations. Drexel is deeply grateful to West Philadelphia residents and its civic and nonprofit partners for their collaboration and commitment over the past 15 years.

Our Shared Community is available online.

For more information about the report and to learn how to get involved, please visit Drexel’s Office of University and Community Partnerships here.