History News

- March 16, 2026
  Rare early colonial-era documents and artifacts brought together for the first time reveal Pennsylvania’s founding as a blueprint for American civic life
- October 30, 2025
  A unique partnership between 91��Ƭ�� and the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts enabled two students to pick up a variety of skills and experiences.
- November 06, 2024
  See how Dragons left their touch on the exhibition — and what objects came from Drexel alumni and even the University itself.
- June 20, 2024
  This summer, the Atwater Kent Collection (AKC) at 91��Ƭ�� invites the public to experience the exhibition Philadelphia Revealed: Unpacking the Attic, an interactive display of over 600 authentic objects, telling the story of Philadelphia’s city history collection.
- October 12, 2023
  
  As the oldest natural history museum in North America, the Academy of Natural Sciences of 91��Ƭ�� has a long and varied history. And even with the many well-known figures, works and stories found in its phenomenal Library and Archives, there are more that need to be researched, uncovered and revealed to help shape a brighter, more equitable future.
- August 02, 2023
  
  Before coming to Drexel, history major Sophia Stutte resided in the Washington, D.C. area, where their fondness for archives and libraries blossomed through countless visits to the renowned Smithsonian museums. A co-op with the 91��Ƭ�� Archives has allowed them to further explore this passion.
- June 28, 2023
  91��Ƭ�� announced today that it has been awarded an $850,000 grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts that will be used to help make the Atwater Kent Collection more accessible to the public.
- June 23, 2023
  With its inaugural exhibition of the Atwater Kent Collection at 91��Ƭ�� this summer, Seeing Philadelphia, Drexel will offer the public its first in-person glimpse of materials from the Collection since becoming its steward.
- May 15, 2023
  
  Congratulations to the College of Arts and Sciences faculty and students who were honored at the 11th annual Celebrating Drexel Authors event. Hosted by the 91��Ƭ�� Libraries and the Office of the Provost, this event recognized members of the Drexel community who authored or edited books or highly-cited journal articles in 2022.
- May 24, 2022
  An interdisciplinary course developed in partnership with the historic museum highlighted a host of ethical issues that arise in compiling and maintaining medical archives and artifacts.
- January 18, 2022
  From the small class sizes and personal attention from professors to the research opportunities, co-op and flexibility in course selection, studying history at Drexel has been a great experience for Jamie Clifford. Learn how these experiences have prepared Clifford for a future in graduate school and museum curation.
- October 18, 2021
  With extremism on the rise, Drexel history alumna Alina Palimaru ’08 has turned her work to addressing it. The associate research analyst at the RAND Corporation will deliver a virtual talk on the topic on Thursday, November 18. Here she discusses the importance of studying history, her current work, truth decay and her least favorite memory of Drexel, among other things.
- September 29, 2021
  A stunning collection of women’s fashions from the 1920s will be on display from Friday, Nov. 5 – Friday, April 8, as part of Venus & Diana: Fashioning the Jazz Age, presented by 91��Ƭ��’s Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection (FHCC) of the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design.
- September 27, 2021
  Over the spring and summer Teaching Professor of History Lloyd Ackert, PhD, mentored a diverse group of co-op students in research projects centered on three Drexel archives and special collections. Exploring the archives of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Legacy Center and the Schramm Inc. Collection at University Libraries, the twenty-two co-op students investigated their own unique and individualized research projects based on their background, interests and career plans.
- September 09, 2021
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
- August 17, 2021
  The College of Arts and Sciences, recognized by President John Fry as “the heart of the University,” presents CoAS Comes Back! on Tuesday, October 5, from 3 to 7 p.m., in Gateway Garden. All Arts and Sciences students, faculty, staff and alumni are invited to gather, connect in person, and enjoy food, fun and music.
- July 07, 2021
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
- June 17, 2021
  On Wednesday, June 16, the Office of Equality and Diversity and the Center for Black Culture dedicated time to reflect on all that has happened and to think about what yet needs to be done in a panel discussion on the topic of Juneteenth and racial justice. Titled “Looking Back to Move Forward: A Frank Conversation in Commemoration of Juneteenth,” the event was moderated by Patience Ajoff-Foster, PhD, CDP, executive director for diversity and inclusive culture.
- June 14, 2021
  Abioseh Porter, PhD, professor of English, has been appointed to the position of Interim Director of Africana Studies, effective Fall 2021, to lead the planning and implementation of a range of initiatives to increase the visibility of the program both inside and outside the University while developing a Strategic Plan in collaboration with Amelia Hoover Green, PhD, associate dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- June 03, 2021
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
- May 26, 2021
  
  Award-winning Assistant Professor of History Nic John Ramos, PhD, does not easily fit into any one category. Though he teaches in the Department of History, his doctorate is in American Studies and Ethnicity, which he describes as really being at the intersection of Gender Studies and Ethnic Studies. Meanwhile, his research exists at the intersection of race and medicine. And in his classes, students are just as likely to encounter graphic novels and poetry as they are historical documents and books.
- May 04, 2021
  
  On Tuesday, June 8, 2021, the College of Arts and Sciences will celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2021 with a virtual commencement. The ceremony will be live-streamed from Mandell Theater, where a small party of dignitaries and speakers will gather.
- April 19, 2021
  
  Due to COVID-19, Associate Professor of History Debjani Bhattacharyya, PhD, re-envisioned her usually hands-on course Rivers in History, using the advanced technology of ArcGIS.
- December 07, 2020
  Meet the new faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences, and please join us in offering them a warm welcome to our community!
- October 28, 2020
  The mission of the College of Arts and Sciences and the University could not be accomplished without the dedication and support of our faculty members. It is their pursuit of excellence in teaching, research and scholarship that reinforces our position as a modern liberal arts college and enhances our University’s reputation as a world-class research institution.
- September 29, 2020
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
- August 12, 2020
  Earlier this summer, Department of History head and professor Scott Knowles, PhD, discussed COVID-19 with experts from the Academy of Natural Sciences as the pandemic relates to biodiversity, water quality, environmental justice and maintaining museums and their collections.
- July 22, 2020
  In June, 91��Ƭ�� gathered virtually to recognize over 100 accomplished authors and editors in its eighth-annual Celebrating Drexel Authors event. Members of the College of Arts and Sciences featured prominently in the event, including professors, graduate students and alumni from across several departments.
- July 22, 2020
  The College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce that it will appoint an internal candidate to the new role of Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, with an expected start date of September 1, 2020. This new position will report directly to the Dean and become a member of the Dean’s Leadership Team, a group comprising Department Heads, Associate Deans and Directors.
- June 05, 2020
  We are pleased to announce faculty promotions and tenure appointments in the College of Arts and Sciences. Please join us in congratulating the following faculty members!
- June 04, 2020
  Assistant Professor of History Debjani Bhattacharyya, PhD, has had a busy year. After completing a visiting fellowship at Princeton University’s Shelby Cullom Davis Center for Historical Studies over the fall and winter, she received another visiting scholarship: This summer, she’ll be at the Institute of Asia and Africa Studies at the University of Humboldt, Berlin, conducting research for her newest book project.
- May 06, 2020
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
- May 06, 2020
  Joseph Zwillenberg, a 2019 Drexel history alumnus and veteran of the Israel Defense Forces, has joined the fight against COVID-19 as a full-time volunteer.
- May 05, 2020
  Explore the media’s influence on society, the role of the United Nations and the causes and consequences of aging in these new and noteworthy summer courses. While course meeting times are listed for scheduling purposes, courses may consist of a mix of synchronous and asynchronous engagements
- April 03, 2020
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
- March 27, 2020
  Every day, the head of Drexel’s Department of History speaks with experts about news and developments related to COVID-19 — and he wants you to listen in.
- February 26, 2020
  A history and sociology major completed a co-op in the city archives of the Austrian ancestral home of the Drexel family to learn more about the University founder’s father.
- October 22, 2019
  What do Drexel history, MIT research and an electric vehicle startup have in common? They are all topics of recent co-ops completed by students in the College of Arts and Sciences! As the University celebrates 100 years of co-op, learn more about the amazing research and industry experiences of our majors in three recent co-ops.
- October 21, 2019
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
- September 30, 2019
  Convocation, one of Drexel’s most time-honored traditions, also served this year as the kick off for a years-long celebration of the Drexel Co-op program.
- September 24, 2019
  We are thrilled to welcome the following new faculty members to the College of Arts and Sciences community.
- August 15, 2019
  Cultivate your intellectual passions and diversify your skills and with one of these new CoAS programs!
- July 23, 2019
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
- July 05, 2019
  A new spin on an old class enabled Drexel students to research areas of University history that spoke to them, such as women, LGBTQ+ students, working-class students and international students at Drexel.
- June 25, 2019
  We are pleased to announce faculty promotions and tenure appointments in the College of Arts and Sciences. Please join us in congratulating the following faculty members.
- May 21, 2019
  The mission of the College of Arts and Sciences and the University could not be accomplished without the dedication and support of our faculty members. It is their pursuit of excellence in teaching, research and scholarship that reinforces our position as a modern liberal arts college, and enhances our University’s reputation as a world-class research institution.
- April 29, 2019
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
- April 01, 2019
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
- March 05, 2019
  Sure, you could complete your whole degree in Philadelphia, but why not take advantage of Drexel opportunities around the globe? With gorgeous photos, insider tips and stories from international locales, 10 College of Arts and Sciences students share the best place their major has taken them.
- February 05, 2019
  Drexel faculty now have greater access to open-licensed textbooks — and are already starting to implement them in the classroom.
- February 05, 2019
  When it comes to life after graduation, there are many exciting decisions to consider, from choosing where to put down roots, to applying for jobs and determining if graduate or professional school is right for you.
- January 24, 2019
  Stumbling upon personal injury law during her co-op as a history and politics student and A.J. Drexel Scholar at Drexel, Amber Racine has since become a rising star of the field. Her accolades range from “Lawyer on the Fast Track” from The Legal Intelligencer to being named chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association Board of Governors for 2019. Her successes aside, Racine is most grateful for the chance to make a difference in people’s lives.
- October 31, 2018
  Whether you are getting ready for a gory Halloween movie marathon, taking it to the streets to trick-or-treat – or priming your costume for a spooky soiree, remember, as we indulge in the spirit of make-believe and pretend, some scary traditions are based in reality — yikes!
- October 19, 2018
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
- October 16, 2018
  In October, a team of10 91��Ƭ�� professors, students and alumni flew to Austria to visit the ancestral birthplace of the University founder’s father.
- October 15, 2018
  Explore how natural disasters shape our world, changing perceptions of mental illness, and the effects of social movements on theories of democracy in these new and noteworthy winter courses.
- September 25, 2018
  We are thrilled to introduce the following new faculty members and welcome them to the College of Arts and Sciences community.
- July 03, 2018
  The Departments of History and Politics are seeking a work study department assistant for 10 – 20 hours per week. The position involves physical and electronic filing, information collection and organization, light editing, promotion assistance, set-up and breakdown of lectures and panel discussions, deliveries (not heavy), and other duties as assigned by the Program Manager and Department Administrator.
- May 22, 2018
  The mission of the College of Arts and Sciences and the University could not be accomplished without the dedication and support of our faculty members. It is their pursuit of excellence in teaching, research and scholarship that reinforces our position as a modern liberal arts college, and enhances our University’s reputation as a world-class research institution.
- April 03, 2018
- January 16, 2018
  The Unsung, Unpublished Adventures of Drexel Researchers in the Field
- November 28, 2017
  Tiago Saraiva, PhD, was awarded the Pfizer Prize for best scholarly book, "Fascist Pigs: Technoscientific Organisms and the History of Fascism" (MIT Press, October 2016) at the 2017 History of Science Society (HSS) annual meeting.
- September 25, 2017
  Students still looking for classes to fill their fall schedules can explore workplace identity, comparative social movements, citizen science and more in these fall courses.
- June 27, 2017
  Nathan Clarke traveled a long way — 9412 miles to be exact — to find himself at 91��Ƭ��. As a study abroad student, Clarke had a very clear idea of the kind of experience he wanted to have when he left his home in Melbourne, Australia. His Drexel experience not only checked all the right boxes, but also led to an unexpected career change.
- June 26, 2017
  The mission of the College of Arts and Sciences and the University could not be accomplished without the dedication and support of our faculty members. It is their pursuit of excellence in teaching, research and scholarship that reinforces our position as a modern liberal arts college, and enhances our University’s reputation as a world-class research institution.
- June 09, 2017
  The last in a year-long series of public lectures celebrating Drexel’s 125th anniversary brought President John Fry together with several generations of students, faculty, staff and alumni to look back at the personal experiences that define the University.
- April 11, 2017
  Drexel’s Department of History and Center for Science, Technology and Society (STS) hosted the Joint Atlantic Seminar in the History of Biology on March 24-25, 2017. The event was organized by Lloyd Ackert, Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of History and affiliate faculty member with STS. Participants represented U.S. universities including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, Brown, Penn, Franklin & Marshall, Temple, Cornell and Johns Hopkins; and international institutions such as the University of Paris and University of Vienna.
- February 21, 2017
  Drexel’s annual celebration honored the history and culture of the black community with comments from University staff and a rousing performance by an African drum and dance ensemble.
- February 06, 2017
  Drexel and its partners are offering events on campus throughout February to celebrate and honor the achievements of the black community. From art to activism and lectures to luncheons, there are plenty of ways to get involved.
- December 19, 2016
  After the completion of a successful series of public lectures during the fall term, a new round of discussions has been finalized for winter term.
- September 07, 2016
  This fall, Drexel will hold a series of free lectures dedicated to telling certain chapters of Drexel’s history.
- August 22, 2016
  Scott Knowles, PhD, associate professor and head of the History Department, will teach two courses this fall about important current events on campus and across the country.
- August 05, 2016
  This chief development officer recently published a book about an obscure yet epic piece of history about WWI and the Russian Revolution — with an assist from some Drexel Dragons.
- August 03, 2016
  Caitlin Walczyk will be the first Drexel student to receive a scholarship or fellowship to study in Kazakhstan when she spends a year studying Russian in the country as a Boren Awards honoree.
- March 28, 2016
  Started about 90 years ago, the Drexel Women’s Club changed what it meant to be a woman tied to Drexel through personal or professional connections.
- February 29, 2016
  Attendance exceeded expectations at this year’s annual Black Faculty & Professional Staff Association’s lunch event. Luckily, there was still plenty of soul food to go around.
- February 26, 2016
  Some of the country’s first African-American women physicians graduated from an institution that later grew into Drexel’s College of Medicine.
- February 05, 2016
  William Sidney Pittman broke racial barriers at Drexel and across the country as one of the first prominent Black architects in America.
- February 04, 2016
  Professors Scott Knowles and Richardson Dilworth are reliving Drexel’s entire 125 years of existence in a new book and online oral history that will be unveiled later this year, to coincide with the anniversary of Drexel’s founding in 1891.
- January 25, 2016
  To observe and celebrate Black History Month, Drexel will host a variety of events celebrating black culture while also reflecting on its history and future.
- December 04, 2015
  As you prepare to head home for the holidays, take a look at some words of wisdom that A.J. Drexel, international banker and the founder of 91��Ƭ��, gave his nieces before they embarked on a tour of Europe.
- August 17, 2015
  From a fragment of 16th century Italian velvet to an evening dress by New York designer Alexander Wang from 2012, the first large-scale, retrospective exhibition of highlights from the Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection in 91��Ƭ��’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design will trace the arc of fashion history over the course of more than three centuries.
- July 06, 2015
  With Drexel’s quasquicentennial (125th anniversary) next year, a pair of College of Arts and Sciences professors has set out to tell the whole history of the University with a little help from the Dragon community.
- June 26, 2015
  Hosting Drexel’s first-ever summer institute on design history, Westphal College of Media Arts & Design’s David Raizman talks with DrexelNow about the themes that will be presented by scholars at the institute.
- April 07, 2015
  The Drexel English Language Center’s Tobie Hoffman will follow the path of the retreating Army of Northern Virginia to cap two years of dedicated personal learning about one of the most tumultuous times in U.S. history.
- March 23, 2015
  Mary Ebeling, director of Drexel’s Women’s and Gender Studies program at Drexel, collaborated with friends and colleagues to compile a list of the today’s most influential women in the world for Women’s History Month.
- March 19, 2015
  In a public discussion, entitled “Renewing the American “We”: What We Owe James Wilson,” Ambassador Joseph M. Torsella (Ret.) will share his thoughts on how we can – and why we must – renew our sense of American community in these polarized times.
- February 04, 2015
  To observe and celebrate Black History Month, Drexel is hosting a variety of events celebrating black culture while also reflecting on its history and discussing the future.
- February 02, 2015
  “There were gorgeous things happening in the ’80s, from beautiful textiles to masterful silhouettes. We need to put aside our embarrassment over some of our personal style choices at that time and look at fashion from that period through fresh eyes."
- December 15, 2014
  After being awarded the largest grant Drexel has ever received from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design will host a a summertime institute featuring seminars on the history of design.
- October 27, 2014
  With Halloween on the horizon, DrexelNow reached out to Jonathan Seitz, PhD, director of undergraduate studies and associate teaching professor of history in the College of Arts and Sciences, who will be teaching a new course on the history of witchcraft during the winter term. He also authored the book “Witchcraft and Inquisition in Early Modern Venice” (Cambridge University Press, 2011), and is currently conducting research exploring magic and witchcraft practices closer to home — in Pennsylvania around 1700 and in more recent times.
- October 10, 2014
  Researchers have discovered a previously unknown 149-page manuscript from 1940 defending homosexuality, and documented the remarkable life of its author, a gay Jewish World War II veteran.
- May 15, 2014
  The statue of the University's founder, Anthony J. Drexel, hasn't always gazed down Market Street. Its current location is only the latest of many places it has called home since 1905.
- April 23, 2014
  If you were working at Drexel 80 years ago, it would be just about time to gear up for the dance around the maypole at the annual Spring Festival.
- March 10, 2014
  More than a million African-Americans fought during WWII, but their military still segregated and discriminated against them.
- February 24, 2014
  Several African-American pioneers passed through Drexel, and an effort to achieve diversity and inclusion continues today.
- January 23, 2014
  Bob Brehm came to Drexel to get away from the news cameras, but he found himself in front of them after Philadelphia's deadly Market Street building collapse in June 2013. Now he and another Drexel professor, Scott Gabriel Knowles, are stepping up to help the city in the collapse's wake.
- November 04, 2013
  Mary Edwards Walker, one of the first women doctors to have a degree, is still the only woman to receive a Congressional Medal of Honor. A collection of items related to Walker is on display at the Drexel College of Medicine.
- September 13, 2013
  With a heated debate raging over what actions should be taken in response to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s suspected chemical attack thought to have killed more than 1,000 civilians—including hundreds of children—DrexelNow checked in with Daniel Friedheimto hear his thoughts on a possible military strike against Syria.
- September 09, 2013
  It’s been 12 years since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and shifted the arc of American history. The effects of that tragic event continue to ripple through our lives. And one question looms large: Are we as a nation safer than we were before the attacks?
- August 30, 2013
  In this excerpt from his recently released book, Drexel political science professor George Ciccariello-Maher argues that discussions about Venezuelan politics far too often focused on Hugo Chávez, the man who sat in the president’s office, rather than the movement—and the people—who put him there.
- August 28, 2013
  Fifty years after the historic March on Washington, Kevin Woodson, an assistant professor in the Earle Mack School of Law, says it's important for the nation to recognize and celebrate the hard-earned victories of the past without losing sight of the formidable problems that remain.
- May 15, 2013
  Inspired by the film "Lincoln," Associate Vice Provost for Drexel Sacramento Sandra Kirschenmann dusted off a certain book she purchased years ago.
- May 15, 2013
  Minnesota recently became the 12th state to pass a same-sex marriage bill in the United States—now one third of the nation is making strides towards gender and sexual equality. Drexel’s Dr. Scott Barclay weighs in on this trend and the remaining states hanging in the balance.
- May 07, 2013
  It took Robert McCracken Peck three years to write the first complete history of the Academy of Natural Sciences of 91��Ƭ��, but 35 years to do the research. This week, Peck and his co-author were honored by the Athenaeum of Philadelphia honored Peck for the 464-page A Glorious Enterprise: The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and the Making of American Science.
- April 15, 2013
  Dr. Daniel V. Schidlow, the Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Dean and senior vice president of medical affairs at Drexel’s College of Medicine, is a self-described multi-tasker when it comes to his reading selections. One recent selection, however, has made it to the top of his favorite books of all time— Velázquez and The Surrender of Breda: The Making of a Masterpiece by Anthony Bailey.
- October 10, 2012
  DrexelNow chatted with political science professor Dr. Bill Rosenberg about the October 3 presidential debate and what he expects from the October 11 vice-presidential debate.
- September 28, 2012
  91��Ƭ�� Libraries Archivist Rob Sieczkiewicz shares some graduate history from the Archives.