Incoming 16th Drexel University president, Antonio Merlo, Ph.D. shared some of his goals for his tenure at Drexel in an exclusive interview with The Triangle on Friday, Jan. 31.
The new president-elect, current Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of New York University’s Faculty of Arts & Science, considers himself an “academic entrepreneur” and has always admired Drexel’s experiential education that provides “students with both theoretical, but more importantly, practical skills that are going to be so critical.”
Merlo also praised Drexel’s “ability to constantly pivot and innovate, as the landscape in higher education keeps evolving.”
Though, Merlo is no stranger to academic change himself, as “under his leadership, NYU Arts & Science established five new centers: innovative hubs for cross-disciplinary, cross-school research and unique opportunities for students,” stated the press release shared earlier Friday morning.
He expressed that his first priority upon taking office at Drexel is to make sure that the switch to semesters, the redesigning of the curriculum to focus on core competencies and the academic transformation are “not just implemented for the sake of checking boxes, but really implemented in the right way, so that they’re really going to set up the university for success.”
Merlo also believes that these academic processes will increase Drexel’s declining enrollment.
“As we invest in this great university…rethink our structure…refocus on our energy, along the lines of all these initiatives that are already in place, we’re simultaneously going to provide a message to the population of people who are looking and applying for college that really emphasizes what is unique and distinctive about Drexel that should really increase our profile and reputation, and therefore generate an increase in the…pool of applicants,” Merlo expressed.
Merlo has a scholarly academic background, holding a doctorate in economics from NYU. He believes that this background will help him lead students at Drexel along their academic journeys.
“I’m a huge believer that a scholar leading scholar[s] is a very important component. It is my hope and desire to leverage my scholarly background and my own experience as a scholar to help Drexel achieve its full potential and increase and grow its reputation, which is already excellent,” he said. “But like every institution, there is always room for growth. And really aim at having each person be that a student or a faculty achieve the best that they can.”
That being said, he wants to set “ambitious goals” for Drexel in the next ten years, having it be a model for other universities, but stay authentic to its values and foundations.
There have been growing concerns surrounding Drexel’s investments in property and real estate. While Merlo cannot properly speak on how he will use Drexel’s budget directly until he takes office, he understands that “the relationship between Drexel and the city of Philadelphia and West Philadelphia in particular is a critical one. One always has to keep an eye toward making sure that this symbiotic relationship between the university flourishing and the city flourishing is very important.”
Merlo is also a big proponent of student life and extracurricular activities.
“Every job I’ve ever had at every university I’ve been affiliated with, I’ve always tried to engage with the students…The students are our critical constituents in a university, and it’s so important that we really keep in mind student success as a fundamental goal for us and certainly for a university where I’m about to become a president of,” Merlo said.
During his higher education career, Merlo has not only been a professor and dean, but also a water polo coach at Rice University, University of Pennsylvania and NYU. His passion for student sports will continue as he enters his Drexel presidency.
“I have huge, tremendous respect for student athletes, and I would love to understand also what the needs are and…areas for improvement,” Merlo added. “But, in general, I would love to engage in a conversation with all the student groups and clubs and their various aspects, to make sure that their experience as students at Drexel is the best that it could possibly be.”
Drexel students are extremely passionate about their right to free speech and protest, as there have been several protests on campus in the last year. Merlo understands the universal importance of this right.
“One thing that I would love to absolutely reassure you and everybody else is that free speech is a tenant of what universities stand for. Our mission as a university is teaching and learning. Those are the two primary focuses. I want to really be able to keep the dialogue open and the possibility for everyone to express their views and opinions,” Merlo stated.
Though, he also emphasized keeping safety in mind when students express their varying views.
“At the same time, this has to be done in a respectful way where there is an understanding what are the rules of engagement. And how can we achieve a situation where we can disagree and we can all express our views? But at the same time, we are doing it without really crossing the bounds that would all of a sudden have safety concerns, or tensions that would not be desirable in a university or academic setting,” Merlo continued.
Merlo expressed some hopeful parting words at the end of the interview for students in the Drexel community.
“Look up, the sky’s the limit. Together we can accomplish great things…I want every student who walks through our campus to really feel that they’re a part of something bigger than they are, where they understand both what is the overall mission, but also they understand what their role and responsibility is to achieve those great ambitions,” he stated. “I’m looking forward to meeting the students, interacting with them of course, welcoming them, next year when we have the first convocation. This is a new chapter in the history of this great university and I think that together we can really make this special and truly transformational.”