In an email sent to Drexel University students, faculty and staff on July 31, Richard Greenawalt, chair of Drexel’s Board of Trustees, announced the formation of a committee to search for Drexel’s next president. The committee seeks to find a replacement for John Fry, who will be moving to Temple University in 2025 as their next president.
The interim president, local businessman, Drexel alumnus and trustee Denis O’Brien, will sit on the committee while acting as president. He is joined by ten other members of the board of trustees, who make up the majority of the presidential search committee, including the committee’s chair J. Michael Lawrie. Other committee members include Kevin Owens, chair of the faculty senate; Michele Kutzler, associate dean for faculty; Vibhas Madan, Dean of LeBow College of Business and Subir Sahu, senior vice president for student success. The committee also includes a single student–Joelyne Jacob, student body president of the Undergraduate Student Government Association.
Lawrie, the committee’s chair, is currently the founder and CEO of The Lawrie Group, a private consulting firm. He received an MBA from Drexel’s LeBow College in 1977, and, in 2018, he gave back to the program, founding the Lawrie Advanced Global Leadership Program which guides and mentors MBA students. He heads the 17-person committee, who will also collaborate with Heidrick & Struggles, an executive search firm, as they select Drexel’s 16th university president.
The committee has already met to discuss a timeline for the search process. They have also established a website to keep the community updated throughout the process. The website features a link to a survey for community feedback, as well as contact information for Heidrick & Struggles to make a candidate nomination. The Triangle will continue to provide updates as the search continues.