The following message was sent from Board of Trustees Chair Richard Greenawalt to the Drexel community:
Dear Members of the Drexel Community,
Following a national search, I am pleased to announce that today Drexel University’s Board of Trustees confirmed by a unanimous vote Antonio Merlo, PhD, as Drexel’s 16th president. Dr. Merlo, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of New York University’s Faculty of Arts & Science, will begin his tenure at Drexel on July 1, 2025.
A distinguished political economist, Dr. Merlo leads NYU’s largest academic unit, comprising three schools — the College of Arts & Science, the Graduate School of Arts & Science and Liberal Studies — and dozens of departments, research centers, institutes, and language and cultural houses. The academic unit’s 1,100 faculty serve more than 16,000 students of Arts & Science and every undergraduate across NYU.
A highly accomplished scholar, Dr. Merlo is recognized as an administrator who leverages academic strengths, fosters partnerships and promotes scholarship across departments. Under his leadership, Arts & Science established five new centers and an Office of Research that has been instrumental in facilitating large-scale interdisciplinary collaborations, offering strategic guidance, breaking down silos, and bridging cultural and translational divides across disciplines. As a result, the total externally funded research portfolio expanded from about $300M in 2018 to about $450M in 2023.
Dr. Merlo is a prolific fundraiser who achieved great success in securing funds in support of student success, faculty research and excellence in science. During his tenure, NYU also saw its Arts & Science graduate programs increase in rankings and grow undergraduate applicants by the thousands.
His commitment to academic entrepreneurship and his proven success in bringing together faculty, students, scholars, and practitioners to address humanity’s greatest challenges make him the ideal leader to uphold Drexel’s values and guide the University into its next chapter. This is particularly vital as we move forward with strategic institutional priorities, including an academic transformation already underway and our focus on building long-term financial resilience.
Prior to joining NYU, Dr. Merlo was the Dean of the School of Social Sciences at Rice University, where he was also the George A. Peterkin Professor and Founding Director of the Rice Initiative for the Study of Economics, as well as the head coach of the men’s and women’s water polo teams. He is no stranger to Philadelphia as he spent more than a decade from 2000 to 2014 in leadership roles at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was the Director of the Penn Institute for Economics Research, the Lawrence R. Klein Professor and Chair of the Department of Economics, and the head coach of the men’s water polo team. He began his academic career at the University of Minnesota where he joined the faculty in 1992. He spent six years at the university, before joining NYU as an associate professor of economics and politics from 1998-2000.
Dr. Merlo is the recipient of numerous awards and honors both for his academic work, as well as his achievements as a coach. His areas of scholarly interest include political economy, policy analysis, public economics, bargaining theory and applications, and empirical microeconomics. He has published widely in leading economics journals, including the American Economic Review, Econometrica, the Journal of Political Economy, and the Review of Economic Studies.
A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Merlo received his undergraduate degree in economics and social sciences from Bocconi University of Italy in 1987 and a PhD in economics from NYU in 1992.
I extend my sincere gratitude to the search committee, comprised of trustees, faculty, students and senior administrators, and led by Mike Lawrie, a LeBow College of Business alumnus and longtime Drexel trustee, for their dedication and efforts in conducting a comprehensive search in less than six months. They made an excellent choice in nominating a candidate to the Board of Trustees who truly embodies Drexel’s values and is committed to dynamically leading our institution well into the future.
While I will conclude my tenure as chair of Drexel’s Board at our May meeting, I enthusiastically support Dr. Merlo and look forward to his presidency at this great institution. It has been an honor to serve my alma mater as a trustee for 30 years, 17 of which I was Board chair. Mike Lawrie, founder and CEO of The Lawrie Group who has served as a trustee for 16 years and is dedicated to seeing the institution’s progress and success, will serve as the Board’s next chair.
As we continue to strengthen Drexel’s position as an innovative and forward-thinking institution in an ever-changing higher education environment, Dr. Merlo’s leadership will be instrumental in driving us toward new opportunities for growth and impact.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Merlo and welcoming him to our community.
Sincerely,
Richard A. Greenawalt
Chair
Drexel University Board of Trustees
Dear members of the Drexel University community,
As the Chair of the Board of Trustees, I wanted to take a moment to address all of you and express my gratitude for your unwavering support and dedication to our institution.
Drexel University has a long history of excellence in education, research, and community engagement, and it is thanks to the hard work and commitment of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni that we continue to thrive and grow.
I am proud to serve as the Chair of the Board of Trustees and to work alongside such talented and passionate individuals who are truly dedicated to making Drexel the best it can be.
I want to assure you that the Board is fully committed to supporting the university’s mission and vision, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that Drexel remains a leader in higher education.
Thank you for all that you do for Drexel University. Your contributions are truly appreciated and make a difference every day.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Drexel University
Tags:
Drexel University, Board of Trustees, Chair message, leadership update, higher education, university governance, Drexel news, university leadership, university updates, trustee communication
#Message #Chair #Drexels #Board #Trustees
