Drexel takes over Citizens Bank Park - for one day
Home of the Phillies will become home of the Dragons on Saturday. For the first time in about two decades, Drexel University will hold a universitywide commencement ceremony, and its venue will be Citizens Bank Park.
Home of the Phillies will become home of the Dragons on Saturday.
For the first time in about two decades, Drexel University will hold a universitywide commencement ceremony, and its venue will be Citizens Bank Park.
It's also a first for the park; the Phillies home field has never been used for a university graduation before.
Instead of seeing Ryan Howard hit a home run, graduates and their families will get advice from commencement speaker Donna Shalala, former U.S. secretary of health and human services.
Howard and the rest of the club, meanwhile, will be playing the Nationals in Washington this weekend.
"I think it's a great opportunity to showcase the ballpark to a broader audience," said Bonnie Clark, vice president of communications for the Phillies.
The park, which has a capacity of more than 43,000, expects 20,000 to 25,000 for the event, she said. The main commencement stage, similar to what the Phillies built for the World Series celebration, only bigger, will be erected at second base, said Subir Sahu, vice president and dean of student life at Drexel.
In the past, Drexel has held individual ceremonies for its different colleges because it had no venue big enough to bring everyone together. And those smaller ceremonies will happen this week on and off campus, he said.
"But that really robbed us of the opportunity to celebrate our students in a way that they could bring numerous family members and friends" to the event, he said.
This year, Drexel decided to host one large commencement to accommodate all guests, and build spirit and enthusiasm for the university, he said.
"The time was right to make this sort of shift," he said.
Neither Sahu nor Clark would say how much Drexel is paying Citizens Bank Park, but Sahu acknowledged commencement will cost more this year.
"It's a little bit of an added investment. We feel like it's worth it," Sahu said.
Drexel looked to New York University, which holds its graduation at Yankee Stadium, as a model, he said.
The University of Pennsylvania and Temple both have campus facilities large enough to hold their ceremonies, Penn at Franklin Field and Temple at the Liacouras Center.
The university expects about 3,000 of its 5,800 grads to participate in the large ceremony, he said.
Each graduate will get six premium tickets. General seating for more guests will be offered.
The ceremony will be held rain or shine, beginning at 10 a.m., and will be shown on the Phillies' giant PhanaVision II screens.
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