Drexel University’s president dies

Drexel University President Constantine "Taki" Papadakis died last night, just three days after he began a medical leave.

Mr. Papadakis, who headed the university since 1995, had battled lung cancer for months while continuing his fast-paced job of presiding over the 20,700-student West Philadelphia institution.

In his tenure, he transformed Drexel from a struggling engineering school to a stong institution with both a law school and medical school and most recently led an effort to open a graduate school in California, with plans for a four-year Sacramento campus on the table.

Mr. Papadakis met with the Board of Trustees on Thursday and announced he would step down temporarily to focus on getting better.

C. R. "Chuck" Pennoni, past chairman of the board of trustees and until 2006 a member, was named as interim president.

Mr/ Papadakis, who became well known for running the university like a well-oiled business, created several new majors at the school during his more than 13-year tenure and in 2002 began Drexel Online, its distance learning program.

Enrollment has more than doubled, and applications were up dramatically this year even during the economic downturn - likely driven in part by the school's co-op program that allows students to earn money while interning.

He had his critics who voiced concern that his business focus came at the expense of some academic initiatives.

Mr. Papadakis most recently was excited about plans to expand Drexel to the west coast and draw on a new, growing market. Whether those plans will proceed in earnest is uncertain; the four-year campus proposal has not been approved by the trustees. Drexel, however, recently opened a graduate school in the Sacramento area.