Drexel University has received the largest philanthropic commitment in its history: $112.6 million to expand the Philadelphia-based institution’s engineering and computing facilities and opportunities.
The gift, which comes from the Howley Foundation, a philanthropic nonprofit run by alumnus and trustee Nick Howley; his wife, Lorie; and their daughter, Meg—also a Drexel alum—will help establish the Nick Howley College of Engineering and Computing. About $36 million of the committed funds will be used to create 55,000 square feet of classrooms, laboratories and collaborative learning spaces in existing Drexel buildings. The redesigned facility, which will be called the Howley Family Immersive Learning Center, will include a robotics facility, a flight simulator, a jet engine lab and a soil and concrete analysis lab, as well as labs for chemical engineering, materials science and cell and gene therapy education.
The foundation’s gift will also help transform an additional 10,000-square-foot facility into a maker space that will showcase the work of engineering and computing students, from rockets to steel bridges. It will be known as the Walter N. Howley Jr. Innovation Garage, in honor of Nick’s father.
