Sacramento Facility Expands To Eight Master’s And One Doctoral Program

Glen Thomas, Secretary of Education for the State of California, addresses the incoming graduate students at Drexel University

SACRAMENTO (OBSNews.com) – Drexel University has welcomed more than 120 new students this fall, bringing to over 175 its total number of graduate students as it expanded offerings for working professionals at the university’s Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento.

Drexel, a 118-year-old institution based in Philadelphia, just opened its doors in Sacramento on January 5, 2009, at its high-tech Graduate Center at One Capitol Mall. .

Speaking directly to the University’s leadership in Philadelphia over Drexel’s high-definition videoconferencing system during a special Convocation event in September, Dr. Glen W. Thomas, Secretary of Education for the State of California, said, “Your vision to open a Sacramento campus is very exciting to us in Sacramento, in our region, in our state.” Addressing Drexel’s newest students, the Secretary said, “Drexel is known for being entrepreneurial and visionary and technologically savvy. Here we have cutting edge programs. Now, more than ever before, this state needs people like you who are highly educated. ”

It was only in May 2008 that Drexel trustees approved opening a campus in Sacramento – the first outside of Philadelphia in the university’s history. The Center welcomed its first 53 graduate students on January 5, and this fall added four more master’s programs and one doctoral program.

“We’re thrilled that Drexel has been embraced by so many community, education and business leaders throughout the Greater Sacramento region,” said Drexel President C.R. “Chuck” Pennoni, who visited the Sacramento campus in July. “In a very short period of time, we have forged strong partnerships with the region and with our students, who we are eager to help prepare as the region’s future business and community leaders. Our team of faculty members has done a tremendous job in structuring programs that meet the needs of working professionals and deliver great value to our students.”

Carl “Tobey” Oxholm III, Dean of Drexel’s Graduate Center in Sacramento, said the welcome Drexel has received from business, civic and government leaders has been tremendous.

“We have exceeded everyone’s expectations with the arrival of so many excellent students this fall,” Oxholm said. “The terrible economy has undoubtedly made it more difficult for working adults to find the economic resources they need to pursue a top-tier graduate degree. But it’s also a great opportunity for Drexel, because we are perfectly positioned to play a key role in preparing the next generation of business, government and non-profit leaders in the Greater Sacramento area, which has become and will remain for decades a true destination location.”

Offered again this fall are four master’s programs that are core to the region’s economic future: Business Administration, Higher Education, Information Systems, and Library and Information Science, To them, Drexel added a Doctorate in Education degree program and four more master’s programs: Human Resource Development, Public Health, Nursing Leadership in Health Systems Management, and Nursing Education & Faculty Role.

Founded in 1891 in Philadelphia, has again been ranked as one of the nation’s ten most innovative universities by US News & World Report-America’s Best Colleges 2010. Drexel is widely recognized for its focus on experiential learning through its co-operative education program, technology and use-inspired research.

Drexel will again offer five master’s programs and the Ed.D. to begin on March 29, 2010, and all nine in September 2010. To learn more about applying for programs in Sacramento, visit www.drexel.edu/sacramento or call (916) 325-4600 or (888) 389-3781.