May 15, 2024

The Office of the Provost and the University Libraries co-hosted the 12th annual Celebrating Drexel Authors event on May 7, 2024, to acknowledge and appreciate members of the Drexel community who authored or edited publications in the previous calendar year.  

This year’s list of honorees included a record-breaking 118 faculty, staff, and students—51 book authors, 20 editors, and 47 authors who contributed to 23 peer-reviewed journal articles classified as Highly Cited by Clarivate Analytics.

“This was the largest group recognized in one year, and a significant milestone,” Ann Yurcaba, Interim University Librarian, said during the event. “We’ve now recognized over 1,000 Drexel authors and editors over the last 12 years!”

Yurcaba went on to describe the diversity of the publications being recognized this year—which included everything from textbooks to fiction and non-fiction, poetry, and children’s books—and the Libraries’ commitment to sharing them with the world.

“One thing is the same, regardless of discipline or output: the writing and publishing process is time-consuming, difficult work,” Yurcaba said. “Your persistence and your passion for researching, writing, editing, and sharing your expertise, perspective and stories with readers is truly inspiring. And the Libraries is dedicated to providing access to these resources and ideas—ideas that can help shape the future—through its systems and expertise.”

Following Yurcaba’s welcoming remarks, Paul Jensen, PhD, Executive Vice President and Nina Henderson Provost, spoke about the importance of publishing to both the Drexel community and the global community.

“At a time when many are questioning the value of higher education, these publications exemplify the University’s contributions to society,” he said. “They advance scholarship and reinforce our strengths in our Areas of Excellence and Opportunity, and they help us to recruit, retain, and educate the brightest students, faculty, and staff. Your commitment to sharing knowledge is core to our mission, and we are becoming increasingly globally engaged… I’d like to acknowledge the role of faculty connections and relationships in driving international collaborations.”

During the program, Provost Jensen also called out this year’s student authors—26 in total—more than ever before.

“I am so impressed by these students, and I’m proud that ours is an academic environment that promotes students’ early and active engagement in scholarship and the learning environment,” he said. It speaks volumes about the Drexel student experience, which is also at the core of everything we do.”

Student authors weren’t the only artists featured during this year’s event. As an addition to the program, students from Drexel’s Chamber Music Ensemble, led by Dr. Eve Friedman, provided background music during the reception. Musicians included Hannah Basher, Elizabeth Clarkson, Arena Glozman, Abby Holmberg, and Swetha Rao.

The students wowed all the guests and inspired even more creativity and conversation among the authors, editors, and readers in attendance.

Download the complete list of authors recognized during the 2024 event.

Members of the Drexel community will be notified during the fall term to submit their publications for the 2025 event.

About the Celebrating Drexel Authors Event

The annual Authors event was launched in 2013 in partnership with the Office of the Provost to show institutional appreciation of Drexel authors and their published contributions to scholarship and creative expression to advance Drexel as a preeminent research university. Over the last 12 years, the event has recognized more than 1,000 Drexel authors and editors from every college and school and numerous administrative departments. 

Donated copies of the 2023 publications recognized this year will be on display in the cases outside the Provost's Office in the Main Building this fall. Following their exhibition there, copies will be moved to the Drexel Authors Collection in the University Archives.