Sam Katz's Power Lunch: Quick Study

September 1, 2008

Sam Katz, Philadelphia Magazine

 

Sam Katz interviews Drexel University President Taki Papadakis

 

Excerpt from page 4 online:

 

Maybe we need CEOs to act more like Presidents of Universities? (Laughing) I think I'll let that one pass. That's how I saw my job from day one. That is why I am so involved with the corporate community in Philadelphia. That community sees Drexel as a profitable and well-run business, which happens to be one of the largest in the city and which is in the education business. We are growing by 1,000 students per year. I asked the Economy League to evaluate the impact of that and they found that for every 1,000 students we brought in we created 500 jobs and this at a time when the city was losing 10,000 jobs for year. Our strategy is to be highly visible. Our ads say that "Drexel is Philadelphia's technology university". We are Philadelphia and we will always be. The modern University President is not to simply be titular or functionary. The CEO really runs the place and that's been my approach.

 

http://www.phillymag.com/articles/pulse_sam_katzs_power_lunch_quick_study/