Welcome to the Spring/Summer 2012 issue of Market Street!

While many things are familiar, the campus has been transformed — radically — with new buildings and walkways everywhere. Our new academic center is taking shape with each passing day, and just across Chestnut next to Creese, dorms are being built. Dorms! This isn’t my father’s Drexel (ENGR ’62 and MBA ‘73), nor is it mine. But I couldn’t be prouder of the progress our alma mater has made.

For those of you who are interested in looking back to see how far we’ve come,  don’t miss “From Common Soil: The Transformation of 32nd and Market.”  Staff writer Joe Master put on his research hat to give us an in-depth look at the history of the land that is the foundation of LeBow’s future home. It’s a fascinating read that starts on page 32.

We all know that it’s the people who make the place, and our alumni success stories consistently underscore that. Take our cover story about Steve Ward ‘03. Maybe you recognize him as the host of VH1’s “Tough Love,” a hit show that offers single women straightforward (read: brutal) dating advice. But he says his success is really behind-the-scenes. He built his company from a modest operation to one that grossed $1 million a few years ago. Steve credits his LeBow education with giving him the building blocks to succeed.

And Fred Phelan EMBA ‘09 didn’t give up his dream of a job in Wall Street even after a plane he was navigating on  a deployment in Afghanistan crashed, leaving him with lifelong injuries. His  story serves as an inspiration to us all. 

I hope you enjoy reading these and the other fun and inspiring stories  in this issue. Please send me a note at  lck33@drexel.edu and let me know how we are doing and — here comes  the bribe — I will send you a LeBow baseball cap for your efforts. So start writing! I can’t wait to hear from you.