Stephanie Masucci
In 1887, two years before Frances Cabrini would come to America, Katherine Drexel was in front of Pope Leo, asking him to send missionaries to the United States. Pope Leo suggested that Sister Drexel become a missionary herself, and that was when Cabrini and Drexel were first united. Sister Drexel became a contemporary of Cabrini and helped her along the journey of missionary life.
Over 100 years later, Cabrini and Drexel are re-united in a more updated technologically modern manner. Drexel University, which is located in West Philadelphia, has agreed to become the host of technology-related services for Cabrini College.
This agreement is the first of its kind in the world, and is considered to be a national model. Last Tues., April 3, Cabrini President Dr. Antoinette Iadarola and Drexel President Constantine Papadakis signed an electronic version of the agreement, on a white board that showed the contract blown up in size from a projector.
The entire ceremony was recorded, videotaped and broadcasted live via internet.
“To me it just made sense,” Iadarola said. “Drexel is noted for providing quality education, and for being on the cutting edge of technology.”
Iadarola was introduced to Papadakis, while attending the Purple Aster Ball last May. Their conversation began when Iadarola questioned Papdakis on his nationality. She wondered why he was attending this Ball since he is Greek.
“I told her I was half Italian, and our friendship began there,” Papadakis said laughing along with his audience.
This project began six years prior to the coming together of these two academic presidents. In 1994, Dr. John Bielec, vice president of information resources and technology for Drexel, was employed at Cabrini and implemented a plan to keep Cabrini technologically updated. Since then, Cabrini has been interested in staying on top of the latest advances in technology.
“We have a lot of programs that are dependent on technology,” Iadarola said.
Classes such as graphic design, information science and technology and journalism are just a few of the programs that must be updated to provide a solid education to all students.
Cabrini can not service the way Drexel can due to the size of this institution. By partnering up with Drexel, Cabrini can now ensure a school that offers the highest of quality in achieving academic excellence.
Cabrini received offers from companies that outsource, but Iadarola felt that a university such as Drexel would have more of an understanding of the values Cabrini upholds. She wanted to do what was best for the students.
“We’re a university and we know the business. We respect the academic part of this,” Papadakis said. “We are the pioneers, and we challenge our peers to push forward to broaden this program.”
In the future, Cabrini is interested in becoming a wireless campus. This means that every student will have their own laptop computer and they will have the opportunity to hook these computers up in the classroom, their bedrooms and even when sitting outside. It will be more convenient for the user to be wireless, and after a year or two, Papadakis predicts that personal computer labs will not be needed. Thereby providing more room and less updating problems.
“The students will benefit the most,” Papadakis said.
With Drexel by its side, Cabrini will be able to offer more online courses and give faculty the opportunity to utilize the internet in instruction.
This ceremony included faculty, staff, trustees and students. The students were ensured that these new advances will not have a bearing on the cost of tuition. Papadakis and Iadarola believe that Cabrini and Drexel have paved the way to the future of university and college partnerships. The benefits, they feel, will be a better form of education and that the results are going to be great. The more schools that get involved the less the price will be as well. Papadakis has never seen a reduction in unit costs in the past, but he feels that these newest advances in technology give them the opportunity to do more with the same amount of money.
