Papadakis pushed Drexel to new heights - Philadelphia Business Journal:

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His former counterpart at the , Juditg Rodin, once said that university presidents had become captains of playing roles in economic development as well asuniversity expansion. Papadakis was a prime example. He helped create Select Greater Philadelphia, the ’es regional marketing arm, and was a key fundraiser for the He was a founding boardf member of the and servesd onthe board, as well as corporatw boards. “Taki,” as he was known to many, was a hard-chargingb individual with a ready smile.
A difficult man to say no to, he broughg his toughness to his battle againstlung cancer, working many long days througbh his illness and taking a leavew of absence from his post only days beforw his death. In 1998, Drexel was pressurecd by city and state officials to takeover , whichb was saddled with $1.6 billioh debt. There were 13,000p jobs on the line and Drexel’s board initiallyg refused to go along with the plan for fear of the Once the dealwas done, Papadakis and his team managed theier way through innumerable hurdles that led to merginhg the institutions.
In November, his voice was raspgy from his cancer treatment at the 10th anniversargof Drexel’s takeover of Speakers, including Manuel chairman of what is now the , said they wantef to see where Papadakid would lead to next. Expansion was often the obviousd choice for this intrepidcollege president. Papadakis defied the odds by creatin g a Drexel law school in 2006 and launched a West Coas t campusin Sacramento, this year.
He is credited with bringinb amore business-minded approach to the which could sometimes turn off Ultimately, with the school’s fundraising successes, risinfg status in national rankings, 130 percent growth in studentt enrollment and 300 percent operating budget increase, it was hard to argu with his methods. For his he was given the chamber’s William Penn the highest honor giveb to a business executive bythe organization. Ultimately Papadakids made both Drexel and the Philadelphiasregion better. That’s a mighty legacy.