Dr. Constantine Papadakis, Preeminent Educator and Distinguished Member of Leadership 100, Dies

PHILADELPHIA - Constantine Papadakis, the Drexel University president who is credited with raising the endowment, enrollment and profile of the one-time commuter school, died of complications from lung cancer. He was 63 and was a prominent member of Leadership 100.

Papadakis led the private Philadelphia university like a business and made no apologies for it, adding programs and even considering a second campus clear across the country. Called "Taki" by students and friends, he was known for his smiling, gregarious personality. Stephen G. Yeonas, Chairman of Leadership 100, said on hearing of the news: “Taki Papadakis’ legacy in advancing education and Hellenic ideals will live on and influence the lives of many of our young people and our society. To him, education was the most important gift we could give our children and he encouraged our youth to be diligent in their studies and to strive for perfection.

His genuine warmth, love and support for all humankind are the greatest gifts he leaves behind. Leadership 100, the academic world and our nation have lost a great leader.” An innovator in higher education with extensive experience in both academe and the corporate world, he has been President of Drexel since 1995.

Since then, Dr. Papadakis has used the historic strengths of the University (cooperative education, Drexel's focus on technology and the rich resources of its Philadelphia location) to increase full-time undergraduate enrollment from 4,500 in 1996 to more than 11,000 today. Drexel now educates a headcount of 21,000 students, is the sixth-largest employer in Philadelphia, employing 8,100 people, and has an annual budget of more than $650 million. Under his leadership, the school acquired schools of medicine, nursing and public health, and in 2006 started its own law school. Papadakis also oversaw the construction of numerous buildings on campus.