Drexel University’s new president, Antonio Merlo, is pressing an ‘‘academic transformation’’ aimed at raising the university’s national profile, shifting from quarters to semesters and embedding core competencies across the curriculum. Merlo—profiled after taking office as Drexel’s 16th president—emphasizes experiential education and the institution’s signature co‑op program as levers to boost the degree’s market value. In interviews Merlo framed the changes as a value proposition to students and employers, stressing agility and identity rather than mimicking peer institutions. The administration expects the calendar change and curricular realignment to affect transfer articulation, advising, and employer partnerships in the near term. Drexel’s strategy signals how mid‑sized private research universities are using leadership transitions to reposition academically and financially in a competitive enrollment market.