Pros
Great new university President, John Fry. Excellent tuition reimbursement program for employees and their dependents. Many employees are truly outstanding members of the Drexel team and really do a great job for students and co-workers (some are not). Great location for those riding public transportation. Excellent benefits package, especially the 403b retirement program. New President decided to close the university between Christmas and New Years day, this was a good idea and makes complete sense. Several new buildings have been completed and more are on the way. The campus is generally looking better everyday. New President is making a real effort to ask for direct input and advice from students, faculty, and staff, no one can say, "They never asked me." Excellent technology support and infrastructure. Shipping and Receiving staff do a great job delivering mail and packages.
Cons
There is no investment in employee training or advancement (except tuition assistance which is great). My department has zero budget for anything except what goes in the classroom. There is no incentive to work harder or better, see below. Raises have no connection to job performance what so ever. As mentioned in other reviews the University chooses a percentage (i.e. 2%, 2.5%, 1.5%) and that's pretty much what you get, give or take 1/2 % point. What this amounts to is a cost of living raise. The problem is the people making the most, over 100K per year, get double the cost of living raise than those making 50K per year. However, the cost of living increased EQUALLY for both parties. This unfair distribution of cola raises increases exponentially each year. Because raises have no connection to merit (Drexel calls them "merit increases") or actual job performance, this cost of living increase should be divided equally among employees (i.e. everyone gets a $2000 raise). Some would argue that persons holding advanced degrees and higher positions deserve to make more money, and I would agree, because they already do! Persons holding advanced degrees and higher positions are paid at least double or triple the annual salary of persons with 4 year college degrees. That is the reward for the higher degree or position, double or triple annual pay. The cost of gas, electric, food, rent, taxes, insurance, and medical care, did not increase more for people with higher degrees or positions. When bills are due they don't ask, "Do you have a Ph.D.? Yes? Okay, that will be 20 % extra then." Bureaucracy, there is a lot of it. Drexel has a chronic, "It's not my job" syndrome. Many employees do not help students or other employees to the degree which they are fully capable. Some employees choose first and foremost to pass the buck and not take personal responsibility for a task or problem. Issues that could be solved with a few minutes work, a couple of phone calls or emails, end up taking days or weeks to resolve due to, "It's not my job" syndrome and "forwarding" the problem to someone else. Below average and truly bad employees are able to keep their jobs and will get the same percentage raise as the best employee at the University.