Overview
- Drexel University and Academy leaders announced on Tuesday, Sept. 1 that the Benjamin Franklin Parkway museum will keep regular public hours through Sept. 27 and remain open to visitors through Sept. 30 before closing.
- University officials said longterm declines in attendance and higher operating costs threatened the Academy’s ability to care for its research collections and prompted the decision to shift resources to stewardship.
- Scott Cooper, the Academy’s president and CEO, is stepping down as part of a leadership transition that Drexel says will include a new governance structure to oversee the Academy going forward.
- Members will receive direct communications about options that include prorated refunds or honoring benefits at the nearby Franklin Institute through their membership expiration, and scheduled programs before closure will continue.
- The Academy holds more than 19 million specimens, fossils and archives, and sources report plans to relocate collections and sell the Parkway building are under discussion though those plans remain unconfirmed and developing.