June 11, 2026
Provided Image/Drexel University
A rendering shows plans for new facilities at Drexel University's Nick Howley College of Engineering and Computing. The Howley Foundation is giving the university a record $112.6 million gift.
Drexel University has received a record $112.6 million gift to establish the newly named Nick Howley College of Engineering and Computing, a program that will have facilities for robotics and aerospace research at the University City campus, officials said Thursday.
The gift is being provided by the nonprofit family foundation of Nick and Lorie Howley, together with their daughter Meg. It's more than double the university's previous record gift of $50 million from attorney Thomas Kline, whose 2014 donation to Drexel supported the law school. Nick Howley graduated from Drexel in 1975 and sits on the university's Board of Trustees.
“This investment is a powerful affirmation of Drexel’s strength and leadership in fields where innovation and impact are deeply intertwined," Drexel President Antonio Merlo said in a statement. "It will not only bring excitement and a new look to our campus, but it will also provide generations of students with access to state-of-the-art facilities, as well as set them on course for a transformational educational experience at Drexel.”
More than $36 million will be used to create 55,000 square feet of new classroom, laboratory and other learning spaces at existing Drexel buildings along Market Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
At Drexel's 3101 Market St. property, the gift will allow the university to create undergraduate engineering and computing teaching labs along with the robotics facility, a flight simulator, a jet engine lab and a soil and concrete analysis lab. There will also be wet labs for chemical engineering, materials science, and cell and gene therapy education. The building is now partially occupied by the Center for Functional Fabrics and has a maker space and labs.
Another space in a Drexel property at 32nd and Market streets will become the Walter N. Howley Jr. Innovation Garage, named after Nick's father, to showcase the work of Drexel engineering and computing student organizations. The space will have areas for students to build prototypes of electric vehicles, airplanes and rockets to enter into national engineering competitions.
Work on the new facilities is scheduled to begin next spring.
Howley College will now combine Drexel's School of Engineering, School of Computer and Information Sciences and School of Biomedical Engineering and Science to form the university's largest academic unit.
Howley graduated from Drexel with a degree in mechanical engineering and went on to attend Harvard Business School. He's the founder of TransDigm Group Inc., a designer and producer of aircraft components for the commercial and military aerospace sectors. Howley also co-founded Perimeter Solutions, a designer of industrial products and services for firefighting, electronics and the medical device industry.
Lorie Howley is a horticulturist who spent years leading education programs at Longwood Gardens and has worked in governance for a range of nonprofits. She co-founded the Howley Foundation, whose mission is to provide resources for social mobility among economically disadvantaged students. The foundation's Philadelphia operations are led by Meg Howley, who's also a Drexel graduate.
"I am proud to support Drexel’s mission as a global leader in experiential education," Nick Howley said in a statement. "The University’s model provides a true return on investment for all students who earn a Drexel degree and I believe it is the best way to encourage upward social and economic mobility."
