The SAVE the Academy Coalition is disappointed that City Council’s public hearing on the Academy of Natural Sciences did not proceed as scheduled and has been rescheduled for October 26. The delay gives closed-door negotiations more time to proceed while the public still lacks a record of what is being decided, what options remain, and what commitments are being made.
We are grateful to the Council members and staff who continue to press for answers, but the postponement must not become a pause in public accountability. Council should ensure that the hearing proceeds as scheduled, with the witnesses and documents needed to create a complete public record.
In the weeks before the hearing, we call on Mayor Cherelle Parker and Governor Shapiro to help ensure that Philadelphia has a meaningful opportunity to understand what is being decided, what options remain available, and what resources may exist to preserve the Academy’s public, scientific, educational, and collections missions. The Mayor’s office has publicly described Ambassador David L. Cohen as designated by both the Governor and the Mayor to serve as their agent and third-party facilitator, and Deputy Mayor Trish Wellenbach as acting as senior adviser to the Academy at Cohen’s request. If City and Commonwealth representatives are inside the process, public accountability is more urgent, not less. The City and Commonwealth cannot be inside closed negotiations and outside public accountability.
Although the Academy and Drexel are non-governmental institutions, the City and Commonwealth are not powerless. The Academy is a charitable institution with collections, donor-restricted assets, public purposes, tax-exempt status, and a long history of public support. Its future affects not only Drexel and the Academy board, but Academy members, Philadelphia families, students, teachers, researchers, workers, donors, visitors, and the broader natural sciences community.
Drexel has not made the case that irreversible decisions about the Academy’s future should proceed without public scrutiny. As detailed in our October 1 statement, we have serious concerns about Drexel’s stewardship of the Academy’s collections, staff capacity, public museum, and scientific mission. Any path forward must be tested against the Academy’s full public purpose, not only Drexel’s institutional interests.
Three asks of our public officials, which we encourage coalition members and allies to continue to pressure all parties to undertake:
- An independent transition assessment by subject-matter experts, before decisions are made that limit the Academy’s future.
- A commitment to incorporating public input into any path forward for the whole Academy: public access, collections care, research and education, staffing, building needs, finances, donor restrictions, and governance.
- A complete public record at the October 26 hearing, including what has already happened, what decisions remain pending, and what options exist for an independent Academy future.
Mayor Parker’s “One Philly” commitment should mean that Philadelphia is at the table before decisions of this magnitude become final. Governor Shapiro’s stated commitment to science must include environmental science and science education, which are more important than ever in this era of global environmental crises.
No irreversible decisions before public answers. No dismantling before disclosure. No future for the Academy without the public.