First, the Coalition must begin with a HUGE Hadrosaurus-sized thank you to all Academy supporters who turned out today, and to the six Philadelphia City Councilmembers who thoughtfully and determinedly questioned the three panels. The floor and both balconies of City Council Room 400 were full, and this riveting hearing made the time fly by. Please make sure to call and thank Councilmember Ahmad, Councilmember Young, Committee Chair Councilmember Thomas, Vice-Chair Councilmember Landau, Councilmember Phillips, & Councilmember Lozada.
Yet, notably absent from this packed, energy-filled hearing were any representatives from the Mayor’s Office, the former Academy CEO, Drexel President Antonio Merlo, or Drexel Executive Vice-President Helen Bowman. Their absences, replaced by stale testimonies, were both conspicuous and inexcusable. Council announced that the hearing would continue on November 16 and that it would pursue subpoenas to obtain answers. We look forward to their future testimony.
In the meantime, we urge our supporters to join us tomorrow evening at 6:00 p.m. outside the Academy for a candlelight vigil marking exactly one month since the doors were locked to the public. We also urge the media and public to investigate the information brought to light during today’s testimony, specifically that the public museum’s actual operating costs are far lower than the inflated figures Drexel has used to justify closure. Drexel needs to explain publicly what each figure includes.
The University’s representative repeatedly emphasized long-term sustainability but failed to explain why the museum had to close while alternatives were evaluated. She said contracted events continued because the institution felt obliged to honor those contracts. Its commitments to public access deserve the same attention.
We welcomed Board Chair Suzanne Biemiller’s call for a public feasibility-planning process and a civic response to the Academy’s future. We are also deeply grateful for the vital insights shared by Philadelphia’s cultural and scientific leaders and Academy staff. Public comments, representing diverse ages, backgrounds, and perspectives, were united by a shared love for the Academy and a fierce commitment to shaping its future. In particular, we were thrilled to hear scientists from the collections, as well as Board Chair Biemiller herself, emphasize the profound, irreplaceable importance of the public museum to the Academy’s entire functioning as an institution.
While we look forward to the next hearing on November 16, we cannot allow this momentum to stall. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported this evening that Drexel and the Academy Board negotiations have paused. That is completely unacceptable. Meanwhile, museum staff departures and the winding down of public operations continue. We need a timetable and a public process that preserves the possibility of a different outcome. This city built this Academy over 214 years, and its significance is global. We want it back. We urge everyone to keep pushing the Mayor, the Governor, and Drexel leadership; this fight is far from over.
If Drexel cannot steward the Academy and fulfill its sacred obligation to this institution and the City of Philadelphia, then it should step aside. We stand ready to help meet this beloved institution’s needs and collaboratively chart a brighter future for its next 200 years.