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President Constantine Papadakis was awarded the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce's 2007 William Penn Award for his contributions to the community.

Papadakis awarded by Chamber of Commerce

By: Aditi Dubey

Posted: 11/30/07

The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce has chosen University President Constantine Papadakis to receive the 2007 William Penn Award based on the bold actions he took to improve Drexel University, according to a GPCC news release.

Papadakis will officially get the award, which was instated in 1949, at the William Penn Awards Gala April 18. According to the GPCC's website, this award is the highest honor bestowed upon a business executive in Greater Philadelphia.

"Dr. Papadakis has capitalized on Drexel's traditional strengths and … [built] it into a national comprehensive research university and a major contributor to the regional economy," the GPCC wrote in their release.

Senior Vice President of Communications at GPCC Mary Flannery, said, "This is recognition of the valuable contributions that business leaders make to the well-being of our region."

Recipients are nominated by a selection committee comprised of past honorees, most of whom are present or former members of the GPCC Board of Directors. The award does not have a monetary component, and usually, a gala is held in the recipient's honor, where they receive a Steuban crystal statue with gold and silver representing King Arthur's sword Excalibur, Flannery explained.

Papadakis was nominated for this award for making multiple contributions to the GPCC and the Greater Philadelphia community.

"The selection committee considered all of Dr. Papadakis' works to date," Flannery said. "By no means does this imply that his work is finished. We expect he will continue his endeavors on many fronts to promote the economic strength of Greater Philadelphia."

Papadakis plays many roles within GPCC, as a member of the GPCC Executive Committee, CEO of the Council for Growth, chairman of Select Greater Philadelphia's Finance Committee and a member of the Select Oversight Committee. According to GPCC's news release, Papadakis is being honored for his contributions to promote the economic strength of Greater Philadelphia.

Mark S. Schweiker, President & CEO of the GPCC, congratulated Papadakis for being nominated for this award.

"Dr. Papadakis' contributions to the economic and civic well-being of our community have been enormous and long-lasting," Schweiker said in the statement released by GPCC. "Taki is a true civic leader who has devoted countless hours to making Greater Philadelphia a more competitive place. He envisioned a resurgent Drexel University and is making it happen. Similarly, he sees opportunity to grow the economic base of our region and is working to make that happen."

More details on how the selection committee operates are not available as public information.

"Because the Chamber is a private organization, there are some details of our administration that are private. For instance, the Selection Committee includes all (living) past recipients," Flannery said in an e-mail. "How many of them participate in the selection process is something we do not discuss publicly. However, I can tell that some past recipients who are active in Chamber activities include Bill Sasso (2006), Nick B., (2005), John Binswanger (2002), Walt D'Alessio (1997), Bill Avery, the former head Crown Cork & Seal (1999 recipient)."

Papadakis expressed gratitude on being nominated for this award.

"I am honored to receive The William Penn Award and to be recognized by the business leaders of Greater Philadelphia," Papadakis said in a Drexel News Bureau press release. "Drexel's close partnerships with the business community, through co-operative education, research collaboration and technology transfer, contribute to our University's success."

As a recipient of this award, Papadakis will now serve on next year's selection committee for the William Penn award.