This collection consists of clippings from newspapers and other media, publicity subject files, project files, press releases, and administrative records, all chiefly from the 1980s and 1990s. The records have been gathered over a long period of time and by several different individual record creators; therefore, the filing systems represented in the collection are diverse and sometimes idiosyncratic. To the extent possible, order in the collection has been imposed by the archivist, but it was not possible to separate out all items by material type or by subject. Therefore, researchers looking for a particular material type, such as newspaper clippings, or information about a particular subject should consult several series. The media clips, project files, publicity subject files, and administrative subject files series may all contain extensive documentation that will be of interest to researchers looking for information about a particular person or event.

For ease of use in research, portions of the collection containing photographs of people affiliated with Drexel, university events, and places on campus have been separated from the collection. Photos have been interfiled with PC 4, the People Photograph Collection, and PC 5, the Subject Photograph Collection. Likewise, newspaper clippings and publicity subject files (but not administrative subject files) that were clearly labeled as pertaining to a particular person have been separated from the collection and interfiled in UR 10.2, the Biographical Reference Collection.

The first series, Administrative subject files, are subject and name files compiled by University Relations staff. Some files may contain newspaper clippings, press releases, or other publicity materials, but administrative files are distinct from publicity subject files in that they also contain correspondence and manuscripts. There are extensive files on Constantine Papadakis, including a binder of media clips from his term as Dean of the University of Cincinatti's College of Engineering and several of his speeches from various Drexel functions.

The second series, Brochures, catalogs and programs, consists of newsletters, guides and pamphlets produced and collected by the Office of University Relations. There are course catalogs from the various Drexel colleges, invitations to functions, ceremonial event programs, applications, handbooks and other Drexel publications. Subject categories range from broad topics such as parents, faculty to more specific offices, Colleges and departments. There are some periodicals like newsletters and magazines, but most have been separated from this collection and interfiled in UR 12.1, Periodicals collection.

The third series, Media clips, consists of folders containing only clippings and no other materials. Additional clippings may be found interfiled with other material types in the project files or the publicity and administrative subject files. This series is arranged into 2 subseries, clippings by date and clippings by topic. Clippings by date are arranged chronologically. Type and degree of arrangement within each year varies. Clippings from some years are arranged by month or by week; other years lack arrangement below the year level. This subseries also contains report binders entitled “Hot Clips” summarizing mentions of Drexel in the news media. Reports are addressed to president Constantine Papadakis from vice president for university relations Philip Terranova. They contain some transcripts of clippings from radio, television, and print media as well as lists of appearances in print media, and the arrangement is chronological. Some files contain subject lists within the folders, mostly 1989 to 2000, and a partial index for searching the contents and subjects of some folders is available; ask the archives staff for assistance. Clippings by topic are arranged alphabetically by subject; topics range from broader categories such as the various Drexel colleges to specific subjects such as individual people or notable occurences in Drexel history. There are several files from 1987 on Drexel president William S. Gaither's sexual harassment scandal and subsequent resignation. Some other topics that are covered extensively are in 1988: a Drexel student that was arrested at the Philadelphia airport for attempting to board a plane with weapons in June; fathers fighting for the right to have a say in their wives' and girlfriends' abortions in July; and scholars drowning in a flood of scientific and medical journals, also in July. This subseries also contains Burrelle's TV and radio and World Wide Web clips of Drexel mentions in the news.

The fourth series, Press releases, consists of news releases and tipsheets. Some appear to have been compiled by the library for inclusion in the collection. Arrangement is roughly chronological; no attempt has been made to arrange press releases. Many have been left in their original binders and labeled with the date range.

The fifth series, Project files, is a set of numbered files documenting projects carried out by University Relations staff members. Each file corresponds to a single project, most of which resulted in a news release. Files may contain any of the following items: the text of a news release, supporting research materials such as brochures and research notes, captioned photographs to accompany the release, and clippings from newspapers that carried the story. Physical arrangement is by number of project file, roughly chronological. Numbering appears not to be continuous; there is a break at 1606 and numbering restarts at 5000. Files numbered 6468 to 6710 are not continuous and contain newspaper clippings that resulted from the project only. Intellectual arrangement in the finding aid is alphabetical for ease of research. A partial index for searching the contents and subjects of some folders is available; ask the archives staff for assistance.

The sixth series, Publications project files, is a set of numbered files documenting projects carried out by University Relations staff members. Each file corresponds to a single project, most of which resulted in a publication. Files may contain any of the following items: various rough and final drafts of the publication, samples and supporting research materials, work estimates and quotes, photographs to accompany the publication, and memos and correspondence pertaining to the creation of the publication. There are several subseries within this series, mainly to consolidate duplicate files. Physical arrangement is numerical by project file, roughly chronological order. Numbering begins at 1053 and continues through 2090, but single files are occasionally missing. Intellectual arrangement within the finding aid is alphabetical for ease of research. A partial index for searching the contents and subjects of some folders is available; ask the archives staff for assistance.

The seventh series, Publicity subject files, consists of files containing a mixture of types of materials, arranged by subject. Newspaper clippings are the predominant material type, but some files contain radio and TV clips, photographs, and pamphlets. Arrangement is alphabetical.

The eighth series, Reports, studies and proposals, consists of files containing internal reports created by Drexel or for Drexel by consultants. Each file is specific to a particular report or study. This series contains two strategic plans of the University, one by Breslin and one by Papadakis, as well as annual reports, consultant proposals and study results, and presentations. Arrangement is alphabetical.