Drexel University has announced it will open an office in Washington, D.C. that will serve as a multifunctional academic and outreach center for the university and its online subsidiary Drexel University Online.

The office will be located at the Lafayette Tower at 801 17th St., N.W., a central location that will further broaden the Drexel brand and allow for opportunities to attract more online students. It is scheduled to open in January.

Drexel’s iSchool, the College of Information Science and Technology, in conjunction with the University’s Goodwin College of Professional Studies, School of Education, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Earle Mack School of Law and Drexel University Online will use the office for academic outreach.

The D.C. office will also serve as a base to reach out to Congress and the federal government for support of the university’s teaching, research and service missions, which are led by the Office of Government and Community Relations.

“Drexel’s expansion to the Washington, D.C. area comes at a propitious time for our university,” said Drexel President John A. Fry. “Our presence in D.C. will allow our faculty to better connect with key research agencies in the region and also provides the opportunity for us to extend our reach in a growing market where there are many jobs for which a Drexel education is specifically aligned.”

The D.C. office is expected to target potential online students from Richmond, Va. to Baltimore, Md. It will also allow Drexel to establish connections with experts in the federal government who could serve as adjunct teaching faculty for the university.

When the D.C. office opens its doors, Drexel’s colleges and schools will use the space to promote online and predominantly graduate programs. The iSchool will offer master’s degrees in library and information science, information systems, software engineering and health care informatics. Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions will focus on its online bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing and bachelor’s degrees in health services administration.

Goodwin College will offer a variety of certificates in construction management, project management, property management and hospitality management, while the School of Education will offer master’s degrees in education policy, international and global education, educational administration leadership and educational professional development. The Earle Mack School of Law will use the D.C. office for cooperative education opportunities.

“Expanding to D.C. will provide access to federal resources for students and professionals who live outside of the Philadelphia area,” said Shonda Woodhous-Ricks, Coppin State University graduate currently working on a federal contract. “This is a positive move for Drexel.”