Temple University releases report on independent audit of safety

April 18
As part of Temple University's ongoing commitment to create a safer environment for all members of the Temple and North Philadelphia communities, the university commissioned an external audit to identify public safety best practices and areas for improvement. Former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and his team at 21CP Solutions began their review in May 2022 and the university has released the full report today. "I applaud Temple for inviting an external team like us to take a real hard look to see what's actually going on and how they can improve. Continuous...

Temple kicks off universitywide campus development planning

April 14
What should the Temple of the future look like? Students, faculty, staff and alumni now have the opportunity to make their voices heard on a major new campus development plan called Boundless Temple.  A cutting-edge interactive map survey is enabling the Temple community to illustrate how they experience campus day to day. Through this survey, listening sessions and other online feedback, the community can tell university planners about the changes they would like to see to the university's built environment, which includes campus buildings, landscape architecture and roads....

TechOWL receives a $500,000 grant to open a community lab in North Philadelphia

March 22
Temple University has a long-standing history of providing a variety of programs, events and initiatives to support and uplift our North Philadelphia neighborhood. This story is one example of many that illustrates the work we do in our community.TechOWL (Technology for Our Whole Lives), a Temple-based program focused on supporting Philadelphians with disabilities, has been awarded a $500,000 grant to create a community space in North Philadelphia to expand its services. This funding is a state initiative opportunity introduced by Pennsylvania Representative Malcolm Kenyatta,...

Main Campus hosts anniversary event to celebrate 40 years of Temple Japan

March 08
A crowd of students, faculty and staff gathered in the Chapel of the Four Chaplains in the Temple Performing Arts Center to celebrate Temple University, Japan Campus' (TUJ) 40th anniversary. In his address to the crowd, TUJ Dean Matthew Wilson captured the branch campus' resilient history with a Japanese proverb: "Nana korobi, ya oki"—fall down seven times, get up eight.In the four decades since its opening in Tokyo, TUJ has risen above many challenges, including a global economic collapse, the Fukushima nuclear disaster and, more recently, COVID-19. Thanks to the...

Temple’s Lenfest Center increases job opportunities for the North Philadelphia community

February 28
Temple University has a long-standing history of providing a variety of programs, events and initiatives to support and uplift our North Philadelphia neighborhood. This story is one example of many that illustrates the work we do in our community.Temple University's Lenfest Center for Community Workforce Partnerships provides support for community-led groups that are applying for funding for community solutions to violence."We're trying to be a resource to community groups so that they can implement what they know is needed in their communities," said Shirley Moy, executive...

President Wingard strengthens partnerships with elected officials

February 03
Temple leadership and local elected officials agree: The futures of Temple University and the city of Philadelphia are closely intertwined.President Jason Wingard and Chief of Staff Sophia Lee hosted a gathering of state and local officials on Jan. 30. The group was composed of lawmakers whose districts cover one or more of Temple's campuses. Attendees included state Senator Jimmy Dillon, state Senator Sharif Street, state Senator Tina Tartaglione, state Representative Donna Bullock, state Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, Philadelphia Councilperson Cindy Bass and a...

President Wingard meets with Philadelphia School District superintendent

February 03
Philadelphia School District Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. visited campus on Feb. 2 to initiate an ongoing dialogue to expand the partnerships between Temple University and the city's public schools. "I'm really excited about the opportunity to meet with President Wingard and Provost Mandel and other members of the team here at Temple," Watlington said after the meeting. Temple's Office of Community Affairs and Engagement currently offers extensive programming in numerous public schools, including the Paul L. Dunbar School, Tannery G. Duckery Public School, and Carver...

Temple announces new initiatives to promote and support health and wellness for students and employees

January 23
An onslaught of concerning mental health data from the last several years is painting a startling picture: There is a mental health crisis among U.S. college students who are desperate for help. To address the impact this crisis is having on Temple's community, the university is moving forward with a new strategy and approach to supporting the mental health and wellness of our campus community. Based on the recommendations of the university's Task Force on Mental Health and Wellness, Temple Provost Gregory Mandel recently announced that the university will be making several...

Temple University’s Center for Anti-Racism holds grand opening

November 30
Temple University is now home to a center that seeks to solve problems of racial inequity and injustice. On Nov. 14, Temple hosted the grand opening of its new Center for Anti-Racism. More than 200 people packed the event held on Monday at Room 140 in Mazur Hall. The center's vision was spawned two years ago by Professor Molefi Kete Asante and other members of the Temple community following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. In his address, Welbeck cited the case of Breonna Taylor, who was killed in 2020 by police in a botched home raid. "Breonna Taylor was a...

Renovated Paley Hall set to become ‘signature piece’ of Temple’s campus

November 18
If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it's the importance of public health. For more than two years, the entire public health community worked tirelessly to ensure that the nation—and world—made it through the pandemic. Due to these recent events, the need for high-quality, compassionate public healthcare has never been more clear, and that's where Temple University can help. Its College of Public Health (CPH) is one of the largest and most diverse colleges of its kind in the country, and its soon-to-be-renovated and expanded new home will ensure it...

President Wingard presented the opening address at Chronicle of Higher Education Festival

November 07
As the keynote speaker of this year's Chronicle Festival, a two-day summit organized by The Chronicle of Higher Education, Temple University President Jason Wingard addressed the significant concerns facing the future of higher education. The event, which drew more than 5,000 registrants, also featured New York Times bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell. The festival posed the question: How can colleges and universities better communicate their value and rebuild trust in the American public? Wingard has the answer: Universities must pivot to meet employers' needs and foster...

Temple Hillel unveils legacy plan in honor of professor

November 07
Temple Hillel unveiled a library named in honor of former Temple Professor Edward Newman and celebrated the successful retirement of The Rosen Center's mortgage at a reception on Nov. 1, 2022, attended by 75 people, including President Jason Wingard, Provost Gregory Mandel, Chair of the Board of Trustees Mitch Morgan, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Mary Burke and many of Newman's family members. Newman, a professor at Temple's School of Social Work for 39 years and champion of Jewish causes and disability rights, passed away at age 84 on Aug. 18, 2018. He directed...

Sophia Lee named chief of staff

October 28
Sophia Lee, LAW '00, '04, a longtime Philadelphia-area lawyer and current partner in the litigation practice at Blank Rome LLP, has been named Temple University's chief of staff, President Jason Wingard announced Friday, Oct. 28. Her appointment was confirmed by the Board of Trustees at its meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 25. In addition to her current role at Blank Rome, Lee also served as the firm's chief diversity and inclusion officer. She has handled complex litigation and regulatory matters for a variety of institutions and has helped lead the firm's service capabilities in...

Introducing the Temple University Strategic Plan

October 28
In 2020, Temple University embarked on a bold journey to develop its strategic plan—an ambitious collective vision for the university. Today, Provost Gregory N. Mandel shared the Temple University Strategic Plan with the community. The road to developing the final plan began with a universitywide strategic planning process, which included crafting a set of core values that, along with our mission statement, represent the Temple community and its purpose. They are also embodied in the university's aspiration statement, and have helped in the development of our strategic...

A new interfaith prayer room on campus welcomes students of all faiths

September 27
Temple University is home to a brand new interfaith prayer room, within which students from various religious denominations can pray, reflect and meditate without having to leave Main Campus.The new prayer space is located in room 312 on the third floor of the Howard Gittis Student Center, and was led by the Division of Student Affairs, specifically their Student Center Operations department, in partnership with the university's Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy and Leadership (IDEAL). IDEAL's office, located at the northern end of Main Campus near the corner...

Mental health task force aims to enhance wellness on campus

September 16
Earlier this year Provost Gregory Mandel announced the launch of a new task force whose mission is to analyze and enhance the mental health and wellness services available to Temple students, faculty and staff."This is perhaps the most significant student issue confronting higher education today, and it also touches our faculty and staff in profound ways," Mandel wrote in his announcement.The University Task Force on Mental Health and Wellness began regularly meeting this past spring. While conversations around supporting the wellness of the Temple community have taken place...

Senator Casey and President Wingard address teens about gun violence

July 01
U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) joined a group of middle and high school students to discuss ways for tackling the gun violence crisis."The reason I'm inspired by your generation is because you're having an impact on us right now," Casey told the students during a roundtable discussion held Monday, June 6, at Temple University. "You're pushing us to pass measures to reduce gun violence."Temple University President Jason Wingard was on hand to welcome the students."Today we are really pleased to have Senator Casey here hosting you all to talk about youth violence," he...

President Wingard’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Antisemitism and University Responses continues its work on inclusivity for Jewish campus community

June 09
Temple University's Blue Ribbon Commission on Antisemitism and University Responses recently met for the first time in an all-day workshop to address the rising levels of hate across American university campuses and how Temple can create a more inclusive and supportive sense of community for its Jewish students, faculty and staff."One thing that came out of our workshop was our understanding of the infrastructure that Temple already has in place to form a robust and meaningful response to educate our campus community about antisemitism and give our Jewish students support,"...

What we learned during the first phase of Flying Further

June 16
The university has recently completed Phase 1 of Flying Further, the research and assessment phase of our strategic planning process. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee, the Futures Committee and the Executive Planning Committee collaborated to form a deeper understanding of the current state of the university, which will serve as a foundation for future planning. As part of this work, a values survey was sent to the campus community to help inform our understanding of how we see ourselves and what is important to us. The co-chairs of the Steering Committee, Vice...