Dear Colleagues,

Over the last two months, we have made meaningful progress advancing our new strategic plan, Forward with Purpose. The momentum at the university is palpable, thanks to the expertise and hard work of our students, faculty and staff.

At the same time, we are navigating a set of significant and complex financial challenges that do not have simple solutions. Over the next several months, we will continue to build on our momentum while simultaneously working to address the structural imbalance in our operating budget.

Budget update

As I’ve shared previously, Temple has been operating with a structural budget deficit for the past three years. Over that time, the university’s operating budgets had an aggregated deficit of approximately $100 million, which has been funded in part through reserves. This is not a sustainable approach to managing our finances.

Prior to any additional actions, the fiscal 2027 operating budget was projected to have an $85 million deficit. We are actively addressing this shortfall through targeted reductions as well as the Voluntary Retirement Incentive Program. We must act decisively and with a sense of urgency to develop a multiyear strategy to balance our budget and achieve an operating margin so we can invest in Temple’s future.

One of the most important structural changes we will be making relates to how we manage institutional resources. The Budget Model Task Force, comprised of faculty and administrators, has been working diligently on the development of our new budget model. Beginning July 1, we will move to a centralized budget structure that allows us to operate as one university, rather than a collection of independent financial units. It is a ‘One Temple’ budget model, which represents a significant cultural shift for our institution.

This will require discipline, collaboration and creativity, and in many cases rethinking how we organize our work across the university to reduce duplication, strengthen coordination, and ensure our resources are being applied to the university’s highest academic and student success priorities. In the coming weeks, we will be building the FY27 budgets for each school, college and division as we work toward eliminating the $85 million deficit.

There is an inherent tension between Temple’s fiscal reality and our institutional ambition. Despite these challenges, Temple meets this moment with considerable strengths, and we are not slowing down. As we work to address our structural budget issues, we will continue to pursue strategic initiatives designed to strengthen our long-term academic excellence and competitiveness. We are already seeing meaningful progress on initiatives that align with the strategic plan. Below are a few examples of how this work is taking shape across our three priorities of Student Success, Research in Action and Place-based Impact.

Student Success

• National Institute for Student Success (NISS): Through our membership in the University Innovation Alliance (UIA), we are partnering with the NISS at Georgia State University, a fellow member of the UIA. NISS is presently gathering data on our operations and practices, which it will use to create a playbook outlining steps to implement campuswide student success strategies. Once that process is complete, we will host a university convening to review the findings and recommendations and discuss the path forward as we work to support and improve student outcomes.
• Enrollment: While we welcomed the largest first-year class in Temple’s history this past fall, overall domestic enrollment fell below 30,000. Our enrollment has been further challenged due to lower than expected retention and progression rates, which continues to be a major area of focus at the university. This is also one of the reasons that Student Success is at the center of the strategic plan and many of its initiatives. On a positive note, all indicators suggest that we should once again welcome a strong first-year cohort when the Class of 2030 arrives on campus this fall. As of March 30, undergraduate applications for first-year students are up 8.3% and admits are up 13.8% compared to this time last year. It is still early, but deposits from first-year students are also up year-over-year.
• Transfer and online task forces: The Transfer Task Force is reviewing recommendations from an American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers consultant to improve our process for evaluating and awarding transfer credits. They are also working on reinvigorating our partnerships with all local and regional community colleges. Similarly, the Online Strategy Task Force is finalizing an institutional approach to online education. Guided by market data, we are identifying high-demand programs that build on Temple’s existing academic strengths across our schools and colleges.
• Campus Antisemitism Report Card: As you may have seen, Temple received an A grade in the latest edition of the Anti-Defamation League’s Campus Antisemitism Report Card released this month. This is a significant improvement from the previous year for our university, and it reflects a very intentional and focused effort on our part to provide an inclusive and welcoming environment on our campus.

Research in Action

• High-performance computing and core facilities: In order to broadly advance the impact of discovery at Temple, researchers must have access to state-of-the-art tools. The Office of the Vice President for Research has been working with stakeholders across the university to plan and develop core facilities and high-performance computing capabilities that are broadly accessible. This includes establishing a universitywide high-performance computing cluster to support AI and modern computing needs, strengthen research competitiveness, and train students in next-generation computing technologies. The shared resource will be available to investigators across all our schools and colleges and will be developed through a combination of internal and external partnerships.
• Planning for STEM facility: As outlined in our campus development plan, Building Connections, we are planning for a new STEM research facility designed with modern wet laboratory space to support multidisciplinary research and instruction. The project will expand capacity, enhance infrastructure and strengthen connections across STEM disciplines.
• Appointment of new cancer center director: The recent appointment of Robert A. Winn as the next cancer center director for Fox Chase Cancer Center reinforces our commitment to strengthening our role as a leader in academic medicine and research. A nationally recognized cancer center director and physician-scientist, Robert is the ideal individual to help us expand the impact of Fox Chase and help integrate it into the broader university community.

Place-based Impact

• Temple Partnership Schools Network: Last week, we announced that we have entered into a new partnership with the School District of Philadelphia. Based upon the nationally recognized Professional Development School model, the College of Education and Human Development will now work directly with two public schools located near Temple’s Main and Health Sciences Center campuses, Tanner G. Duckrey School and Mary McLeod Bethune School, to create a community-embedded, practice-based learning environment that will ultimately strengthen the local schools and the entire North Philadelphia community.
• Department of Public Safety staffing: In December, we shared the results from the independent staffing study that had been conducted for our Department of Public Safety. We have reengaged former commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department Charles Ramsey and his firm, 21CP Solutions, as we work to implement the phased, multiyear staffing plan. I am delighted to share that we welcomed three new police officers to the department, who graduated last week from the Temple University Police Academy at the Ambler Campus. Additionally, we are in discussions with the Temple University Police Association, the labor union that represents the police officers, dispatchers and some security officers employed by the university, to see how we can partner to continue to attract new police officers to the department.
• Planning for Temple Ambler: We have engaged U3 Advisors and Newmark to help the university move forward in developing a long-term strategy for the Ambler Campus. Your feedback in helping to inform this process is critical, and as such, we have launched a university-wide survey that will remain open until April 3. 
• Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts: We recently announced a new partnership with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts that will connect students, artists and audiences across the Avenue of the Arts. Through this collaboration, we will see new artist residencies and master classes as well as expanded student internships, fellowships and experiential learning opportunities. It is the latest example of how we are furthering our commitment to serving as the educational anchor along the Avenue of the Arts.
• Temple On Board: We are preparing to celebrate the first cohort of 37 colleagues who successfully completed Temple’s new professional development program offering faculty, staff and graduate/professional students training in the skills needed to contribute to a nonprofit board. The celebration will culminate with a board fair and networking reception on April 21 that will allow participants to connect with more than a dozen local nonprofit boards.

Upcoming events

• Owls for Philly event: Members of the Temple community are encouraged to join fellow faculty, staff and alumni as we help two of Temple’s neighborhood recreation centers, Martin Luther King Recreation Center and Dendy Recreation Center, prepare for the spring and summer seasons. This Owls for Philly event will be held Friday, April 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and interested participants can register through TUportal.
• Temple Made Days: The fifth annual Temple Made Days alumni week will be held April 13 through April 18. There will be several events throughout the week, which is an opportunity to celebrate our alumni and donor communities and demonstrate what it means to be Temple Made. The week’s events will be capped off with the second annual Temple Made Fest, which will be held Saturday, April 18, from noon to 3 p.m. on Main Campus. The vibrant street festival will showcase businesses owned and operated by alumni as well as current students.
• Innovation with Impact: Finally, I want to invite all members of the Temple community to join me for the spring installation of Innovation with Impact, which will be held Monday, April 20, from 3 to 5 p.m. and feature a collection of insightful Temple Talks presented by faculty from across the university. Register here.

Thank you all for the many ways in which you positively represent this university and help us achieve our mission. I look forward to building on our present momentum and ending this semester on a high note with a wonderful celebration of our graduates.

Sincerely,

John Fry
President