Dear Colleagues, 

It is my sincere hope that you all have been able to find time to rest, recharge and enjoy the summer. It seems hard to believe, but we are just two weeks away from the Class of 2030 arriving on campus, signaling the start of another academic year.

With the start of the fall semester soon upon us, I wanted to take a moment to provide an update on our initiatives and progress. 

Commonwealth appropriation 
Earlier this summer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania General Assembly approved the 2026–2027 state budget, which includes a $158.2 million appropriation for Temple University. This year’s budget also includes more than $2 million in new performance-based funding for Temple as well as a $500,000 allocation to Temple’s University College. 

This additional support will allow us to further aid Pennsylvania residents in pursuing a Temple education, and we are deeply grateful to Governor Shapiro for his leadership and to the General Assembly for its bipartisan support of a forward-looking funding model that advances access, accountability and student success across the commonwealth. 

Record fundraising 
It has now been approximately six months since we unveiled our strategic plan, Forward with Purpose, and we continue to make progress across our priorities of student success, research in action and place-based impact. One of the areas where this is most evident is our philanthropic efforts, as we have worked diligently to elevate institutional giving, especially in support of the strategic plan. 

For fiscal year 2026, Temple University received $214 million in gifts, the most ever raised during a single year, and well beyond our fiscal year goal of $160 million. This milestone is a powerful vote of confidence in our path forward, and it reflects the momentum we are building across the university. Our strategic plan is ambitious by design, and philanthropy will be a key financial driver to help us achieve our goals. 

Our success in this area has truly been a team effort, and I am deeply grateful to Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement Al Checcio, his team, and all our deans and colleagues around the university who have helped match the interests of generous donors with the needs and aspirations of the university. 

Richard Sobieray begins as SVP and COO 
This week, Richard Sobieray began his tenure as senior vice president and chief operating officer. Over the last several months, I have worked closely with Rich as he prepares to transition to this important role. He is joining Temple at a crucial time, and I know his experience and leadership will be key in helping the university strengthen its financial position and operational effectiveness. 

Rich brings more than two decades of experience in higher education and academic health systems, and I am eager to work alongside him as we seek to ensure long-term financial sustainability for Temple while continuing to pursue initiatives that support the priorities of the strategic plan—student success, research in action and place-based impact. 

I want to express my deepest gratitude to David Marino, who has done a tremendous job serving as interim chief operating officer during this past fiscal year. We are in a stronger position today because of his steadfast leadership. David will continue to serve in the crucial role of chief financial officer (CFO) and treasurer. 

Budget Advisory Committee 
I recognize how difficult these past few months have been as we worked to navigate through some very difficult budget challenges. I also know that the budget reductions made last month affected many members of our community. 

I am grateful to all of you for your continued support of Temple and its mission. Each of you plays a critical role in our success, and we are better positioned as an institution when we have more people involved in this process who have a clear view of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.  

As I shared in June, a new Budget Advisory Committee is being established to take part in regular discussions with university leadership regarding financial conditions, budget priorities and resource allocation decisions. We will be working with the Faculty Senate president, Michael Bognanno of the College of Liberal Arts, to ensure meaningful and engaged faculty representation on the committee. We will have membership finalized and announced in September. 

This fall, we will also host a series of financial workshops to introduce the “One Temple” budget model where faculty and staff can learn more and ensure that they are engaged throughout the budget cycle. These workshops will focus on Temple’s operating budget, balance sheet, endowment, debt capacity and Commonwealth appropriation. The desire for this type of engagement was a consistent piece of feedback received during the budget model review process, and we are committed to working with you more purposely to provide the full context of Temple’s financial condition. 

Managing university vendor spend and IT resources
As we continue to prioritize savings and identify efficiencies, CFO David Marino sent a memo earlier this week about the launch of a university-wide effort led by Purchasing Services and Information Technology Services (ITS) to manage vendor spend and optimize technology resources.

While this effort is being led by ITS and Purchasing Services, this is a shared responsibility across the institution, and every department plays a role in evaluating the purchases they make. We are asking all units to review every vendor relationship and help identify opportunities to reduce costs by determining where services may no longer be necessary, where usage can be reduced or where pricing may be renegotiated. 

Enrollment update
For the second consecutive year, a record number of prospective first-year students have submitted deposits to join the Class of 2030. Transfer enrollment is also showing positive momentum, as both deposits and registrations are currently ahead of last year's pace at this point in the cycle. I will write to you at the beginning of the semester with a further update. 

These early results directly reflect the strength of Temple's educational value and the extraordinary work of colleagues across the university who have done a tremendous job of demonstrating to students and families what makes this institution so compelling. That is especially impressive given the increasingly competitive nature of today’s higher education environment. I am grateful to all of you. 

While these trends are encouraging, our work is far from complete. Enrollment is a year-round process, and we must continue to work together to meet our upcoming goals. With the start of the semester and our official census date still several weeks away, our collective focus remains on converting deposits into enrolled students, reducing summer melt, supporting continuing student registration and ensuring we achieve our undergraduate enrollment targets for this fall. Student success and retention remain among our highest priorities, and we know we have important work ahead to ensure more students persist, thrive and graduate.  

Evelyn Thimba joined us on July 15 as our new vice president for enrollment management and is already partnering with colleagues across the university to strengthen our enrollment efforts. Enrollment and student success are shared responsibilities, and I am grateful for the commitment our faculty, staff and administrators demonstrate every day to helping students feel welcomed, supported and positioned to succeed.

Department of Education letter 
As you may have seen, the U.S. Department of Education recently shared a letter with university presidents and governing boards that was drafted in consultation with representatives from the Association of American Universities. 

We are carefully reviewing the letter and its contents, and we will be discussing it during the next meeting of our Federal Impact Advisory Group, which includes faculty, students and staff. As Philadelphia’s public research university, Temple has always been an institution deeply committed to opportunity, access, excellence and preparing students for success, and that will continue to be our approach moving forward.

Library Company update 
Earlier this month, we received written confirmation that the Attorney General will not object to our merger with the Library Company of Philadelphia. At this point, the merger still needs to be approved by Orphans’ Court, but we are now one step closer to finalizing our affiliation with this invaluable historical asset. 

This intellectual powerhouse also provides ample opportunity for discovery for students, scholars and members of the public alike. For Temple, this merger aligns closely with the strategic plan as the Library Company supports our place-based approach, building upon our growing presence in Center City.

Thank you all again for your continued commitment to Temple. I look forward to joining you all later this month to celebrate the arrival of the Class of 2030 and the start of a new academic year.

Sincerely, 

John Fry 
President