Temple president emphasizes safety, enrollment recovery and global growth

President John Fry opened the board meeting with a remembrance for a slain community member and three students, then described early priorities since taking office nearly four months ago.

"Temple's mission of access, opportunity, engagement, and discovery will not change," Fry said, calling for the university community to "work together to navigate" shifts in federal guidance. He said Temple is reviewing new Department of Education guidance on nondiscrimination obligations and has convened internal and independent external resources to ensure compliance while preserving the university's stated values.

Fry said campus and neighborhood safety is an immediate priority and that he has "commissioned an independent staffing study" of the Department of Public Safety; he said results will be shared later this spring. He stressed that safety work is not solely policing and described a broader "holistic approach" that pairs university policing with neighborhood partnerships.

Enrollment and student support were also front and center. Fry acknowledged that overall enrollment remains down year over year but cited positive indicators for the first-year class and incoming class of 2029. He said the university launched a "direct-to-you one-stop student services center" to reduce bureaucratic barriers and support retention.

Fry celebrated academic accomplishments and institutional capacity. He noted Temple earned the Carnegie R1 designation for the latest research-activity rankings and said the university is one of only a few Pennsylvania institutions to hold that status. He announced Temple University Japan opened a new satellite location in Kyoto and said the expansion will broaden study-abroad and international enrollment opportunities.

Philanthropy and community service were highlighted as part of the university's strategy. Fry thanked United Concordia Dental for a $100,000 donation to the Children's Dental Clinic at the William D. Kelley School (operated by the Kornberg School of Dentistry), noting the clinic serves children through age 16 and provides care regardless of insurance status. He also said the university's community gateway has served more than 2,500 people in 10 months, connecting residents to Temple and partner services.

Fry described longer-term campus plans, including a proposed health and technology innovation corridor along Broad Street and reuse of acquired buildings such as Tara Hall to expand Temple's presence in Center City. He closed by urging cooperation across campus and promising follow-up on the public-safety staffing study.

The president's remarks set context for the board's subsequent routine governance, academic, and finance actions and emphasized a mix of immediate safety and student-support work alongside longer-term academic and fundraising goals.