Temple’s acting president Richard Englert was named to the position of president until a national search for a successor launches this summer, the Board of Trustees announced Tuesday.
The decision came in a one-hour public meeting at Sullivan Hall, the first public meeting of the full Board since trustees voted in July to remove Neil Theobald as President. At that meeting, the Board named Englert as acting president and confirmed the appointment of JoAnne Epps as provost.
Patrick O’Connor, who has been chairman of the Board since 2009 and re-elected each year since, was re-elected again. O’Connor said he was “honored” to continue as chair of the Board.
“We’ve been through some difficult times,” he added. “But the Board is one with me and we’re one with our mission.”
In an interview after the meeting, O’Connor said keeping Englert for this year would give the administration “a stability period” before the search.
Kevin Feeley, a spokesman the Board hired this summer as Theobald was ousted, then interjected.
“I think you’re going to see a deliberate, thoughtful search process that begins in the summer or fall,” Feeley said. He added that Englert, who has served in 13 roles at the university since 1976, has asked not to be a candidate in the search for president.
“He’s earned the Board’s confidence,” Feeley said. “He’s earned the right to the title. He’s spent a lifetime at Temple … I think the Board wanted to reward that.”
The search could last several months, meaning Englert could be in office for two years.
In the meeting, Aramark was approved to become the university’s main food service provider, and the university will sign a 15-year contract with the company.
Aramark will effectively replace Sodexo, which was the university’s food provider for the past 28 years. Michael Mahaffey, Sodexo’s resident district manager, told The Temple News last month that the company has a contract with the university set to expire July 1.
According to a university news release, more information on the Aramark contract will be provided once it is finalized.
“Current dining employees will have the opportunity to continue their employment,” Karen Cutler, Aramark’s vice president of corporate communications, said in an interview Tuesday. “There’s just a basic screening process that we always do.”
A representative from Sodexo could not be reached for immediate comment.
Sandra Harmon-Weiss, who chairs the Board of Visitors for the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, was named a trustee at the meeting.
Harmon-Weiss graduated from the College of Liberal Arts in 1971 and earned her medical degree from the medical school in 1974. She has also donated $100,000 to Temple athletics.
Harmon-Weiss told The Temple News she is a “real Temple Owl” because after earlier dropping out of college, she finished her degree at Temple taking night classes.
“I’m so proud of Temple and I’m thrilled to be able to serve Temple in this capacity and support the new leadership,” she said.
Five trustees were reappointed to serve until 2020:
- Richard Fox, the namesake of the Fox School of Business;
- Theodore Davis, a former New Jersey Superior Court judge;
- Leon Moulder Jr., a pharmaceutical executive;
- Daniel Polett, a car dealer and former Chairman of the Board;
- And Phillip Richards, a financial executive.
Gillian McGoldrick and Joe Brandt can be reached at news@temple-news.com or on Twitter @TheTempleNews.
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