Temple President John Fry shared a number of announcements and updates with the university community, including a staffing study into the Department of Public Safety and campus developments in North Philadelphia, in an email to all faculty and staff Thursday afternoon.
Following the release of the 21CP audit led by former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey in April 2023, the university is initiating an independent staffing study of the Department of Public Safety, Fry announced. The study will begin next month, as tensions have risen between the Temple Police union and DPS amid multiple social media posts and university statements.
The Institutional Advancement and Alumni Relations office will also be “thoroughly” reviewed next semester to make sure Temple is primed to celebrate its 150th year anniversary and the funding campaign to go alongside it.
Next semester, the university hopes to launch the Direct-TU One Stop Student Services Center and a Student Success Management Platform. Both systems are geared to optimize student experiences in services, academic advising and communication.
Fry also noted programs, like the Temple Community Gateway, will be prioritized to connect the Temple community to its North Philadelphia community.
“In the months to come, we will be reimaging how we think about community impact and engagement to ensure that we are scaling existing initiatives and creating new opportunities through better coordination and integration of efforts that are happening across the university,” Fry wrote in the letter.
The university’s current budgeting model was a top concern for many of the deans Fry met with, which he said he plans to fully review next semester. Temple implemented the Responsibility Center Management model for the 2015 fiscal year, which decentralized how Temple allocates its money to schools.
In keeping with revitalization and systemwide advancement, Fry stated the university will continue to implement university-wide initiatives to encourage a better student, safety and community experience.
Temple recently changed its university healthcare policies to continue waiving employees’ co-pays for the use of Temple Health. They also plan to introduce expedited appointment scheduling for Temple employees and their family members later in 2025.
It has been almost two months since Fry took office as Temple’s 15th president. In that time, he has met with 16 of the 17 schools and colleges at Temple, he wrote.
Fry also noted many developments at Temple this year, including the integration of the Department of Public Safety’s gun detection technology.
This year also included the announcement of a new Klein building on Broad Street, as well as the opening of Temple Japan’s Kyoto campus to come January 2025.
Fry also referenced achievements in Temple Athletics this year, with the Men’s Basketball team winning its 2,000th game in program history Wednesday night and the Temple Women’s Basketball team securing the first-ever Women’s Big 5 Classic Championship earlier this month. The athletics program also hired K.C. Keeler as the new head coach of Temple Football.
“I want to thank you all for your continued commitment, service and dedication to Temple University,” Fry wrote. “People are at the heart of what makes Temple distinctive and successful, and they remain this institution’s greatest asset.”
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