For Sung Ho Yoo, a sophomore German and secondary education major, this was one of the first times he had seen Temple be efficient.
“They’re usually late with everything else,” Yoo said of the e-mail he received in his Temple inbox at about 4 p.m. stating that university President David Adamany would resign his post at the end of the academic year.
At 3 p.m. the closed-door Executive Session Meeting began in Sullivan Hall where the Board of Trustees assembled. The meeting was not open to the public, but at 3:45 p.m., doors were opened to the public and Board of Trustees Chairman Howard Gittis announced that Adamany would retire effective June 30, unless the university can find a suitable president earlier.
Shortly after the press conference, Temple Student Government President Oscar Chow was informed of Adamany’s announcement.
“I was very surprised. I really don’t have any words, just very surprised,” Chow said.
“It’s a shame in a way because you see a lot of changes that are occurring and when power is changing, there’s uncertainty.
“There’s no guarantee that current agendas will be embraced. Some projects may be up in the air now,” Chow said.
The Office of Multicultural Affairs, a project spearheaded by Adamany’s administration, may see changes with a different administration that may have a different agenda, Chow said.
Yoo was also surprised.
“It was sudden, kind of strange,” Yoo said. “Best wishes to our president though, and I hope he does well wherever he goes.”
Junior Leah Siemiarowski, a political science major, was less generous.
“I think it’s good [that he’s resigning],” she said. “He’s been ridiculously pompous to faculty as well as students, and it’s a good thing that he’s going and hopefully someone will come in that cares about the university he is running.”
“Thank God,” said Desiree Williams, a senior in the Fox School of Business. “He knows how bad he was. End of story.”
Williams said that changes that occurred under Adamany’s watch were negative, such as tuition hikes and rising academic standards for admission. He made urban education a difficulty, she said.
“He made it harder for the average person to go to school,” Williams said.
Dan Greenspan, a junior marketing major in the business school, said, “I think it’s a shame that he’s leaving because he’s expanding the campus and has made the campus more enjoyable compared to what it was five years ago.”
Despite Adamany’s contributions to Main Campus, Greenspan said he did not think the 69-year-old president would be missed.
James Lee, a graduate theology student, said, “I feel like he’s been working on so many changes … bringing Tyler [to Main Campus], tearing down Curtis [Hall]. … He’s making all these changes and right when it all happens, he’s going to leave?” Lee asked.
“It’s like a premonition that something bad is going to happen. Like why is he running away?”
Maddie Ruth, a freshman living in Peabody residence hall, said she received the e-mail at around 4:30 p.m. while in her dorm room.
“It’ll be a change, but the effects for me … I didn’t really know him,” the freshman political science major said.
Much like Ruth, freshmen Nancy John and Tincey Varghese did not get a chance to know Adamany. They said they vaguely remembered the name.
Chow, who graduates in May, said Adamany’s presidency achieved a lot during the past six years, such as the opening of the new TECH Center.
“He did a decent job as president,” Chow said. “I definitely think he’s leaving on a positive note.”
Charmie R. Snetter can be reached at snett77@temple.edu.
Be the first to comment