John Fry was officially inaugurated as Temple’s 15th president during an Investiture Ceremony at the Temple Performing Arts Center Friday. Speakers at the event included Mayor Cherelle Parker, Board of Trustees Chair Mitchell Morgan, Faculty Senate President Shohreh Amini and Student Body President Ray Epstein.
Fry also announced a $27.5 million donation, the largest single donation to Temple, from philanthropists Sidney and Caroline Kimmel at the event. The Klein College of Media and Communication and Center for Cinematic and Performing Arts’ new home at Broad Street and Polett Walk will be named the Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication in honor of the donation.
“Temple is the embodiment of diversity and inclusivity,” wrote Sidney Kimmel in a message Fry read during his remarks. “No matter who you are or where you are from, Temple is opportunity, a launching pad for those with drive who are willing to work hard.”
The ceremony Friday concluded an “Innovation with Impact” series the university held throughout the week to celebrate Fry’s inauguration alongside Temple Made Days. The events included performances from CPCA students, a Women in Sports Media conference and exhibitions from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture.
Temple’s Vice President for Community Impact and Civic Engagement Valerie Harrison opened the Investiture Ceremony with brief remarks on the weeks’ events. She then welcomed Keith Leaphart, Jefferson University’s chief health equity and community impact officer, who invoked the event.
Leaphart led the ceremony in a non-denominational prayer for Fry’s future at Temple. He thanked the audience for attending and emphasized the importance of the relationship between Temple and Philadelphia.
Morgan then delivered remarks welcoming Fry into office on behalf of the Board of Trustees. He emphasized his trust in Fry because of his previous leadership at Drexel University, where he served as president for 14 years.
“This institution has always been an incredible engine for opportunity,” Morgan said. “With John at the wheel, we are confident this engine will generate more power than ever before.”
After Morgan’s speech, Parker took the stage to welcome Fry and emphasize the importance of a collaboration between the City of Philadelphia and Temple. She underscored the necessity of “eds and meds” in the city, hailing Temple and Temple University Hospital as the forefront of the respective fields.
Parker also shared excitement for Temple’s future development projects, referencing the university’s recent acquisition of Terra Hall, the now-defunct University of the Arts’ largest instructional building. She also praised the Temple Future Scholars program, a collaboration with Philadelphia middle schools that aims to help support students throughout their educational journey.
“While I am excited to work alongside John, this is a confession, a confession to each of you,” Parker said. “I am also excited just to watch him work.”
Temple Provost Gregory Mandel spoke briefly after Parker concluded her remarks. He highlighted the strength of the university community and its members’ devotion to higher education.
Mandel ended his speech by welcoming Michael Young, president and chief executive officer of Temple Health, to the podium. Young reminisced on his first interactions with Fry 30 years ago, when they worked together in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He boasted TUH’s accomplishments, especially its classification with The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as an R1 institution, denoting the highest level of research activity.
“There’s a lot I can say about today’s Temple health system, but it pretty much boils down to this: We are dedicated to improving the health and quality of life in our neighborhoods of North Philadelphia, and we teach future generations of doctors, nurses and elder care givers to do the same thing,” Young said.
Amini followed Young’s speech with remarks of her own, welcoming Fry on behalf of Temple’s faculty. She shared her belief that Temple’s mission is to bolster students’ success and praised Fry’s commitment to academic freedom, which she feels is especially important in today’s political climate.
Since Fry took office at Temple in November, President Donald Trump has targeted diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and made attempts at dissolving the Department of Education, as well as repealing Biden administration amendments to Title IX laws that protected students’ expressions of gender identity. His administration has also revoked more than 300 student visas, including one Temple student’s, and slashed research budgets nationwide.
Temple administration has shared its commitment to continuing its DEI programs and extension of identity-based protections to its students. Fry has continually emphasized that the university will do all that it lawfully can to safeguard its international students. The university is also committed to maintaining its status as a prominent research institution.
Epstein then shared brief remarks on the student body’s behalf, including her excitement about Fry’s community-oriented policies and discussing his recent dedication to collaboration with Temple Student Government.
The Investiture Choir followed Esptein’s remarks by singing Bob Chilcott’s “The Gift to be Simple” as part of a musical interlude before Fry was presented with the university medallion and chain of the office. Morgan and former university president Richard Englert bestowed the chain upon Fry, after which Fry delivered a 30-minute speech outlining his vision for the university.
Fry began his remarks by asserting Temple’s dedication to creating affordable education for people of all backgrounds. He described the university’s commitment to inclusivity and providing a place for all to research and innovate.
He then spoke of the recent tensions between higher education institutions and the federal government, sharing his commitment to continuing to support all members of the Temple community through unprecedented executive actions targeting universities across the country.
“We need to be unequivocal in our support of all members of our community.” Fry said. “Whatever your race, religion, background, gender, identity and expression or country of origin and residence, you have a place here at Temple.”
Fry then began to detail his plans for Temple’s development, including ongoing construction projects like Paley Hall and Klein and CPCA’s new building. He spoke of designs to create a new greenspace quad adjacent to the Bell Tower, a plan that has been in place since the university announced its “Verdant Temple” directive in 2015.
Fry outlined three directives for Temple during his tenure. First, he gave a commitment to supporting students and ensuring that they graduate by providing them with academic and financial support. He referenced Temple’s recent work with the University Innovation Alliance, a national organization aimed at improving student success.
His second directive is focused on engaging in discovery, innovation and creativity at Temple. He hopes Temple will be able to join the Association of American Universities, a coalition of 71 of the nation’s top research institutions.
Fry’s final initiative is to reestablish Temple as a “place-based” university, which means strengthening the university’s relationship with the North Philadelphia community. He spoke of the importance of community-oriented programs at Temple like the Community Gateway and Temple Future Scholars.
Fry shared hopes of developing an “Innovation Corridor” along Broad Street by connecting Temple’s Health Sciences, Main and Center City campuses. He included the Terra Hall acquisition and the Klein and CPCA building as part of these plans.
Fry then delivered his plans to announce a new fundraising directive as a part of the university’s 150th anniversary celebrations. The campaign will run until 2036 in hopes of bolstering Fry’s plans for expansion and furthering of educational programs.
“Once our alumni and other friends discover what Temple is becoming and the impact that it is having on its students, the city and the world, I believe they will rally to support our university with unprecedented amounts of time, talent and treasure,” Fry said.
He then concluded his speech and welcomed his daughter Mia to the stage to finish the event with a reading of Alberto Ríos’ “A House Called Tomorrow.” The event concluded around 3:30 p.m. after the Investiture Choir and Orchestra led the ceremony in a performance of Temple’s Alma Mater.
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