In the past 12 months, the Temple community has seen the turnover of multiple presidents, the death of a Temple Police officer, safety improvements on and near Main Campus, a graduate student union strike and increasing enrollment concerns.
As 2024 approaches, some events, like an ongoing faculty union negotiation and a search for a new president, will present new challenges and opportunities for the university.
Here are the top 10 News stories of 2023.
1. Wingard expected to resign on Friday, university announces
By Oliver Sabo and Lawrence Ukenye
Following a period of mounting pressure regarding safety concerns, a TUGSA strike that lasted 42 days and the announcement of a faculty no-confidence vote, President Jason Wingard submitted his resignation to Temple’s Board of Trustees on March 28.
Wingard officially resigned March 31 and JoAnne Epps was named acting president on April 11. The Board of Trustees announced the search for the next president on Sept. 7.
2. JoAnne Epps dies after collapsing at university event
By Oliver Sabo
JoAnne Epps, a long-time Temple administrator who stepped into the presidential role on April 11 following Wingard’s resignation, passed away suddenly after collapsing on stage at a university event on Sept. 19. Epps was considering retirement before the Board of Trustees asked her to serve.
In her introductory press conference, Epps said she would prioritize listening and engaging with students, faculty, staff, administrators and the surrounding community to focus on two central university issues: safety and enrollment. Following her death, students, faculty and staff agreed that Epps positively impacted university morale following a semester of turmoil.
3. Temple police officer fatally shot near 17th Street
By Oliver Sabo
On the evening of Feb. 18, Temple Police Sgt. Christopher Fitzgerald was fatally shot at 17th Street near Montgomery Avenue. Fitzgerald was the first Temple University Police Department officer to die while on duty. An 18-year-old was arrested in connection to the shooting on Feb. 19.
Following the shooting, Temple raised more than $450,000 to support Fitzgerald’s family through the Temple University Fallen Heroes Fund, covered funeral costs and offered tuition remission for Fitzgerald’s children, should they attend the university. Fitzgerald’s life was honored in a vigil at the Bell Tower, his funeral service and the renaming of the 1700 block of Montgomery Avenue to “Christopher Fitzgerald Way.”
4. TUGSA officially strikes following stagnant negotiations with Temple
By Oliver Sabo and Fallon Roth
On January 31, the Temple University Graduate Students’ Association announced that they would begin striking for increased pay, better benefits and classroom improvements, two months after 99 percent of the union’s members voted to authorize a strike. The announcement began what would become a 42-day strike that included daily picketing, rallies, support from political leaders and an undergraduate march on Broad Street in support of the union. The union ratified a tentative agreement with Temple in a 344-8 vote on March 9.
5. Students disapprove of Wingard’s performance
By Julia Merola, Rachel Townsend and Fallon Roth
A March poll conducted by The Temple News surveying roughly 1,000 students found that 92 percent of students generally disapproved of Wingard’s performance at the time. The same amount of respondents also believed Wingard was not relatable. The poll, released just one week before the former president’s resignation announcement, also found that 75 percent of students believed safety was Temple’s biggest issue.
6. Temple grapples with low enrollment numbers, budget cuts
By Sidney Rochnik
Amid a national undergraduate enrollment decline during the past four years, enrollment at Temple has decreased by 21.8 percent in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. The university has increased tuition and made budget cuts each year in an attempt to mitigate consequences for students and faculty. Jose Aviles, the new vice provost of enrollment management, started his position on May 1 and has a program in place aimed at creating a more intensive recruiting strategy.
7. Temple begins to implement audit recommendations
By Oliver Sabo
More than a year after its announcement, Temple University released an audit of Campus Safety Services’ operations and procedures. The 131-page report was conducted by former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, who partnered with 21CP Solutions, an organization that advises law enforcement agencies. The report, which came just one day after The Temple News’ Editorial Board called on the university to release it, summarized four major areas of recommendations and emphasized that campus safety and safety in neighborhoods surrounding Temple are interconnected.
8. TAUP to discuss no-confidence vote on President Wingard, other Temple leaders
By Fallon Roth and Lawrence Ukenye
On March 1, The Temple News first reported that the Temple Association of University Professionals would discuss holding a no-confidence vote on then-President Jason Wingard, Provost Gregory Mandel and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ken Kaiser’s handling of the TUGSA strike, public safety and other university issues. TAUP, which is currently negotiating for a new contract, voted for no confidence in Mandel and Board of Trustees Chair Mitchell Morgan, who replaced Kaiser in the vote, on April 24.
9. Temple navigates increasing public scrutiny
By Oliver Sabo
As Temple grappled with multiple safety incidents around Main Campus and the TUGSA strike, some entities began to question the university’s communication methods with students and the media. In a Feb. 22 interview with NBC10, Wingard said he did not know what the university specifically needed to address safety concerns. Scott Gratson, director of communication studies at Klein College of Media and Communication, believed the university needed more transparency around messaging to students.
10. TUPD faces recruitment, retention concerns amid national police shortage
By Sidney Rochnik
While TUPD continued its efforts to hire and retain officers this year, citywide and national personnel shortages impacted the department’s strategy. The Department of Public Safety revamped its recruitment plans, making their benefits comparable to PPD and following 21CP Solutions’ recommendation for a written recruitment plan.
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