Trustees discuss building purchase, recent executive orders in February meeting

In the Board of Trustees’ first public meeting of 2025, Temple President John Fry and other Board members addressed various topics, including the purchase of an event hall on North Carlisle Street and the appointment of a new Trustee.

Board of Trustees Chairman Mitchell Morgan introduced Fry, who began his speech with honoring the life of four fallen community members — Feb. 18 was the second year anniversary of the death of former Sgt. Christopher Fitzgerald, who was fatally shot in the line of duty. The other three were students who all passed away in the last 25 days.

As the meeting continued, Fry recapped initiatives and information that has recently affected the Temple community. He addressed recent executive orders, including the “Dear Colleague” memo that called for the dissolvement of DEI programs. 

“Temple takes pride in providing a welcoming environment for all students, faculty and staff regardless of their race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation or identity — that too will not change,” Fry said. “This is who we are, and this is what we stand for.”

The Board approved the acquisition of 1535-37 North Carlisle Street, an off-campus building near Oxford Street. It was formerly the home of Master’s Bar and Restaurant, according to Yelp. It’s currently the home of Ego Hall, a space for private events. The Board voted that the purchase of the building can’t exceed $2,095,300 using university reserve funding.

In the meeting’s resolutions, Leslie Anne Miller was elected as a new Board of Trustees member effective immediately. The 1994 Beasley School of Law alumnus will serve into October 2027 and previously served as the chair of the Philadelphia Art Museums board.

Current Trustee Bret Perkins was also reappointed to the Board for a four-year term effective immediately through October 2028.

The Board also approved their Oct. 8 meeting minutes, a resolution to honor former Trustee Sandra Harmon-Weiss, tenure to certain faculty members and a medical school academic affiliation agreement.

“My first few months at Temple have been wonderful, and I’m eager to continue working alongside all of you in support of our university in years to come,” Fry said.