Dear Students and Colleagues, 

Whether you are joining this community for the first time this fall or returning as a student, faculty or staff member, I am delighted to welcome you to Temple University for the start of the 2025-26 academic year. 

This week, we will welcome more than 8,700 new undergraduate, graduate and professional students who will begin their studies here at Temple. It is an impressive group of hard workers, critical thinkers and passionate learners. We could not be more excited to count you as part of this community, and we are grateful that you have chosen Temple to start or advance your studies. 

To all our new and returning students, please know that we are here to support you on your educational journey. Seeing you succeed is the ultimate reward, and we are committed to doing all we can to prepare you for life after Temple.  

To the new and returning faculty and staff members – we are very glad you are here to further our mission of providing the excellent education our students deserve.  

Temple is a remarkable place. We are Philadelphia’s public research university and are one of just 21 institutions nationwide to receive the highest Carnegie Classifications for research as well as student access and earnings. These are significant honors, and we owe them in large part to our dedicated, world-class faculty and staff.  

You may have also noticed a new addition to campus as the College of Public Health (CPH)’s academic departments moved into Paley Hall last week ahead of classes beginning today. This signature building at the heart of Temple’s campus is the new home for CPH, and I encourage you all to see this state-of-the-art facility for yourselves. It is also an opportunity to visit Temple’s new-and-improved university bookstore, which is located on the first floor of Paley. I hope you will join me in October when we hold an official opening for this remarkable facility. 

With the 2025-26 academic year officially getting underway, I would like to take a moment to provide some updates. 

Federal impacts 
As was the case during the spring semester, uncertainty is likely to be a continuous theme in the academic year ahead. Please know that I am committed to regular communication during this time and, as I previously shared, we have convened a broad-based advisory group comprised of faculty, staff and students to assist us as we navigate this complex environment. The first meeting of this group will be held next month. 

Additionally, Temple is a member of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU), which recently partnered with academic, medical and independent research institutions to form the Joint Associations Group (JAG) on Indirect Costs. Together, these institutions are working to create a potential new model for federal reimbursement of the cost of research. Presently, the university’s negotiated indirect rate is 58%, which is based on demonstrated real costs to the institution. Should a new model be implemented, it will significantly alter how we handle accounting for federal grants. 

I recognize there continue to be some concerns regarding the potential presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on Temple's campuses. Please know that as of this date, we have had no reports of ICE or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers being on campus, and we also have an established protocol should ICE or CBP agents be present on campus. As a reminder, that protocol includes the following:  

• ICE agents attempting an immigration enforcement action on university property regarding our employees, students or clinical patients should be referred to University Counsel.  
• Personally identifiable information (PII) and/or protected health information (PHI) generally requires an arrest warrant, a search warrant or other lawful court order to authorize disclosure.  
• Any employee who receives a warrant, court order or subpoena should forward it to the Office of University Counsel at ucounsel@temple.edu and should take no action without further direction.  
• With the foregoing in mind and after making appropriate requests, university officials should not interfere with the activities of ICE or any law enforcement officer. 

I also want to direct you to the following FAQs related to federal guidance on a variety of topics. 

Creating a respectful and welcoming environment 
I know that events happening both here in the United States and across the globe are likely to impact members of our community, eliciting a variety of emotions and responses. Temple continues to be deeply committed to honoring the First Amendment and fostering an environment open to a diversity of thought, opinion and peaceful expression.  

We affirm the right of our community members to engage in peaceful and orderly demonstrations, provided they follow these on-campus demonstration guidelines and do not create a hostile environment for others. Students are also encouraged to review the Student Conduct Code while employees should review the Employee Manual and Rules of Conduct, which both provide further guidance.  

In addition, Temple has made limited but important updates to the Student Conduct Code and the Policy on Preventing and Addressing Discrimination and Harassment (“PADH”). These changes reflect recommendations from the Anti-Defamation League’s Campus Antisemitism Report Card and strengthen our ability to address harmful behaviors when they occur. Specifically, the updates: 

1. Explicitly reference prohibited forms of misconduct, such as antisemitism and anti-Israeli discrimination; and 
2. Identify masked harassment as a prohibited behavior. 

These revisions were made after consultation with colleagues across the university, and they reinforce our commitment to ensuring that every member of our community can learn, work and engage in an environment free from discrimination, harassment and intimidation. 

Discontinuation of agreement with the China Scholarship Council (CSC) 
As you may be aware, last month, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party sent a letter to Temple and several other universities, raising potential national security concerns related to the scholarship program for Chinese graduate students sponsored by the CSC. 

Since then, we have thoroughly reviewed the guidance provided by the House Select Committee, and while we are confident that our program complied with applicable directives and requirements when it was initiated, upon review, we have decided to phase out this program.   

All students who have already been admitted pursuant to the CSC agreement will have the opportunity to complete their degree requirements at Temple, but no additional students will be enrolled in the program. 

Launching Owls for Philly 
As an institution, we are committed to strengthening Temple’s community impact and civic engagement. Earlier this month, we announced a new initiative, Owls for Philly, which invites faculty, staff, students and alumni to volunteer in support of local nonprofit partners and community organizations. 

A listing of volunteer opportunities will soon be available through the TUportal homepage. As part of this initiative, we have also introduced civic engagement hours, which allow eligible staff members to take paid time away from work to volunteer and serve with our community partners. 

Terra Hall 
As you know, earlier this year the university acquired Terra Hall, and it will soon become the home of our Center City campus. A team at the university is presently working to develop a broader plan for the space, and we will be sharing more details soon. I am incredibly excited for what the future holds for this historic building. Once renovations are complete, the facility will serve all members of the Temple community while also providing the university with a permanent footprint in the heart of Center City and the Avenue of the Arts. 

Cheering on our Owls 
Finally, Temple Football kicks off its season on Saturday, Aug. 30, traveling to University of Massachusetts. The home opener is Sept. 6 at Lincoln Financial Field against Howard University. Coach K.C. Keeler has brought an incredible amount of excitement to the team this year, and I hope you will join me in supporting our program. I also encourage you to cheer on all our fall sports teams throughout the season. 

Once again, I want to wish everyone a productive and positive start to the fall semester. Let’s all work together to have a great year. 

Sincerely, 

John Fry 
President