Posted May 30, 2012

Temple to name signature residential hall for Mitchell and Hilarie Morgan

Designation to honor Trustee for lifetime commitment to the university

Temple's newest residential complex, shown here in an artist's rendering, will be named for Board of Trustees member Mitchell L. Morgan and his wife, Hilarie.

Temple's newest residential complex, now rising on North Broad Street at Cecil B. Moore Avenue, will be named for Board of Trustees member Mitchell L. Morgan and his wife, Hilarie.

The naming recognizes the Morgans' lifetime of support for the university, including a recent $5 million commitment.  The residential complex will be named Mitchell and Hilarie Morgan Hall.

"Mitch Morgan's commitment to Temple over the years has been exemplary. He has an infectious enthusiasm for Temple's physical transformation, and has been instrumental in building support among board members, donors and many others," said Board of Trustees Chair Patrick O'Connor. "This is a fitting honor for a couple who have given so much to Temple."

President Ann Weaver Hart echoed the chairman's praise for Morgan's contributions.

"Mitch Morgan understands the impact new facilities can have on taking an organization to the next level. Temple's continuing upward academic trajectory is reflected in its increasingly impressive academic and campus life environment," said the president.

Morgan said he and his wife were touched by the Board of Trustees decision to name the new building in their honor.

"Temple has been an important part of our lives for many decades. It has been thrilling to see how the university has advanced during that time, both academically and physically," said Morgan.

"This incredible residential complex will bring new vitality to North Broad Street and increased opportunities to North Philadelphia. Hilarie and I are deeply humbled by this tremendous honor," said Morgan.

Morgan is founder and president of Morgan Properties, a King of Prussia company engaged in investment, development and management of real estate properties in the United States.

Morgan earned a bachelor's degree in business administration degree from Temple's Fox School of Business in 1976, and a law degree from the James E. Beasley School of Law in 1980. A member of the Temple Board of Trustees since 2002, Morgan chairs the board's facilities committee and serves on the executive, investments, and alumni relations and development committees.

Mitch Morgan's commitment to Temple over the years has been exemplary. He has an infectious enthusiasm for Temple's physical transformation, and has been instrumental in building support among board members, donors and many others.
-- Board of Trustees Chair Patrick O'Connor

Morgan served on the board of visitors for the Beasley School of Law since 2003, and was on the Fox School of Business board of visitors from 1999-2011. He is also a member of the university Chairman's Circle, the group that recognizes the most generous of Temple's benefactors whose cumulative giving to Temple University exceeds $1 million.

Mitchell and Hilarie Morgan Hall provides a dramatic new facility at Temple's southern entrance, encompassing the block along North Broad Street from Oxford Street to Cecil B. Moore Avenue.

When construction on the project is completed in 2013, Mitchell and Hilarie Morgan Hall will have more than 1,200 beds, many of them in a 27-story tower that will offer unparalleled views of Philadelphia. The tower features four-person suites, each with a full kitchen, shared living space and two bathrooms.

Complementing the tower building will be a 10-story mid-rise structure featuring residences, and administrative space, and a separate facility with retail dining facilities. Together, the buildings will add 660,000 gross square feet of building to the main campus physical plant.

The facility will offer additional jobs and economic opportunity to members of the North Philadelphia community. As part of the larger Temple 20/20 framework for the Main Campus physical transformation, the complex makes good on the university's pledge to attract more students to live on campus while remaining within Temple's existing footprint.

In conjunction with the project, Temple also created 250 four-year scholarships to be awarded over 10 years to students in the North Philadelphia neighborhoods surrounding its main campus. The program is boosting the amount of scholarships awarded to Philadelphia students by Temple to nearly $12 million annually.

The first Temple 20/20 scholars enrolled in the university in the fall of 2011.