While the majority of the Temple student body spent their summers far from campus, the university’s dedicated faculty and staff continued to work hard improving life for the entire Temple community. Here are some of summer 2024’s most exciting events and occurrences. 

Following a comprehensive national search, Temple announced the appointment of John Fry as its 15th president. Fry brings a reputation as a leader in higher education after serving as the president of Drexel University since 2010. He is set to begin his role on Nov. 1.  
 
Also, Temple has welcomed students that formerly attended the University of the Arts (UArts), which closed abruptly in June. More than 300 former and prospective UArts students have enrolled at Temple for the fall semester. 
 
Students can expect an improved textbook-buying experience this fall, since Temple’s bookstore has transitioned from Barnes & Noble to Follett as its provider. The switch will benefit students by offering a wider variety of course materials, more sustainable and locally sourced merchandise, and more efficient operations.  
 
New dining options and experiences will be available this fall. Students will be able to start their days with bagels from the newly opened Bagels & Co., stop by Halal Shack in the Howard Gittis Student Center for lunch and enjoy the aesthetic facelift of the dining hall inside Johnson and Hardwick any time of day.  
 
Temple continued to build strong relationships with our local communities. More than 80 employers met with job seekers at Temple’s 17th annual job fair. At Temple's first annual Reentry Job Fair and Resource Village, formerly incarcerated citizens were given the opportunity to connect with fair chance employers.  

Temple’s Department of Public Safety continued its commitment to serve campus and the surrounding North Philadelphia community by upgrading its dispatch system and making improvements to safety technology.  
 
As the world watched the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, Temple students were in Paris producing segments on topics related to the games. And as the Paralympics Games Paris 2024 start up at the end of the month, 14 students and four faculty members will be on hand to assist as part of the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management’s The Paralympic Movement: Inclusive Sport Design class.  
 
Underscoring the university’s status as an R1 institution, Temple’s faculty garnered attention for breakthroughs in research and innovation. After years of development, faculty from Temple’s College of Engineering debuted OmegaSkin, a nanofibrous wound dressing made from soybeans. A different team from the College of Engineering created and showcased an absorptive sound barrier that can reduce bothersome noise produced by the game of pickleball. A study from Vinod Venkatraman, associate professor at Fox School of Business, revealed the decision-making processes behind binge-watching TV. All stories were covered by external media outlets, such as The Philadelphia Business Journal, CONNECT with Sarah Crosbie and WHYY.  
 
Liz Moore, associate professor of English in Temple’s College of Liberal Arts, released her new novel The God of the Woods, which was selected for Jimmy Fallon’s Fallon Book Club Summer Reads and Barack Obama’s summer reading list. She appeared as a guest on the The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to talk about her writing process and the upcoming TV series based on her previous novel Long Bright River.