Temple University President John Fry advocated on behalf of the university during the House Appropriations Committee hearing held Thursday, Feb. 20. During the nearly three-hour session, Fry joined the leaders of Pennsylvania's three other state-related institutions (Penn State University, The University of Pittsburgh and Lincoln University) to make the case for increased funding from the Commonwealth. 

“Even before I started my job on November 1, I was well aware of the vital role that the Commonwealth and its legislators play in helping to support Temple. Simply put, the appropriation we receive from the Commonwealth helps all of us fulfill our goal of ensuring that qualified students from all walks of life have access to the gift of a Temple education,” Fry said during his opening remarks delivered at the start of the hearing. “This coming November will mark the 60th anniversary of Temple's partnership with the Commonwealth as a state-related institution. On behalf of our students, faculty and staff, I thank you for your support over those 60 years.” 

This year, Temple is seeking a $25.3 million increase to its appropriation. Presently, the state appropriation has been held flat at $158.2 million for six consecutive years, and while the appropriation has been stagnant, all operating costs, such as utilities, salary and benefits, and insurance, have increased during that time.  

For context, consider that nearly 17 years ago, during the 2008–2009 fiscal year, Temple’s state appropriation was $175.5 million. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Temple would need to receive an additional $67.1 million for a total appropriation of $225.3 million to keep pace with the 2008-2009 appropriation. 

Among the prominent topics of discussion during this year’s hearing was performance-based funding. Presently, Temple is represented on the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s Performance-based Funding Council, which is working to finalize recommendations for funding metrics that it must present to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro by April 30. The Council also includes representatives from Pitt and Penn State. In his 2025-26 budget address, Governor Shapiro proposed $60 million in new funding for Temple, Penn State and Pitt, which would be distributed among the three schools via the to-be-determined performance-based funding model.  

The topics of tuition and affordability were also frequently discussed during the hearing. 

“Access and affordability are long standing commitments at Temple, and we have made great strides to keep tuition affordable,” Fry said in addressing legislators. “(Fly in 4 is) Temple’s signature initiative to make college affordable by ensuring that students earn their bachelor's degree in four years, and along with that, become financially literate. Participants have graduated at a 15% higher rate, so the outcomes are terrific.” 

During his testimony, Fry also discussed his four priorities for the university:  

• A safe, vibrant campus and neighborhood.   
• An affordable Temple.   
• Building back our enrollment.   
• A university that drives economic development in the Greater Philadelphia region through research, innovation and partnerships.   

During a discussion with Representative Benjamin Sanchez, LAW ’04, who serves the 153rd Legislative District located in Montgomery County, Fry outlined his blueprint for achieving the first priority. 

“If you really want to create a safe campus and safe neighborhood, what you need is more than policing,” Fry said. “You need significant commercial development, you need schools that serve neighborhoods well and with high-quality programs, you need affordable housing, you need jobs, and you need vibrant retail corridors where people can shop locally. We need to step back and really rethink the entire commercial environment around not only our university but around our health system.” 

Later during the hearing, Fry also had the opportunity to touch on Temple’s desire to increase enrollment back to 35,000 students. 

“Sixty-two percent of our students are Pennsylvania residents, and as I mentioned before, our enrollment has unfortunately been declining precipitously, so one of the big points of emphasis is going to be, how do we do better in our backyard?” Fry said. 

The mention of supporting students in Temple’s backyard was timely. On Friday, Feb. 21, the day after Fry testified in Harrisburg, the university launched Temple Future Scholars, a new college pipeline program that will support low-income, first-generation-to-college students in Philadelphia public middle school.