This past February, Temple University Athletics received the largest gift in its history thanks to a pathbreaking donation from Debbie and Stanley Lefkowitz, CST ’65, which would create the Debbie and Stanley Lefkowitz ’65 Director of Athletics position. 

That gift came on the heels of another transformational donation made during fall 2023 when Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computer Engineering Brian Butz and his wife Susan, CPH ’85, presented the College of Engineering with the largest gift in its history—$2.65 million to support the expansion of artificial intelligence research at the college. 

Then, last spring, it was announced that a historic $5 million gift from the Hon. Joyce Kean, EDU ’63, LAW ’79, and her husband, Dr. Herbert Kean, would lead to the creation of the Kean Family Deanship at the Beasley School of Law. 

Three transformative gifts in three seasons.  

“We are incredibly grateful for all our donors who support Temple University by generously giving. These gifts help elevate this university and create new opportunities to further support our students,” Temple University President Richard M. Englert said. “What is especially exciting about these recent major gifts is that they serve as another indicator that the value of a Temple education remains as strong as ever. They also reflect what so many of us know: Temple provides a world-class, accessible education that transforms lives.” 

These recent historic gifts represent three of the 21 commitments of $1 million or more that Temple received during fiscal year 2024. They also are some of the major highlights from what has been another successful year of fundraising for the university. For the fifth consecutive fiscal year, donations to Temple University exceeded $100 million. In total, gifts made to the university during fiscal year 2024 reached $102,448,787. 

Student support continues to be one of Temple’s largest areas of contribution. Almost $25 million was raised in fiscal year 2024 for student awards, scholarships and fellowships, which help reduce the cost of attendance and increase access to a Temple education. 

“Our donors create opportunities for tomorrow’s leaders,” said Mary E. Burke, vice president for institutional advancement. “The commitment to Temple’s mission of access and affordability is stronger than ever. Thanks to the continued support of our alumni and friends, Temple will open doors, transform lives and drive positive change for generations to come.” 

In fiscal year 2024, Temple launched a targeted fundraising initiative to create new student scholarships, ensuring future Owls have affordable access to a quality education regardless of financial background. Through Made for More: Prioritizing Scholarships at Temple, the university encourages the establishment of endowed scholarships through a matching gift program/incentive. 

To that point, a number of new endowed funds were established this past year. Two new endowed scholarships were established at the million-dollar level, one at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine and another at the College of Liberal Arts. Endowed funds address immediate needs at Temple and generate indefinite support for students, faculty and programs.  

Temple Health  

Donors also showed great support for the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University Hospital and Fox Chase Cancer Center during the past fiscal year.  

At Katz, scholarship support continued to be a top priority at the school, drawing more than $2.6 million for current scholarships—more than double last year’s total. A new scholarship gift came in the amount of $1 million from John R. Duda, MED ’74, who honored his parents’ story of determination and persistence by providing a four-year scholarship for aspiring physicians. 

Fox Chase Cancer Center received gifts from many sources throughout the year: $3.5 million in support of head and neck cancer research came in the form of planned giving and a $2.4 million grant from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society will support efforts to overcome racial and ethnic disparities in clinical trials. 

Temple Health’s Acres of Diamonds Gala, Philadelphia’s longest-running philanthropic event, returned on May 30 at Citizens Bank Park, raising a record $1.6 million. The gala supports investments in lifesaving patient care across Temple Health campuses, as well as the health system’s vital commitment to health equity.  

During that event, Temple Health’s highest honor, The Diamond Award, was presented to Sister Mary Scullion and Joan Dawson McConnon, co-founders of Project HOME. The organization they founded has worked to end chronic street homelessness and alleviate poverty in Philadelphia for the last 35 years. 

Other large gifts and grants 

Students in the speech, language and hearing science program at the College of Public Health will soon see their facilities receive a major facelift. A $1 million gift from Ellen Schwartz will create the Ellen Schwartz Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, a spacious facility that will offer state-of-the-art training resources to graduate student clinicians while delivering accessible and subsidized health services to the Philadelphia community. 

A gift from James Robb of $2.5 million will name the main theater in the new home for the Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts (CPCA). The James Robb Theater will help further recognize and distinguish Temple’s award-winning theater and opera programs. 

Additional highlights 

In addition to major gifts, smaller, individual gifts can also make a difference, and that is evident through Temple’s two signature giving initiatives, Temple Giving Days and Giving TUesday, which continue to see great support. This year, the university raised more than $650,000 during Temple Giving Days and more than $540,000 on Giving TUesday. The next Giving TUesday will be held on Dec. 3, 2024. 

The Temple University Black Alumni Alliance (TUBAA) reached their $50,000 goal to endow the TUBAA Scholarship Fund, which supports students majoring in Africology and African American studies who were experiencing gaps or difficulty affording a Temple education.  

The work of The Barnett and Irvine Cherry Pantry to ensure that no student is affected by food insecurity was also recognized this past year with its second grant from the Leo and Peggy Pierce Family Foundation of $20,000. This gift is in addition to recent support that the pantry has received from individual donors Christopher M. Barnett, CLA ’10, and Nathan Irvine. 

For a full recap of Temple’s successful fundraising year and to learn how you can participate in Temple’s efforts this year, visit Fiscal Year 2024 Year in Review.