Temple University

Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation at the Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia, then called Baptist Temple. Today, Temple is the third-largest university in Pennsylvania by enrollment and awarded 9,128 degrees in the 2023–24 academic year. It has a worldwide alumni base of 378,012, with 352,175 alumni residing in the United States.

The university consists of 17 schools and colleges, including five professional schools, offering over 640+ academic programs and over 160 undergraduate majors. As of 2024, about 30,005 undergraduate, graduate and professional students were enrolled at the university. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity," spending $301,395,000 on research and development in 2022 according to the National Science Foundation.

Temple has 18 NCAA Division I varsity sports teams and competes as a member of the American Athletic Conference. Temple's varsity teams, known as the Temple Owls, have won three team national championships.

History

Founding

Temple University was founded in 1884 by Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia and its pastor Russell Conwell, a Yale-educated lawyer, orator, and ordained Baptist minister, who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Conwell came to Pennsylvania in 1882 to lead the Grace Baptist Church. One evening in June 1884, a young aspiring minister named Charles Davies approached Conwell after a service to express his desire to prepare for the ministry, but did not have the means to attend college. Conwell offered to teach Davies, who showed up to the first class with six friends. By the third class, this number had reached forty. where he began tutoring working-class citizens at night in the basement of Conwell's Baptist Temple (hence the origin of the university's name and mascot).

Conwell's night classes quickly grew popular within the North Philadelphia area. The Grace Baptist Church created a board of trustees, which named Russell Conwell president of the Temple College. Following an unsuccessful meeting with 34 Philadelphia Baptist churches, the Grace Baptist Church appointed a new board of trustees, printed official admissions files, and issued stock to raise funds for new teaching facilities. The church provided classrooms, and teachers, and financed the school in its early years. The church and Conwell's desire was "to give education to those who were unable to get it through the usual channels".

In 1891, Temple's first graduating class of eighteen men received the Bachelor of Oratory degree. However, state and federal education agencies would not identify Temple as a legitimate college level institution. Philadelphia granted a charter in 1888 to establish the Temple College of Philadelphia, but the city refused to grant authority to award academic degrees. By 1888, the enrollment of the college was nearly 600: because of Temple's aim of offering an education to Philadelphia's working class, there were no admissions requirements and tuition was free.

Over time, Temple expanded. Samaritan Hospital (now Temple University Hospital) was founded by the Grace Baptist Church in 1892, and Temple added a medical school in 1901. Temple merged with Garretson Hospital the Philadelphia Dental College in 1906. After the merger, Temple officially reincorporated as Temple University on December 12, 1907. The School of Nursing was established in 1911, followed by the Teacher's College in 1914. Russell Conwell died in 1925 after a 38-year presidency at Temple, and is buried at the Founder's Garden on campus.

Campus

Temple University has six campuses and sites across Pennsylvania, plus international campuses in Rome and Japan.

Main campus

Temple's main campus is in the Cecil B. Moore neighborhood of North Philadelphia, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Center City. It occupies 118 acres (48 ha).

Upon its founding, the Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia built two buildings on North Broad Street between Montgomery and Norris: a Baptist Temple in 1891, and an academic building (College Hall, now Barrack Hall) in 1893. The Baptist Temple was certified by the Philadelphia Historical Commission as an Historical Building in 1984, and in 2003 it was designated by the American Institute of Architects as a Landmark Building. In 2010, it was converted into a 1200-seat, multipurpose performance venue, with the church's stained glass window as a centerpiece.

Temple's campus has several landmarks. The 110 feet (34 m)-tall Bell Tower is the visual icon of the university and a major campus landmark. Nearby Founder's Garden is the burial place of Russell Conwell, founder and 38-year president of Temple. A bust of Conwell marks his grave. O'Connor Plaza surrounds the Founder's Garden between Polett Walk and Liacouras Walk. A renovated plaza and Founder's Garden opened in 2017, featuring a large bronze owl statue, a water wall, and an inlaid Temple T (the university's logo) in the brickwork of the plaza.

Liacouras Walk, named after Temple President Peter J. Liacouras, is the campus' main internal north/south pedestrian corridor. It runs through the campus parallel to Broad Street and was once part of Park Avenue. It intersects Polett Walk, the east/west pedestrian corridor where a segment of Berks Street once stood. The Conwell Inn, the university's on-campus hotel, is located at this intersection.

Past Polett Walk, the facade of 1810 Liacouras Walk is the only remnant of old Park Avenue rowhomes, most of which were demolished in the 20th century.

Temple offers eight residence halls. In 2023, 4,231 students lived in Temple-owned and -sponsored housing.

Other campuses

The Health Sciences Campus in North Philadelphia covers about 20 acres and extends to either side of North Broad Street from Allegheny Avenue to just above Tioga Street. This location is the site of the Samaritan Hospital, founded by Russell Conwell in 1892. The campus is home to Temple University Hospital, a teaching hospital; the Lewis Katz School of Medicine; the School of Pharmacy; the Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry; and the College of Public Health.

Academics

Temple University is one of six universities in Pennsylvania classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity." Temple has more than 650 degree programs at 17 schools and colleges, and five professional schools: dentistry, law, medicine, pharmacy, and podiatric medicine.

Tyler School of Art and Architecture

The Tyler School of Art and Architecture was founded in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania in the 1930s, when Stella Elkins Tyler donated her estate to Temple University. Temple's Architecture program, founded in 1969, joined the school in 1990s. In 2016, four more Temple programs joined Tyler: City & Regional Planning, Community Development, Horticulture, and Landscape Architecture.

Tyler moved to a state-of-the-art facility at Temple's Main Campus in Philadelphia in 2009, which is connected to the Boyer College of Music and Dance's Presser Hall. In 2019, the school expanded its name, becoming the Tyler School of Art and Architecture.

Tyler was ranked number 15 in fine art schools in the United States by U.S. News & World Report in 2016.

Fox School of Business

The Fox School offers 15 undergraduate majors, 19 minors, 10 professional master's programs, and two PhD programs, and the school has a variety of international partnerships. Established in 1918, it was named in honor of Richard J. Fox in 1999.

It ranked in the top 30 in the nation in the 2017 Times Higher Ed World University Rankings and top 80 in the world for undergraduate studies. The Fox School of Business is housed in Alter Hall and 1810 Liacouras Walk.

On March 9, 2020, the Department of Veterans Affairs suspended G.I. Bill reimbursement eligibility for Temple University and several other schools due to what the V.A. said were "erroneous, deceptive, or misleading enrollment and advertising practices", giving the schools 60 days to take "corrective action". The Philadelphia Inquirer states that the action is a result of misreporting by the Fox School of Business. The VA withdrew its threat of sanctions in July 2020.

Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry

The Kornberg School of Dentistry, established in 1863, is the second oldest dental school in continuous existence in the United States. The school's clinic offers services including routine dental care and prevention to children's dentistry, orthodontics, emergency care, and implants. The Kornberg School of Dentistry is located at Broad and Allegheny Streets in North Philadelphia, north of Main Campus.

College of Education and Human Development

The College of Education and Human Development has more than 2,140 students (undergraduate, graduate programs, and non-matriculated students). Founded in 1919, the college is organized into three departments: Teaching & Learning, Policy, Organizational & Leadership Studies, and Psychological Studies in Education. The college has a longstanding relationship with the School District of Philadelphia, helping to teach and prepare future educators for the city. The College of Education is housed in Ritter Hall.

Student life

As of 2023, 13,764 students live on or around Temple's main campus. University officials have tried various strategies, including building facilities, to encourage students, faculty, and staff to live and work nearby.

The main recreational facility on Main Campus is the Howard Gittis Student Center, which has a movie theater, food court, underground multi-purpose room, game room, computer lounge, and meeting and office space for student groups and organizations. Exercise facilities include the Independence Blue Cross Student Recreation Center (commonly referred to as IBC), which provides 59,000 square feet (5,500 m2) of fitness facilities; the Student Pavilion, a 4-court field house for volleyball, basketball, badminton, floor hockey, indoor soccer, tennis, and golf; and the Geasey Field Complex, 98,300-square-foot multisport turf field and seven tennis courts. Pearson-McGonigle Hall also has a recreational basketball court on the third floor and a pool in the basement.

In 2017, the Aramark Student Training and Recreation Complex (STAR) was opened at 15th Street and Montgomery Avenue. The facility includes a climbing wall, weight room, and an outdoor track. There is also academic classrooms for the College of Public Health, administrative offices, a juice bar, and a 75-yard turf field.

The Recreation Center is part of the Liacouras Center, which also includes the home court of the Temple basketball team and various entertainment venues.

School colors

Cherry and white are the official school colors of Temple University. Temple was the first school in the nation officially to use cherry as one of its colors. Cherry (both the color and less often, the fruit) is a common motif at Temple, from the Cherry Crusade fan club to the Cherry and White Directory. In 2008, Temple standardized the cherry color to be Pantone Matching System (PMS) 201.

The Temple "T"

The university's symbol, the Temple "T", was designed by students in a graphic arts and design class in the Tyler School of Art and Architecture in 1983. It is, of course, cherry and white. The "T" represents strength and positive character, with the open ends showing the free exchange of ideas that is the hallmark of a Temple education.

The Owl

The owl has been the symbol and mascot for Temple University since its founding in the 1880s, making it the first school in the United States to adopt the owl as its symbol. The nocturnal hunter symbolized Temple's early mission as a night school for ambitious young people of limited means. Russell Conwell encouraged these students, saying, "The owl of the night makes the eagle of the day." In addition to being a universal symbol for wisdom and knowledge, the owl was the symbol of Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare. Due to this, the owl was decided to be a suitable mascot for not only the university as a center of learning, but for the athletic teams as well.

Athletics

Temple University's sports teams are the Owls, a name born from Temple's early days when it was a night school. The sports teams all participate in the NCAA's Division I and the American Conference (The American). The Owls moved after spending the previous 31 years in the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10). The field hockey team are affiliate members of the Big East Conference. The Owls are also part of the Philadelphia Big 5, the Philadelphia-area basketball rivalry. Temple University was among the first institutions in the United States to sponsor extracurricular athletic activities for its students when both the football and basketball programs were inaugurated in 1894 under the direction of Coach Charles M. Williams.

Football

Temple's football program dates back to 1894 and currently plays Division I FBS football in the American Conference.

On December 17, 2012, Matt Rhule [pronounced rule] was named Temple's 26th head football coach. He had most recently served as the assistant offensive line coach with the New York Giants. Rhule was an assistant coach for the Owls for six seasons, ending in 2010–11 when the program went 9–4 and played in the fourth bowl game in school history, the Gildan New Mexico Bowl, where the Owls defeated Wyoming, 37–15 – Temple's first postseason victory since the 1979 Garden State Bowl. In 2015, they posted a school-record-tying 10 wins and 4 losses.

Temple posted another 10–4 record in 2016, when they won the 2016 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game to secure its first conference championship since 1967. On December 13, 2016, Geoff Collins was named Temple's 27th head football coach. Before taking the position, Collins had served as defensive coordinator for the University of Florida Gators that ranked among the nation's best during his two seasons on staff. Collins took the Temple Owls to the Bad Boy Mowers Gasporilla Bowl in 2017 in which the Owls defeated the Florida International Golden Panthers 28 to 3.

Men's basketball

The Temple Men's basketball program was ranked fifth in all-time NCAA wins with 1,903 starting the 2017–2018 season. Only Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, and Duke had a higher total.

Temple is recognized as having won the first-ever National Collegiate basketball championship in 1938, under Coach James Usilton. That Owls team, which finished with a 23–2 record, won the inaugural National Invitation Tournament by routing Colorado, 60–36, in the championship final. Because the NCAA Tournament was not held until the following year, Temple's NIT championship earned the Owls the first national college basketball title. During the 1950s, the Temple basketball team made two NCAA Final Four appearances (1956 and 1958) under Head Coach Harry Litwack. Litwack would be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame after concluding a 21-year coaching career that included 373 wins.

Alumni and faculty

There are more than 365,000 Temple alumni currently living in 50 states and 152 countries. As of 2024, the university's alumni include a Rhodes Scholar, five Marshall Scholars, and many Fulbright Scholars. Temple has many notable alumni, such as Bill Cosby, Bob Saget, Daryl Hall, John Oates, Irvin Kershner, Diplo, Karen Patricia Williams (women's cancer prevention) and Gertrude Moskowitz (foreign language teacher educator). Temple University employs over 3,100 educators and has a student to faculty ratio of 14:1.

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