Temple University

The inspiring emergence of Temple University can be traced back to 1884, when a Yale-educated lawyer, and impassioned speaker named Russell Conwell laid its foundation. Alongside his distinct place as a pastor at Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia, Conwell was also an ordained Baptist minister who successfully served in the Union Army during the infamous American Civil War. His moved to Pennsylvania in 1882 with a strong desire to educate the working-class citizens that worked during the day and had no access to conventional academic institutions. With the idea to accommodate their work schedules, Conwell began tutoring them at night in the basement of his church, which was then known as Conwell's Baptist Temple. His students later earned the moniker "night owls", lending an interesting edge to the inception of Temple University, including its name and mascot.

In no time, Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia gained popularity within the North Philadelphia area. As if treading on a predestined path, their first meeting led to appointing Russell H. Conwell as the president of "The Temple College." In the ensuing months, Grace Baptist Church worked relentlessly to appoint a new board of trustees, create official admissions files, and raise funds for new teaching facilities through issued stock. The Church not only provided classrooms and teachers but also financed the school during its initial years. The underlying objective of both, the Church and Conwell, was "to provide education to those who could not acquire it through usual avenues."

To further amplify the noble cause, Conwell utilized the income from his famous "Acres of Diamonds" speech to fund Temple as a collegiate institution for working-class Philadelphians. However, it wasn't all smooth sailing. In 1888, when Philadelphia granted a charter to establish "The Temple College of Philadelphia", it unfortunately refused to authorize the awarding of academic degrees. Despite this setback, by 1888, the college's enrollment had significantly increased to nearly 600. The true turning point came in 1907 when Temple College revised its institutional status and incorporated as a full-fledged university, thus enhancing its reputation, professional and graduate programs, overall enrollment, and financial support.

As the years rolled on, the magnitude of Temple's influence escalated. Here's a fun fact – did you know that the Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia was instrumental in founding Samaritan Hospital and Garretson Hospitals? Not only this, but a Medical School was also added to Temple, and it subsequently merged with the Philadelphia Dental College. Post the merger on December 12, 1907, Temple University officially underwent reincorporation.

Years later, in 1954, the University decided to purchase 11½ acres of the adjacent Monument Cemetery to repurpose it for athletic fields and parking. Notably, families of the deceased claimed about 8,000 of the 28,000 bodies on the site while the remaining were shifted en masse to Lawnview Memorial Park. Some of the remaining headstones from the cemetery, including a monument to figures like George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette, were utilized as riprap for the Betsy Ross Bridge, remnants of which can still be seen at low tide.

In 1965, Temple emerged as a Pennsylvania state-related university, denoting that while the University received state funds, it operated independently. However, its history was not without blemishes. On November 29, 2021, the then dean of Temple University's business school was convicted on charges relating to a scandal wherein he and others manipulated data to elevate the school's position in the US News and World Report's rankings.

Gear up for an intense chapter in Temple's journey that came to the fore on January 31, 2023. As a result of a year-long deadlock in negotiating a labor contract, the graduate student workers' union at Temple University went on strike. Evidently, the university's retaliation on February 8 by discontinuing the strikers' health insurance and tuition benefits garnered nationwide attention. The strike, however, concluded in mid-March.

This tumultuous phase culminated with the resignation of the university president Jason Wingard. Past actions during the strike, a surge in crime and violence around the University's campus, and enhanced oversight from the university's board of trustees preceded his resignation. Around the same time, the university's faculty was preparing for a no-confidence vote. The reins of the university were handed over to JoAnne Epps, who assumed responsibilities as Acting President on April 11, 2023 but tragically succumbed to an unforeseen medical episode during a university event on September 19, 2023.