Temple University's President, John Fry

There is good news, and bad news, if you didn't sign up already, that the February 27th PCCP (Philadelphia Committee on City Policy) featuring Jessie Lawrence and Angela Brooks is sold out. Other good news is that we have two really great speakers coming up and there is plenty of time to register for those conversations. And because we're half way into the season, we are offering half price Memberships (at $25 and tax deductible) that support our all volunteer organization and save you $10 per luncheon!

On Friday, March 27th we will have the President of Temple University, John Fry, who took office as Temple University’s 15th president on Nov. 1, 2024. President Fry will give an update on the state of the University, his vision for its future, and how it connects to the future of our City. There are 3 pillars in the current Strategic Plan: Student Success, Research in Action and Place-based Impact.

Since President Fry began his tenure as Temple’s president, the university has achieved several significant milestones including launching Temple Future Scholars, a college pipeline program that will support low-income, first-generation–to-college students in Philadelphia public middle schools. The university acquired Terra Hall, the former main academic building for the University of the Arts. With this acquisition, Temple will now have a prominent and permanent presence in the heart of Philadelphia, as the building will be the home for Temple’s Center City campus.

Prior to his arrival at Temple, President Fry served as president of Drexel University from 2010 to 2024, where he elevated the university’s global presence through academic and research partnerships, major NIH and NSF research programs, as well as hubs for innovation and collaboration. Under his leadership, Drexel set a national example for the successful execution of public-private partnerships and became a powerful force for economic development in the Greater Philadelphia region. He championed major neighborhood revitalization initiatives, including the creation of a multifaceted university extension center in Mantua—the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships—extensive economic development efforts, and significant partnerships to support local neighborhood public schools.

In 2019, Drexel and Tower Health acquired St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, thereby ensuring that St. Christopher's will remain a source of health and healing, medical education and research, and jobs and economic benefit for its North Philadelphia neighborhood and the broader region. President Fry spurred the creation of Schuylkill Yards, a $3.5 billion mixed-use development on Drexel’s campus, and he also oversaw historic mergers with Salus University and the Academy of Natural Sciences.

Before joining Drexel, he served as president of Franklin & Marshall College from 2002 to 2010 and executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2002. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Fry graduated from Lafayette College and earned a master’s degree in business administration from the New York University Stern School of Business.

Fry and his wife Cara, an art historian, have three children. Mia, an attorney at the Center for Public Representation in Massachusetts, and her husband, Professor Evan Dethier, are parents to baby Grey. Nat runs his own business making fine furniture for residences and commercial establishments, and Phoebe is a videographer, musician and model.

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