Temple University President Jason Wingard Resigns

After a tumultuous season that included a graduate student union strike and crime concerns near campus, President Jason Wingard of Temple University has resigned effective March 31, less than two years after he was hired.

The Temple board of trustees accepted Wingard’s resignation March 28. The board will appoint a small group of Temple leaders to guide the Philadelphia university as the board searches for a new president.

“Given the urgent matters now facing the University, particularly campus safety, the Board and the administration will ensure the highest level of focus on these serious issues,” Mitchell Morgan, chair of the board of trustees, wrote in the announcement. “We understand that a concerted and sustained effort must be undertaken as we attempt to solve these problems.”

Morgan also thanked Wingard for the strategies and initiatives he set up during his time and commitment to the university’s mission.

Wingard had planned to move his family one block from campus this spring to improve campus engagement and safety efforts. Last March, the university invested in lighting and security camera grants for local landlords.

“While I am confident in my ability to pivot and lead Temple through this crisis, I understand, and it has been made clear, unfortunately, that too much focus is on me rather than the challenges we seek to overcome,” Wingard told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“In order for Temple to overcome these safety and enrollment challenges — and all of the related issues they instigate, the campus community must work in collaboration and minimize divisiveness.”

Earlier this month, the Temple Association of University Professionals, the university’s faculty union, voted to authorize a no-confidence vote in Temple’s administration.

The authorization was the latest retaliation against Temple’s administration after the six-week strike by the Temple University Graduate Students’ Association (TUGSA), which ended in a ratified contract March 9. During the strike, Temple removed — and later reinstated — participating graduate students’ tuition remission and healthcare benefits.

“We recognize that solutions will be most effective, impactful and long-lasting when they reflect the perspectives of so many different groups who care deeply about Temple’s future,” Morgan said in the announcement. “We remain confident that the University can overcome these challenges with your support.”