James Hilty, former Dean of Temple University Ambler, has a joint appointment with the Department of History and the Department of Community and Regional Planning, both in the College of Liberal Arts.
A well respected presidential historian with particular expertise on the Kennedy family, he also has exceptional credentials as a planner as the former Director of University Planning, Associate Provost for Planning and Assistant to the President for Strategic Planning at Temple University.
Among his planning related contributions to Temple are studies on such topics as International Education (founding of TU Japan, 1982), campus safety (1982), construction of a new Temple Hospital (1983), a strategic direction for Temple's Main Campus ("A city within a city," 1983), planning and finding financing for the relocation and construction of a new Temple University regional rail-line station (1984), the Temple subway station on Broad Street (1983), the construction on campus of the Bell of Pennsylvania Corporate Computer Center now the TECH Center (1985), plans for the adaptive reuse of the Baptist Temple as a performing arts center (1985), a ten-year academic plan (1986), coordinating construction of a new Dental School clinical facility (1985), reorganization of intercollegiate athletics (1982), plans for a business incubator and technology-transfer center (1986) and initial planning for a convocation center and basketball arena (The Apollo, renamed the Liacouras Center, 1986).
In addition, Dr. Hilty has developed strategic plans for the American Red Cross (Southeastern Pennsylvania chapter) and the American Red Cross Regional Blood Center (Pennsylvania and New Jersey), and served on the planning committee for the construction of the Montgomery County Fire Training Academy.
He was also engaged in community and neighborhood planning through service on the Philadelphia Community Development Corporation and as co-founder (1988) of the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development.
Dean Hilty has a Ph.D. in History from the University of Missouri-Columbia and MA degrees in Social Studies and History from Ohio State University. The CRP faculty has long considered Dr. Hilty as a kindred spirit and are thrilled to have him on our faculty.
