Temple is dedicated and inextricably linked to the well-being and prosperity of Philadelphia and its surrounding region. The university will continue to provide a stewardship of place that respects, understands, builds upon and enhances the region's unique historic, physical, cultural and community assets.
Initiatives
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(Highlights as of 8/31/09)
Foster metro-collaborative partnerships in research, service and outreach
- Funded a series of "seed grants" that involved significant metro-engagement (see below)
- Assessing The Impact of Inductive Versus Deductive Instruction in High School Spanish Class
- Training The ADHD Brain: Does A Lab-Informed Working Memory Training Intervention Translate to Real-World Benefits in the Classroom
- The Center for Community-Based Learning and Collaboration
- The Relationship between Periodontitis, Hypertension and Immune/Inflammatory Dysfunction in African Americans
- Reliability and Validity of the Y Balance Test in Dancers
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration of Teacher Preparation in Arts Education
- Design of Novel Interventions to Enhance Adherence to Medication Therapy in Patients with HIV
- Documenting the Vibrant and Fast-Changing Urban History of North Philadelphia
- Increasing the Exchange Value of Social Capital in Low Income Communities: The Role of Institutions, Individuals and Research
- The Influence of Music Therapy on Stress Risk Factors Associated with Cardiovascular Disease in Latino Women
- In Memory of: A Multidisciplinary Community Arts Program to Bring Awareness of the Impact of Violence on North Philadelphia
- Spatial Components of Homelessness: Etiology, Supports and Outcomes
- Established the Keystone Institute for Translational Medicine – aimed at addressing health issues in underserved and vulnerable populations
- Continued engagement with Philadelphia's youth and communities through the Temple University Community Collaborative of Philadelphia (UCCP)
- Established Academic Center on Research in Diversity (ACCORD) to generate and apply knowledge that will help close gaps in achievement related to issues of race and other classifications, such as gender, class, disability, orientation and religion
- Awarded a $1.6 million grant to establish a new center for Pennsylvania Environmental Technologies (PEPTI) by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- Received a planning grant (Temple University Press and three other universities) to study the feasibility of a collaborative scholarly e-book publishing program
- Creating awareness of the impact of youth violence on the Latino community in North Philadelphia through the In Loving Memory Project
- Set up the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, housed at the Beasley School of Law, which uses DNA testing and other irrefutable evidence to help identify and exonerate Pennsylvania inmates who have been wrongfully convicted
- Named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition an educational institution can achieve for its commitment to service learning and civic engagement, by the Corporation for National and Community Service
- Recognized for mentorship, promotion and advancement of women lawyers through Law School Dean, JoAnne Epps' receipt of the 2009 Sandra Day O'Connor Award
- Hosted Women's Intercultural Leadership Seminar, which is part of an ongoing initiative, for Jewish and Arab women from Israel who are leaders in their professions and communities, designed by the Dialogue Institute and funded by the U.S. Department of State and Temple's College of Liberal Arts
Foster metro-collaborative partnership in teaching and learning at both graduate and undergraduate levels
- Received an award from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation to support the planning of an Early College High School in collaboration with the School District of Philadelphia
- Established articulation agreements for dual enrollment programs with local high schools
- Received grant to establish TU-Teach (collaboration between Colleges of Science and Technology and Education) to train science majors to become middle school and high school science teachers
- Graduated the first math and science professionals from the Educating Middle-Grades Teachers for Challenging Contexts (E=mc2), a partnership of Temple's Colleges of Education, and Science and Technology and the Pennsylvania Department of Education, which prepares midcareer science and math professionals
- Awarded a $50,000 grant from Verizon for the university's Media Education Lab to help school-aged children strengthen their critical thinking and communication skills through "Powerful Voices for Kids," a media literacy program housed at the Russell Byers Charter School
- Created Conwell Community Corps to provide 10 recent Temple law graduates with full-time, paid, six-month legal positions at Philadelphia-area public-interest agencies to work on urgent community needs
Create metro-engagement opportunities for students through the curriculum and other student activities
- Utilized the General Education curriculum to create opportunities for metro-engagement among students
- Launched "Philadelphia Experience (PEX)," as integral part of GenEd with ~32% of all GenEd courses including a PEX component
- Created a PEX passport for first-year students, providing students with free or reduced-price access to 37 cultural organizations
- Organized a Philadelphia Experience Conference for faculty in and around the region
- Established a "Capitol Semester" program for students interested in participating in state government internships in Harrisburg, PA
- Created "Grit and Beauty" contest, which encourages students to explore the city and post their entries on a Temple website
Continued strong commitment to student community engagement
- FreshServe – a day of service for all incoming 1st year students and faculty and staff
- Hosted the largest Martin Luther King Day of Service event in the nation
- Temple North Philly Community Projects: showing appreciation for neighbors through beautification projects
- The Service Marathon for Penrose Park (organized through UCCP in partnership Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education, and the Greater Philadelphia Federation of Settlements Teens 4 Good program)
- Held first health conference at a Philadelphia area high school, the Science Leadership Academy, hosted by the College of Health Professions, to educate high school students in making healthy lifestyle decisions
- Football Team received Award for Exemplary Community Service from the John Wanamaker Sports Congress
- Students are setting up and maintaining a Temple community vegetable garden, for which the produce and profits will go to local soup kitchens
Seek Carnegie Community Engagement classification (Curricular and Outreach and Partnerships)
- Surveyed faculty community service participation in anticipation of application for Carnegie Community Engagement Designation
Build a comprehensive database of faculty scholarship and activity related to metro-engagement
Promote sustainability on Temple University campuses and adjacent communities
- Established the Temple University Office of Sustainability
- Signed American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment
- Completed Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- Instituted the Temple University Energy Conservation Policy
- Held weekly Farmer's Market on Cecil B. Moore featuring fresh local food
- Won five awards including the American Horticultural Society Award for horticultural excellence linking horticulture and the environment at the 2009 Philadelphia Flower Show for "Green Renaissance—The Revival of Sustainable Living," presented by students and faculty of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture
- Conducted a six-week study, in partnership with Audubon Pennsylvania, to reduce bird-window mishaps by pinpointing which buildings on Temple's campus may be the most deadly for birds
Outcome Measures
(AY 08/09 – AY 13/14)
- Increase new research and educational initiatives with community engagement component by 20%
- Expand GenEd offerings that include a component of metro-engagement from 32% (AY 07/08) to 60%
- Achieve Carnegie Community Engagement classification
