Progress

Most Qualified Undergraduate Class—The 2010-11 class includes 4,300 new freshmen and 2,800 new transfer students and is the most highly qualified cohort in the university's history--the freshmen have an average SAT of 1114, five points higher than last year's record average, and the collective grade point average for transfer students is 3.07, an all-time high.

National Scholarship Winners—In 2009-10, Temple students fared extremely well in competitions for coveted scholarships, winning three Fulbright Scholarships (Maximillian Cuddy, CLA '10; Nick Daly, SCT/CLA '09; Lyla Duey, Tyler/CLA '10), one Marshall Scholarship (William Dougherty, Boyer '10), one St. Andrew's Society Scholarship (Bryce Bayer, CLA'11), two Udall Scholarships (Sierra Gladfelter, CLA'12; Korin Trangtrakul, CLA '11) and one Pew Leadership Fellowship (Kylie Patterson CLA '10 who was also a Rhodes Finalist).

Eight-Semester Grids—Faculty and staff developed a complete set of eight-semester grids for each undergraduate major, which provide clear direction to students on the number and order of courses they need to take to ensure graduation in four years.

Enhanced Academic Advising—Temple implemented two programs focused on retention and time to graduation that involve strategic and targeted increases in the amount and the timeliness of interactions between academic advisors and students; Temple instituted a new multi-tiered career path to retain advisors; and committed funds to hire 10 new academic advisors over the next two years.

CMYK Awards—One of the top journals in the graphic design profession, CMYK Magazine, cited the Graphic and Interactive Design program at Tyler as a "Top School/University Program," and also included 10 Temple students in its "Top 100 New Creatives" in the categories of art direction, copywriting, design, illustration and photography.

Art of Text Exhibition—Melissa Miguelez (TYL) was the curator for the first annual Art of Text exhibition, which was made possible by the Provost's University Internship program, at the Temple University Writing Center.

Freshman Career Search Opportunities—The University's Career Center and the Fox School Center for Professional Development are seeing increased interest from freshmen in career services (22% increase last year) and in response reached out to freshmen and sophomores at Welcome Week to highlight opportunities for internships and part-time jobs.

New Faculty Hired—More than 150 new faculty members--accomplished teachers and scholars--were hired this year.

Temple's Accreditation Reaffirmed—The process of voluntary self-analysis and regulation that takes place every 10 years to assure the quality of American colleges and universities culminated in the Middle States Commission on Higher Education reaccrediting Temple.

Adult Veteran Recruitment—As part of its participation in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, which allows for enhanced tuition benefits for veterans, Temple added a new position to its admissions staff--associate director of admissions for adult veteran student recruitment.

Launch of Banner Student—The first modules of the Banner Student component of Project Enterprise launched late summer 2010 and will provide the university with contemporary technology tools for managing inquiries and applications, processing decisions, and viewing operational and performance management reports.

Fox School/Philadelphia Futures Collaboration—Now in its second year at the Fox School of Business, as part of a collaboration with Philadelphia Futures, 35 rising juniors from city schools, led by Fox School professor Jon Scott, gathered this summer to learn about entrepreneurship and to conduct research for their own businesses.

"Guerilla Altruism" Group—Assistant Professor of Architecture Scott Shall led a student group that traveled on a mission to Bolivia to assist young boys living in poverty on the streets of La Paz and the group's future initiatives will continue to attack global problems, such as water pollution, homelessness, poverty and educational disparities.

Temple Delegation to Asia, PDF—In June, President Ann Weaver Hart accompanied by a Temple delegation, traveled to China and Japan to establish and renew educational partnerships; meet with students and alumni living in Asia; nurture collaboration with government officials and leaders in higher education; and, as she does annually, preside over the Temple University Japan Commencement ceremony.

Book on Contemporary Japan— Jeffrey Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University Japan, recently published Contemporary Japan: History, Politics and Social Change Since the 1980s (Wiley-Blackwell), which refutes misconceptions about modern Japan.

Water and Environmental Technology (WET) Center Global Partnership —The Water and Environmental Technology (WET) Center in Temple's College of Engineering is part of an international research collaboration (funded by approximately $400,000 from the National Science Foundation and Invest Northern Ireland through the European Commission) with the Queen's University Environmental Science and Technology Research (QUESTOR) Center in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to develop applications and processes for treating contaminated groundwater.

Community Service Distinction—For the second time, Temple University has been recognized by the Corporation for National and Community Service with the distinction of being placed on the 2009 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for its efforts to support the community in the eight zip codes surrounding its Main and Health Sciences Center campuses.

Smart Policing Initiative—Temple criminologists Jerry Ratcliffe and Elizabeth Groff helped the Philadelphia police develop a winning proposal for the Smart Policing Initiative, one of ten grants awarded nationwide by the Federal Bureau of Justice, aimed at developing effective crime-fighting strategies.

Awards for Article on LGBT Elder Care—Beasley School of Law Professor Nancy J. Knauer received the Dukeminier Award and the Stu Walter Prize from the Williams Institute for her article "LGBT Elderlaw: Toward Equity in Aging," published in the Harvard Journal of Gender and Law in 2009.

Community Family Movie Night—Temple's Office of Community Relations joined forces with the Pearle Theater and area community organizations to offer campus neighbors a family-friendly free night at the movies at the Pearle Theater and more than 160 North Philadelphia residents attended the first event.

Youth Day—In August, as part of an ongoing collaboration between Temple students and the surrounding North Philadelphia community (through Temple's Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities, the Community Ambassadors Program and Bridging the Gaps, a city-wide community health internship program) more than 200 children from area summer camps attended the first annual community health fair at the School of Medicine.

Chicas in Charge—Senior Kelly Lopez is helping Latina teens meet their life goals and make healthier choices regarding their sexuality in her hometown, Reading, in a program she helped create to reduce teenage pregnancies, entitled Chicas in Charge.

Music Media Literacy Workshop—Recent BTMM graduates Nuala Cabral, Michael Robb Grieco and Tanya Jackson brought critical thinking and media literacy skills about popular music to the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts.

Sustainability Recognition—The University received two prestigious accolades for its commitment to sustainability—The Princeton Review selected Temple for inclusion in its "Guide to 286 Green Colleges" and Temple won a 2010 Waste Watcher Award from the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania (PROP).

Environmental Advantage of Plastisoil—Naji Khoury, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, developed a cement-like substance that could help with storm-water management while potentially keeping millions of plastic bottles out of landfills.

Alzheimer's Research—Associate Professor of Pharmacology Dominico Praticó led a research initiative that demonstrated a diet rich in methionine could increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's.

American Chemical Society (ACS) Fellowship—Magid Abou-Gharbia, associate dean for research in the School of Pharmacy and professor of medicinal chemistry and of chemistry, was elected as a Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS) for his exceptional contributions to the field of chemistry and for his outstanding service to ACS.

National Science Foundation (NSF) Supercomputing Grant—Jie Wu, professor and chair of the Department of Computer and Information Sciences (CIS), is the principal investigator of an $840,000 grant from NSF to acquire a hybrid high-performance GPU/CPU system, which will be housed in the new Center for Networked Computing in CIS.

Defense Equipment Grants—Robert Levis, professor of chemistry, and Xiaoxing Xi, professor of physics, in the College of Science and Technology; and Marla Wolfson, professor of physiology in the School of Medicine received equipment grants from the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program through the Office of Naval Research.

Jesus, Jobs and Justice—A new book by Temple historian Bettye Collier-Thomas highlights the important contributions of African-American women of faith to the United States and the start of the civil rights movement.

Top Secret Rosies—Professor of Film and Media Arts LeAnn Erickson had the world premiere for her film (at the Franklin Institute), "Top Secret Rosies: The Female Computers of World War II," about a little known story of a group of female mathematicians who did secret ballistics research for the US Army during WWII.

Barrymore Award—Theater faculty member Jennie Eisenhower won a Barrymore Award for "Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical" for her performance in the Walnut Street Theater's "Forbidden Broadway's Greatest Hits."

World Premieres —Playwriting faculty member P. Seth Bauer had a world premiere for his play, "Early in the Mourning" at Plays and Players in fall 2009; a world premiere for his play, "Over the Line (which enjoyed rave reviewed and two extensions)" in New York, and his play "The Attractive Women on the Train" was selected as one of the published Best Short Plays of 2010.

Z-blocks—Srdjan Jovanovic Weiss, assistant professor in the Tyler School of Art, designed Z-blocks, which can be configured into flexible social spaces from chairs to building partitions, and are now part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Vojvodina in Novi Sad, Serbia.

Moulder Center for Drug Discovery Research (MCDDR)—Spurred by one-time research stimulus funds from the recent NIH Stimulus Challenge, Temple University School of Pharmacy (TUSP) Dean Peter Doukas and TUSP Associate Dean for Research Magid Abou-Gharbia developed a major new thrust for the MCDDR at the Temple University School of Pharmacy (TUSP), which includes collaboration with several schools and colleges—the College of Engineering, the College of Science and Technology and the School of Medicine—establishing Temple as a regional, national and global leader in drug discovery.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant—The School of Medicine was awarded an $11.8 million grant from NIH to create the Institute for Translational Neuroscience, which will enable collaborations between basic neuroscience researchers and their clinical counterparts at Temple University Hospital.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Health Research Grants—Professor of Ophthalmology Jeffrey Henderer is co-principal investigator for two grants--one through Wills Eye Health System and Thomas Jefferson University; and one through University of Pennsylvania's Scheie Eye Institute--which address blindness and visual impairment.

The HEALTHY Study: Type 2 Diabetes and School-Based Interventions—A national study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), chaired by Gary Foster at Temple's Center for Obesity Research and Education (CORE), and published in the online version of the New England Journal of Medicine, found that school-based interventions can help reduce various risk factors for type 2 diabetes in children by 4%.

American Heart Association Fellowship—Rabe'e Cheheltani, a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering who is developing a new technique for targeted delivery of proangiogenic compounds to heart tissue to prevent cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction, received a fellowship from the American Heart Association (AHA), a two-year award worth $46,000.

Monitoring Impact of the Gulf Oil Spill—Two Temple researchers, Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor and Chair Michel Boufadel and Assistant Professor of Biology Erik Cordes, are closely monitoring the BP oil spill and its impact.

Low-Carb Versus Low-Fat Diet—A two-year Temple study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine by lead author Gary Foster, director of Temple's Center for Obesity Research and Education, showed that a low-carbohydrate Atkins-style diet and a low-fat diet coupled with a comprehensive, behavioral support program work equally well.

Gender Differences in Colorectal Cancer Screenings —Sara Bauerle Bass, associate professor of public health, together with other Temple colleagues explored the difference in attitude towards colorectal cancer screenings between Afro-American women and men and discovered that Afro-American men reported several barriers that kept them from being tested while Afro-American women were more amenable to testing.

Exploration of Diversity—Sociology Professor Sherri Grasmuck examined ethnic and racial peer groups on campus (Sociological Forum) and discovered that a key factor for satisfaction with a multicultural campus experience for minority students was being on a campus with a critical number of non-minority, white students who were "race literate," had attended a diverse high school or had purposely sought out a diverse college experience.

Immune Response in Pregnancy and Link to Schizophrenia—In a study published this month in Schizophrenia Research, Temple University psychologist Lauren Ellman found that exposure during pregnancy to certain immune proteins, such as those produced in response to the flu, leads to increased risk for brain abnormalities associated with schizophrenia in offspring.

Police Executive Research Forum Award—Nola Joyce, a doctoral candidate in criminal justice who serves as the chief administrative officer in the Philadelphia Police Department, has been awarded the Gary P. Hayes Memorial Award (together with the Deputy Commissioner) by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), in recognition of her work developing and implementing major crime reduction programs in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Police Advisory Commission—A recently appointed (by the mayor) 15-member Philadelphia Police Advisory Commission will provide civilian oversight for the Philadelphia Police Department and includes Temple student Jamira Burley, a member of Temple's student government.

Reanalysis of study on teen exposure to sexualized media—Research by Professor of Psychology Laurence Steinberg, published in the online version of Developmental Psychology, contradicts the notion that sex in the media influences sexual behavior in young teens.

Safer Food—In research presented at the 2010 National Environmental Health meeting, Jennifer Ibrahim, public health professor and Fanta Waterman Purayidathil, a public health PhD student, found that foodborne disease outbreaks that span multiple states lead to nearly twice the number of hospitalizations and deaths than outbreaks within states.

Treatment for Common Problem of Soldiers—Laszlo Otvos, a research professor of biology, has developed an antibacterial peptide as a promising therapy against infections in burn or blast wounds.

Seed Grants—For the third year, the Office of the Provost has awarded seed grants; this year 21 grants were awarded each totaling as much as $50,000 representing 59 scholars from 12 schools and colleges, including Temple University Japan, and aligning with all the goals of the university's academic strategic plan, the Academic Compass —"Opportunities for Success," "Research Excellence," "Metro Engagement," "Global Commitment" and "Destination Temple."

Community-Based Learning (CBL) Teaching Circles—CBL Circles, a collaboration of the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) and the Community Learning Network led to the development of six new community-based learning courses, which are currently being offered: "Animal Welfare and Human-Animal Community," "Cultural Crossings in Contemporary Literature," "Education in the Global City," "Ethnicity, Culture and Health," "Green vs .Gray: Improving and Sustaining Urban Ecosystems," and "Special Topics in Horticulture: Trees in the City."

Health Science Summer Institute—The Teaching and Learning Center brought together faculty from all five Health Science Campus schools and colleges—College of Health Professions and Social Work, Maurice Kornberg School of Dentistry, School of Medicine, School of Pharmacy and School of Podiatric Medicine—to address issues in clinical education, and large-class teaching and instructional technology—for its first annual institute.

Temple Advocates Legislative Outreach Network (TALON)—Launched in June 2010 by the Office of Government, Community and Public Affairs, TALON, Temple's new grassroots network of students, parents, alumni, faculty and staff, has been successful in its first campaign in which TALON thanked 143 members of Pennsylvania's legislature for voting in support of Temple's 2010-11 Commonwealth appropriation.

Temple University Hospital U.S. News and World Report Ranking—U.S. News & World Report again ranked Temple University Hospital as one of the nation's "top hospitals for pulmonology" in its 2010-11 "Best Hospitals" issue.

Celebrating 125 Years of Temple—Professor of History and Community and Regional Planning James Hilty published the first comprehensive history of the university, Temple University: 125 Years of Service to Philadelphia, the Nation, and the World (Temple University Press, 2010).

Computerworld Ranking— For the sixth year in a row, Temple joined some of the nation's top organizations on Computerworld's annual list of the "100 Best Places to Work in IT."

Pearson and McGonigle Halls Renovation—An extensive renovation and expansion of Pearson and McGonigle halls, which is in progress, includes the addition of a third floor and numerous amenities to accommodate greatly enhanced academic, athletics and campus recreation programs and activities, and new retail space on Broad Street.

Groundbreaking for New Architecture Building—The next step in the Temple 20/20 framework, which is reshaping Main Campus, is a new building for the study of Architecture at the northeast end of campus that will complete the mini-arts quad anchored by the Tyler School of Art and the Boyer School of Music and Dance, and the School of Communications and Theater.

Johnson and Hardwick Residence Hall Renovation—The University finished the final phase of five-year renovations to these residences, including a complete interior makeover and space modification, new upgrades in the lobby, a wireless lounge with seating for 35, a multimedia smart conference room, modern gender-neutral bathrooms (PDF) and a shared entryway.

Temple University Fitness (TUF)—A new 20,000-foot, state-of-the-art gym at the corner of Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore, on the second floor of Avenue North, increased the university's dedicated fitness space with more than 160 workout stations, including 110 cardiovascular machines—35 with built-in entertainment consoles and more than 40 weight consoles.

Women's Track and Field Win—At the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championships, the Temple women's track & field team won "First Overall" for the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championships, freshman Victoria Gocht won "Women's Rookie of the Year" and Head Coach Eric Mobly won "Women's Coach of the Year."

Baptist Temple (now the Temple Performing Arts Center) Reopening—After 30 years of dormancy and $30 million in renovations, the Baptist Temple (now the Temple Performing Arts Center) officially reopened its 119-year-old doors on Wednesday, April, 14, to begin hosting special events.

Temple Repertory Theater—Summer 2010 saw Temple Theaters introduce the first season (1100 tickets sold) of Temple Repertory Theater, a new professional company featuring actors, directors and designers affiliated with the university's Theater Department (24 undergraduates, 14 graduate students, 9 faculty and 5 staff members).

All-Tyler Ceramics Exhibit, PDF—In the spring, Tyler School of Art alumnae Jacqueline Jrolf (TYL'93) and Carol Stirton-Broad (TYL '94) curated TEMPLES, their first all-Temple alumni and staff ceramic arts exhibition, featuring work by 36 graduates.