Temple University has been selected to join the University Innovation Alliance (UIA), a multi-university consortium working to improve student success and broaden participation in higher education for all students. Temple is the 18th university to join the prestigious organization and is the only university in Pennsylvania represented in the alliance. 

“The University Innovation Alliance is a leading national coalition of public research universities committed to increasing the number of college graduates in the United States, and we are honored to accept their invitation and further commit to this important work,” said Temple University President John Fry. “Our selection reflects Temple’s mission and continuing efforts to increase access and build strategies to help all students succeed. Joining the alliance is a source of great pride for the entire Temple community.” 

UIA was founded in 2014 by 11 public research universities in the United States with the goal of increasing the number of college graduates. That goal also aligns with Temple University’s broader mission of access, opportunity, engagement and discovery, which played a part in the university’s selection. 

“We have been looking at Temple for several years, partly because they’re already doing this work,” UIA CEO Bridget Burns said during a visit to the university’s campus in February. “However, we were waiting for Temple to have the right leader in this space, and we think that Temple has that now.” 

When identifying university partners for the alliance, UIA considers several factors. For one, it considers public universities that carry either the R1: Very High Spending and Doctorate Production research designation like Temple or the R2: High Spending and Doctorate Production. Second, UIA prioritizes institutions that serve a high number of underrepresented students and demonstrate a strong commitment to collaborative innovation, data transparency and ambitious goals for improving student success. The UIA includes only one institution per state, ensuring that each member university serves as a hub for innovation diffusion and promotes collaboration. These institutions are responsible for sharing insights, best practices and proven strategies from UIA initiatives with other campuses in their state, amplifying impact beyond their own institution. 

“My administration is committed to building a higher education system in Pennsylvania that is focused on competitiveness and workforce development, and grounded in access and affordability,” said Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. “Temple University has been committed to that mission since its founding—and as Pennsylvania’s representative in the University Innovation Alliance, they will help attract more students to Pennsylvania, ensure they’re prepared for the workforce of the future and provide them opportunities to stay here and succeed in our commonwealth. My vision for Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities is one that gives every student the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed—and this announcement is another step towards making that vision a reality.” 

Some of the other universities represented in the alliance include Arizona State University, Purdue University, Michigan State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Central Florida and Oregon State University. 

The organization’s member institutions work together to develop, scale and share innovative solutions that help students overcome academic, financial and personal obstacles to success, so they can earn a high-quality college degree from a major research university. 

“In recent years, Temple has launched key initiatives to better serve low-income students and make higher education more accessible, including the Temple Promise and Temple Future Scholars,” said Provost Gregory Mandel. “Our membership in the alliance will enable us to accelerate our own student success efforts, provide access to UIA’s past studies and open up new opportunities for collaboration.” 

Burns discussed the overall goals of the UIA in February while meeting with university leadership and deans from across Temple’s many schools and colleges. She shared how in many ways, higher education was never actually fundamentally designed for students, which is one of the reasons that student success is an area where many institutions struggle. 

The UIA, she said, works to change that, taking a student-first approach. 

“We focus on improving ROI, mobility and impact for our graduates,” she said. “These are challenges that we are all facing together, so our member schools focus on shared problems that we can solve together and shared goals that we can all accomplish together.” 

Temple’s Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Jose Aviles and Vice President of Student Affairs Jodi Bailey Accavallo will serve as the university’s liaisons to the alliance. Temple is currently searching for its UIA fellow, who will provide direct support to an array of student success initiatives on campus and lead Temple’s work with the alliance. 

For more information on UIA, visit the organization’s website.