Temple University announced today that it has selected Dr. Jason Wingard, former dean and professor of the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University, as its next president. Following a unanimous vote of confirmation by the Temple Board of Trustees today, Dr. Wingard will become the university’s 12th president, and will begin serving on July 1.
A proven senior administrator, executive and thought leader, Dr. Wingard was selected following a 10-month nationwide search led by an 18-member Presidential Search Committee appointed by the university’s Board of Trustees. Temple was assisted in the process by Storbeck Search, a member of the Diversified Search Group.
Dr. Wingard will succeed the retiring president, Dr. Richard M. Englert, as leader of an institution nationally recognized as a center of excellence in teaching, research and healthcare with more than 17 schools across eight campuses, 600 academic programs, 37,000 students, 8,700 faculty and staff, 340,000 living alumni, and 1,000 physicians.
“Dr. Wingard is a dynamic and innovative leader who is extraordinarily qualified to lead our university in the 21st century,” said Mitchell L. Morgan, chair of the Temple University Board of Trustees, in making the announcement. “Like many of Temple’s faculty, Dr. Wingard combines academic accomplishments with real-world experience. That’s been a hallmark of Temple’s education for generations.”
“At the same time, Dr. Wingard recognizes that higher education is changing, and his unique combination of academic and business success, together with his skills in the fields of leadership development, organizational strategy, and the future of work, make him a compelling choice to lead Temple into an exciting future filled with promise and new opportunity.”
Morgan noted that Dr. Wingard also brings a deep appreciation of Philadelphia to the role.
A native of West Chester, Pennsylvania, Dr. Wingard’s academic career includes teaching and senior leadership posts at Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. In addition, he served as chief learning officer of Goldman Sachs and as founder and chairman of The Education Board, Inc., a management consultancy specializing in executive coaching and corporate advisory services.
“I am honored by the board’s selection and excited to lead one of the nation’s premier urban research universities,” Dr. Wingard said. “Temple will continue to provide its diverse and talented community of learners an unparalleled, accessible opportunity to leverage a best-in-class network of faculty and academic resources in support of dynamic and lifelong professional goals.
“At a time when the uncertainty of the global marketplace is challenging the future of learning and work, Temple will lead the progression of a career readiness agenda, built on a foundation of innovation and adaptability, to advance knowledge for relevant impact,” Dr. Wingard said. “I look forward to the work that we will undertake together, and I believe that for all this institution has achieved over the past 137 years, Temple University’s best days are yet to come.”
Chair Morgan also took the opportunity to thank retiring President Dr. Richard M. Englert, who will retire on July 1 after 45 years at Temple, including the last five years as president.
“Dick Englert has devoted nearly half a century to Temple University, and we are all better for his service,” Morgan said. “He has been a tireless champion for the university, and we wish him a long and happy retirement.”
Dr. Englert promised that there would be a smooth transition between the two leaders.
“My years at Temple have taught me that this university is constantly evolving, while remaining true to its mission. I have every reason to believe that Dr. Wingard will find the faculty, staff and students excited for the future and ready to move the university forward,” said Englert. “I wish him well, and I look forward to working together to ensure a seamless transition.”
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Dr. Wingard, who becomes the first Black president in the university’s 137-year history, holds a BA in sociology (organizational behavior and social psychology), with honors, from Stanford University, where he was also a member of the varsity football and track teams. He earned a master’s in education (professional development) from Emory University, an EdM in technology in education from Harvard University, and a PhD in educational leadership (education, culture and society) from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Wingard previously served as dean (and dean emeritus) of Columbia’s School of Professional Studies and professor of human capital management. Before Columbia, he served as managing director and chief learning officer at Goldman Sachs, where he led the acclaimed Pine Street Leadership Development Group and Goldman Sachs University.
He also served as vice dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, where he led the Division of Executive Education. Earlier, Dr. Wingard was executive director of the Stanford Educational Leadership Institute at Stanford University. He also has served in several cross-functional executive and consulting roles at leading organizations including the Aspen Institute, the Vanguard Group and Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Dr. Wingard has lectured and written extensively on the topic of strategy, learning and leadership. He has authored several books, including: The Great Skills Gap: Optimizing the Talent Pipeline for the Future of Work (2021), Learning for Life: How Continuous Education Will Keep Us Competitive in the Global Knowledge Economy (2016) and Learning to Succeed: Reinventing Corporate Education in a World of Unrelenting Change (2015). He currently serves as a senior contributor on leadership strategy to Forbes and is represented by several global speakers’ bureaus.
Dr. Wingard serves on the board of directors of Kroll, a multinational financial consultancy firm based in New York City. He is also a strategic advisor for PepsiCo.
As a public servant, he serves on the boards of Tides (chair), The Education Board Foundation (chair), Roundabout Theater Company and Building 21. He is an advisor for JUST Capital and a former board member for United Cerebral Palsy of Philadelphia, the National Center for Fathering, and Touchstone Inc.
He and his wife, Gingi, live with their children in Chestnut Hill.
The new president will lead a university with campuses and partnerships that span the region and the globe from Rome to Japan, as well as Temple Health. While retaining attention to the city of Philadelphia that is its home, Temple draws students and patients from the city and region, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States, and around the world.
Today, more than 37,000 dynamic and diverse students call Temple their educational home. Temple is among the nation’s largest educators in the combined fields of dentistry, law, medicine, pharmacy and podiatry. Temple University Health System (TUHS) is a $2.2 billion academic health system dedicated to providing access to quality patient care in its North Philadelphia community and throughout the region, and supporting excellence in medical education and research. TUHS is affiliated with the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. When combined, the extraordinary faculty and physicians offer world-class teaching and experiences, while its researchers are engaged in solving the most difficult issues in the world today, from eliminating HIV/AIDS to helping communities deal with the impact of climate change.