To learn more about the presidential search process at Temple University, review the presidential profile, meet the Search Advisory Committee and see the search timeline.
Who is handling the search?
Leadership advisory firm Spencer Stuart is supporting the university’s search process, alongside the Presidential Search Advisory Committee.
How was the search firm chosen?
After a rigorous and competitive process involving consideration and interviews of multiple firms, Spencer Stuart was selected for its extensive experience in vetting and evaluating candidates, particularly in the higher education space. Recent placements by Spencer Stuart include Penn State University, Loyola University Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania, among many others.
Due to multiple vacancies and current competitive market, will finding a president be hard?
While there have been a number of university president vacancies in the last six to 12 months, we believe this is a critical time of transition and transformation for Temple. The market is competitive right now; however, the university’s vital mission provides a unique opportunity for our next president to have a positive impact on higher education. We believe candidates will embrace that opportunity.
How will Temple use the feedback it heard during the community engagement process?
Findings from the listening sessions and surveys will be compiled into a report, which will be provided not just to the search advisory committee but to the entire university community. These insights will inform the development of the highest priorities for the search as well as the position description.
To what extent will candidate suggestions from the public be taken into consideration?
Anyone who would like to nominate someone for consideration as a candidate for the next president of Temple University is welcome and invited to submit their ideas to the email address established by Spencer Stuart: [click-for-email].
Will the public be able to meet any of the candidates or finalists?
The search for a highly visible leadership position like university president is a sensitive process, and has become more so in recent years. As with any new job opportunity, candidates are most often pursuing the role unbeknownst to their current employer. For this reason, confidentiality is fundamental to the success of the process.
Candidates who believe that confidentiality will not be maintained will almost invariably withdraw from the search, resulting in the pool being radically limited. One reason a professional leadership advisory firm was hired to support Temple in the search is because it has vast experience in discreetly vetting and recruiting qualified candidates for leadership roles.
Will Temple be looking at internal and external candidates?
An understanding of Temple University and its significance to the city of Philadelphia are crucial qualities in any candidate. The leadership advisory firm will cast both a local and national net when recruiting candidates, and we fully expect that there may be internal candidates who will be considered.
How will the public be kept up to date about the search process?
The Temple community will remain informed through periodic electronic communications and regular updates to this website at key milestones throughout the search.
Presidential Search Advisory Committee
What is the role of the search advisory committee?
The role of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee is to provide a broad and diverse range of institutional knowledge and perspectives to support the process, evaluate candidates and offer recommendations to the Board of Trustees.
Who is on the search advisory committee?
The search committee includes representatives from the Board of Trustees, deans, faculty, administrators and students.
- Quaiser Abdullah, assistant professor of instruction, Lew Klein College of Media and Communication
- Shohreh Amini, president, Faculty Senate, and professor, College of Science and Technology
- Joe Coradino, trustee
- Richard Deeg, dean, College of Liberal Arts
- Amy Goldberg, dean, Lewis Katz School of Medicine
- Lon Greenberg, trustee
- Valerie Harrison, Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Kellyn Hodges, trustee
- Marina Kats, trustee
- Drew A. Katz, trustee
- Rohan Khadka, President, Temple Student Government
- Susanna Lachs, trustee
- Mitchell L. Morgan, trustee and chair
- Leon O. Moulder Jr., trustee
- Bret S. Perkins, trustee
- Phillip C. Richards, trustee
Issues at Temple
Do you think safety at Temple will be an issue in attracting candidates?
Campus safety is a priority that any incoming president must confront. Candidates will have an understanding of the Temple community’s needs and will be prepared to advance ongoing university safety efforts, including recent safety leadership appointments and a number of safety enhancements that were implemented ahead of the fall semester.
Do you think the current labor negotiations will be an issue in attracting candidates?
As a university, we deeply value our faculty and staff and fully recognize their right to organize and engage in collective bargaining. The process of labor negotiations is a routine one, and there are unions revisiting contracts at major universities across the United States at any given moment. The right leader for Temple University will embrace this reality and not shy away from it.