This winter, the university also acquired Terra Hall, the former main academic building for the University of the Arts. With this acquisition, Temple will now have a prominent and permanent presence in the heart of Philadelphia, as the building will be the home for Temple’s Center City campus. Then, in March, Temple joined the distinguished University Innovation Alliance (UIA) as its Pennsylvania institution. The UIA is a leading national coalition of public research universities committed to increasing the number of college graduates in the United States, and Temple is one of just 18 universities who have joined the prestigious organization.
Prior to his arrival at Temple, President Fry served as president of Drexel University from 2010 to 2024, where he elevated the university’s global presence through academic and research partnerships, major NIH and NSF research programs, as well as hubs for innovation and collaboration. Under his leadership, Drexel set a national example for the successful execution of public-private partnerships and became a powerful force for economic development in the Greater Philadelphia region. He championed major neighborhood revitalization initiatives, including the creation of a multifaceted university extension center in Mantua—the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships—extensive economic development efforts, and significant partnerships to support local neighborhood public schools.
In 2019, Drexel and Tower Health acquired St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, thereby ensuring that St. Christopher's will remain a source of health and healing, medical education and research, and jobs and economic benefit for its North Philadelphia neighborhood and the broader region. President Fry spurred the creation of Schuylkill Yards, a $3.5 billion mixed-use development on Drexel’s campus, and he also oversaw historic mergers with Salus University and the Academy of Natural Sciences.
Before joining Drexel, he served as president of Franklin & Marshall College from 2002 to 2010 and executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2002. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Fry graduated from Lafayette College and earned a master’s degree in business administration from the New York University Stern School of Business.
Fry and his wife Cara, an art historian, have three children. Mia, an attorney at the Center for Public Representation in Massachusetts, and her husband, Professor Evan Dethier, are parents to baby Grey. Nat runs his own business making fine furniture for residences and commercial establishments, and Phoebe is a videographer, musician and model.
