Jason Wingard, the First Black President of Temple University in Philadelphia, Has Resigned
Filed in Breaking News, Resignations on March 29, 2023
Jason Wingard has resigned as president of Temple University in Philadelphia. He has served in this role for less than two years.
A recent poll found that 92 percent of Temple students disapproved of President Wingard’s job performance. The Temple Association of University Professionals was planning to vote on a motion of no confidence in his leadership. A key issue is campus safety. A Temple police officer was killed in the line of duty in February and there has been an increase in violent crime in the surrounding community. Campus safety – or the lack thereof – is considered a factor in a 14 percent enrollment decline since 2019.
Board chair Mitchell Morgan said that “given the urgent matters now facing the university, particularly campus safety, the board and the administration will ensure the highest level of focus on these serious issues. We understand that a concerted and sustained effort must be undertaken as we attempt to solve these problems.”
In a statement to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Dr. Wingard said: “While I am confident in my ability to pivot and lead Temple through this crisis, I understand, and it has been made clear, unfortunately, that too much focus is on me rather than the challenges we seek to overcome. In order for Temple to overcome these safety and enrollment challenges — and all of the related issues they instigate, the campus community must work in collaboration and minimize divisiveness.”
In 2015, Dr. Wingard was appointed dean of the School of Continuing Education at Columbia University in New York City. He also held the rank of professor at the school. Previously, Dr. Wingard was the chief learning officer at Goldman Sachs, the Wall Street investment firm. Earlier, he was vice dean of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he led the executive education program. Dr. Wingard is the author of Learning to Succeed: Rethinking Corporate Education in a World of Unrelenting Change (AMACOM, 2015).
Dr. Wingard is a graduate of Stanford University. He holds master’s degrees from Emory University and Harvard University and a Ph.D. in education, culture, and society from the University of Pennsylvania.
