Former Vice Dean of Executive Education at the Wharton School and 2000 GSE Ph.D. graduate Jason Wingard resigned as Temple University president on March 28.
Mitchell Morgan, chair of the board of trustees, announced the resignation to the Temple community, stating that Wingard’s resignation will become effective on March 31.
Wingard’s resignation comes after a series of recent events sparked outrage from members of the Temple community, including a Temple University Graduate Students’ Association strike that lasted over a month and the shooting death of an on-duty police sergeant in February.
“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,” the statement said. “We understand that a concerted and sustained effort must be undertaken as we attempt to solve these problems.”
On March 21, the faculty union planned to hold a vote of no confidence on Wingard, as well as Morgan and Provost Gregory Mandel.
The resignation follows the formation of a Special Committee of the Board of Trustees on March 23, created “to apply more rigorous attention to the urgent matters facing the University,” according to a message sent to Temple community members.
Wingard served as the senior director at the Wharton School from 1999 to 2004 before serving as the vice dean of executive education at Wharton from 2010 to 2013.
Prior to his role at Temple, he served as dean emeritus and professor of human capital management at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies.
The board of trustees unanimously appointed Wingard as the 12th president of the university in 2021, making him Temple’s first Black president.
The announcement writes that Temple's board will appoint a small group of senior administrators to temporarily lead the university.
“This group will have many years of experience at Temple and devotion to its mission,” the statement said. “Each will have discrete responsibilities for the university’s essential functions and provide a stable foundation for us as we look toward the search for our next president.”
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