Temple University appoints longtime Drexel leader John Fry as its new president

Drexel University's longtime leader has been named the new president of Temple University .

John Fry has served as the president of Drexel for 14 years. Temple said Wednesday he was confirmed by a unanimous vote by the Board of Trustees.

Temple said Fry will start in his new role after new leadership has been named at Drexel.

In a statement, Fry said he was 'deeply humbled' by the appointment.

"Temple stands as a cornerstone of our region's vitality - a vibrant and accessible anchor institution that provides transformative opportunities and positively impacts countless lives through its mission," Fry said.

Before his tenure at Drexel, Fry was president of Franklin and Marshall College and executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania.

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 will replace Richard Englert, who was appointed president after the sudden death of JoAnne Epps in September. Englert previously served as Temple's president from 2016 to 2021.

Epps, Temple's former law school dean and provost, took over months earlier from Jason Wingard, who had led the university since 2021.

Wingard resigned shortly before a no-confidence vote by the faculty union, with members citing concerns over falling enrollment, financial issues and labor disputes.

His resignation followed a tumultuous tenure of less than two years and amid a surge of violence that had sent fear through the north Philadelphia campus.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.