As the GPA and SAT scores of incoming freshmen has risen, the percentage of Black students enrolled at Temple has declined. On the other hand, the retention and graduation rates of Black students are as high as ever. Has Temple really abandoned its mission?
PHILADELPHIA
Temple University’s eighth president, Dr. David Adamany, helped engineer a remarkable turnaround in the school’s reputation. The average SAT score of incoming students jumped nearly 70 points, from 1021 in 1998 to 1088 in 2006. Temple has renewed its focus on research, pulling in $80.2 million in research grants in 2006, a significant increase from the $62.6 million it received in 2001. An institution once known for its relaxed admissions policies has become increasingly selective, perhaps a necessity considering that applications from first-time freshmen have swelled more than 45 percent from 2000 to 2006.
But the institution with a long-held reputation as a gritty and tenacious college environment where talented city kids went to catch up academically with their suburban counterparts, is experiencing a decrease in its Black enrollment. In 1998, 20.8 percent of its students were Black, but by 2006, the percentage had fallen to 15 percent at a school once called “Diversity University.” Almost 32 percent of Temple’s 2006 freshman class were out-of-state students, up from 27 percent in 1998.
Because of Temple’s shift, Adamany, who retired last summer, faced much criticism during his six-year tenure, and students and faculty are still feeling the aftershocks. Critics argue that the institution has abandoned its original mission in favor of a better standing in the academic world, and now they wonder where new president Ann Weaver Hart intends to take the university.
Temple officials say the demographic shift has less to do with improving its rankings and more to do with Philadelphia’s urban appeal and the university’s improved reputation, which is drawing prospective students from across the country. They also say they recognize the decline of the Black student population and are working to reverse the trend.
There’s an enormous difference in the Temple I attended and the one where I work,” says Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, an assistant professor of urban education who earned his bachelor’s at the university in 2000.
“There was an explicit effort by the Adamany administration to recruit in areas other than Philadelphia,” he says. “There’s also been an ongoing conversation about changing standards and increasing the number of quality students that the university had. That type of conversation eventually leads to the exclusion of city kids and minority students.”
