June 7, 2021 will go down in the history books for Temple University. In its 137-year history, the North Philadelphia university has never had a Black president until now.

In an announcement, the university named Dr. Jason Wingard as its next president after a unanimous vote from its board of trustees. It also comes after a 10-month nationwide search that involved a 18-person presidential search committee.

Wingard comes to North Philadelphia from Columbia University, where he was dean and dean emeritus of its School of Professional Studies. He was also a professor of human capital management at the school. 

Before Columbia, Wingard held a post at Goldman Sachs as a managing director and chief learning officer. In that role, he led both the Pine Street Leadership Development Group and Goldman Sachs University.

He is also a past vice dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and executive director of his alma mater, Stanford University’s Educational Leadership Institute.

As an academic, Wingard is a seasoned lecturer and writer on topics ranging from overall organizational strategy, learning and leadership.

“Like many of Temple’s faculty, Dr. Wingard combines academic accomplishments with real-world experience. That’s been a hallmark of Temple’s education for generations,” Mitchell L. Morgan, the chair of Temple’s board of trustees, said in a press release about Wingard’s appointment.

The West Chester native will officially take the post from Dr. Richard Englert on July 1, who leaves temple after 45 years at the university, five of those coming as its president.

“I am honored by the board’s selection and excited to lead one of the nation’s premier urban research universities,” said Wingard in the release. “Temple will continue to provide its diverse and talented community of learners an unparalleled, accessible opportunity to leverage a best-in-class network of faculty and academic resources in support of dynamic and lifelong professional goals.”

He also pinpointed the uncertainty of the world amid ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, especially for the 37,000-plus students he will become the dean of at Temple, and offered a vision of hope and advancement for the future.

“Temple will lead the progression of a career readiness agenda, built on a foundation of innovation and adaptability, to advance knowledge for relevant impact,” said Wingard.