Temple Laying Off Workers As Budget Woes Persist

PHILADELPHIA — Temple University managed to reduce its budget deficit from $60 million to $27 million recently, but that initiative was not enough and layoffs at the school are planned.

Temple President John Fry Friday said 50 workers at the university will be "impacted" by the deficit.

"It is my promise that care will be taken to ensure that any employee’s separation from the university will be handled as equitably and compassionately as possible," he said.

That figure represents less than one percent of the university's workforce, according to Fry.

"Decisions like this are not easy, and they are not made lightly," he said. "Please know that considerable efforts were made to ensure that the reduction to our current workforce was as minimal as possible."

The deficit reduction was credited, in large part, to the elimination of about 190 job across the university. Most of the nixed jobs came via attrition, retirement, or elimination of vacant positions, Fry said.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, some high-level administrators in athletics were part of the layoffs.

Fry said the school will work on a new budget model for 2026 as the year progresses, focusing on budget model design; academic and administrative program review; and leadership development and engagement.

"This new model will better reflect our values, simplify resource allocation, encourage revenue generation and enable greater transparency in institutional investments," he said.

Read Fry's full letter to the community online here.