One evening in June 1884, a young aspiring minister named Charles Davies approached Conwell after a service to express his desire to prepare for the ministry, but did not have the means to attend college.

[9] where he began tutoring working-class citizens at night in the basement of Conwell's Baptist Temple (hence the origin of the university's name and mascot).

By 1888, the enrollment of the college was nearly 600: because of Temple's aim of offering an education to Philadelphia's working class, there were no admissions requirements and tuition was free.

[11] That year, Temple University agreed to terms to purchase 11+1⁄2 acres (4.7 ha) of the adjacent Monument Cemetery and repurpose it for athletic fields and a parking lot.

[12] Families of the deceased claimed about 8,000 of the 28,000 bodies on the site and the rest were moved to an unmarked mass grave at Lawnview Memorial Park.

[13] Many of the remaining headstones from the cemetery, including a monument to George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette, were used as riprap for the Betsy Ross Bridge.

[17] The firm complained that the “squeeze of the slum area is becoming intolerable” and went on to say that Temple was positioned, finally, “to wipe the slate clean from the ground up.

[17] All that remains of the 1800 block of Park Avenue is a group of facades that have been incorporated into a single building (called 1810 Liacouras Walk) and a small church (Shusterman Hall).

It wasn't until Pennsylvania Governor Raymond Shafer forced one: Temple would limit the height of buildings on the campus perimeter and keep 10 of 22 disputed acres.

[11] To this day, food trucks line the streets of Temple's Main Campus, offering students an alternative to the dining halls.

Under Liacouras, Temple's profile began to grow: men's basketball coach John Chaney helped the team reach national prominence.

[24] Temple reopened Main Campus for the Fall 2020 semester under a hybrid model, offering a mix of online classes and in-person learning.

Temple University retaliated on February 8 by terminating the strikers' health insurance and tuition benefits, an action that propelled the strike to national news.

[51] In the Fall of 2024, Temple Rome moved to a new, central location, establishing its new campus at Piazza di Spagna—one of the most notable landmarks in the Eternal City and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

[53][54] The Office of Sustainability[55] was established on July 1, 2008,[56] as a central resource focusing on four key areas: operations, academics, research, and outreach and engagement.

[63] A companion project, Verdant Temple, was announced in 2015 as a university strategy for updating and beautifying the school's open spaces, walkways and landscaping.

The design incorporates a glass curtain wall exterior "skin" that allows daylight into interior studios and classrooms while also providing views of the surrounding urban environment.

Tyler moved to a state-of-the-art facility at Temple's Main Campus in Philadelphia in 2009, which is connected to the Boyer College of Music and Dance's Presser Hall.

The school’s first Dean, Henry S. Borneman, proposed to Russell Conwell that he organize evening courses in the study of law for students wishing to prepare for the bar examination.

[86] The school has had many homes over the years, both on Temple's Main Campus and in Center City: these included a location over a shoe repair shop, another above the noisy printing presses of the Philadelphia Ledger, and one in the Gimbels Department Store (where students had to walk through the retail merchandise floors to get to class).

The center partners with local community advocacy organizations to address civil access to justice issues confronting underserved populations.

Boyer offers 500 concerts, performances, master classes, lectures, faculty and guest artist recitals each year, most of which are free and open to the public.

Temple's School of Social Work, part of the College of Public Health, offers full-time, part-time and online programs.

[44] University officials have tried various strategies, including building facilities, to encourage students, faculty, and staff to live and work nearby.

[2] Temple University has more than 450 student organizations for a variety of interests academic, professional, political and advocacy, service, religious, cultural and international, arts, entertainment, recreation and leisure, and media and publishing.

Temple University was among the first institutions in the United States to sponsor extracurricular athletic activities for its students when both the football and basketball programs were inaugurated in 1894 under the direction of Coach Charles M.

Before taking the position, Collins had served as defensive coordinator for the University of Florida Gators that ranked among the nation's best during his two seasons on staff.

That Owls team, which finished with a 23–2 record, won the inaugural National Invitation Tournament by routing Colorado, 60–36, in the championship final.

Because the NCAA Tournament was not held until the following year, Temple's NIT championship earned the Owls the first national college basketball title.

[157] Temple has many notable alumni, such as Bill Cosby,[158] Bob Saget,[159] Daryl Hall, John Oates,[160] Irvin Kershner,[161] Diplo,[162] and Karen Patricia Williams (women's cancer prevention).