Temple University President Richard Englert will retire from the North Philly school next year after more than four decades of service.
Englert, 74, took over as acting president in 2016 following the ouster of Neil Theobald over budget and personnel concerns. The school's Board of Trustees made Englert's presidency permanent later that year and he has served since then.
Englert served in 17 positions over 45 years, including multiple deanships, acting athletic director and chief of staff to the late Peter Liacouras, for whom the Liacouras Center is named. The Detroit native arrived to the university in 1976 as an assistant to the dean in the College of Education. He has taught classes in that college since 1985.
"Dick Englert is the living embodiment of everything that is good about Temple University. His dedication to this institution is unquestioned," Board Chair Mitchell Morgan said in the news release. "Every time Temple has called, Dick has said 'yes,' and given his all for this school that he loves so much."
In Englert's tenure, the university built the Charles Library and enhanced its research profile. He also weathered through a scandal in the business school that saw falsified data submitted to a national college rankings report. And like all of his predecessors, he dealt with community protests, particularly as Temple talked of building a football stadium on campus.
The school is starting a national search for a successor and promises to include input from students, faculty, alumni and the neighboring community.
"Russell Conwell's mission is alive and well, and it will be up to the next president to continue the work of determining how that mission will be applied to the challenges that lie ahead," Englert said in a statement, referencing the university's founder.
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And Morgan thanked Englert for "grace and dedication to Temple's best interests" in giving the university time for a smooth transition to new leadership.
This was Englert's second tour of duty leading Temple. For six months in 2012, he served as acting president after Ann Weaver Hart resigned.
