Our Mission

Opportunity. Engagement. Discovery.

Temple University educates a vibrant student body and creates new knowledge through innovative teaching, research and other creative endeavors. Our urban setting provides transformative opportunities for engaged scholarship; experiential learning; and discovery of self, others and the world. We open our doors to a diverse community of learners and scholars who strive to make the possible real.

We are committed to the ideals upon which Temple was founded.

• Providing access to an excellent, affordable higher education that prepares students for careers, further learning and active citizenship
• Creating a collaborative community of outstanding faculty and staff who foster inclusion and encourage the aspirations of Temple students
• Promoting service and engagement throughout Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the nation and the world

Temple’s Core Values

Our values represent the Temple community and our purpose. They drive how we educate, innovate and evolve.

• We celebrate diversity. We take great pride in the diversity of our students, faculty, staff and administration, and we are committed to expanding and promoting our diversity as a hallmark of the Temple experience.  
• We strive for inclusivity. We are invested in providing access to diverse students and creating an environment in which all members of our community feel engaged, respected and supported. 
• We embrace a community-minded approach to our mission. We value our diverse communities—on our campuses, in North Philadelphia, across the commonwealth and throughout the world. We aim to help our communities thrive through collaborative partnerships and deep respect for our community members’ rich experiences.  
• We honor our hard-working Temple community. We applaud the dedicated work ethic of our students, faculty, staff and alumni, and we are committed to supporting and recognizing their tireless efforts. 
• We aim to provide access to an affordable education. We strive to give students opportunities to earn degrees at a reasonable cost, and we are committed to finding innovative ways to reduce students’ financial stressors, including food and housing insecurity.
• We foster a welcoming environment. We embrace open communication and inclusive belonging to help everyone feel they are a part of the Temple family. 
• We cultivate learning. We believe that Temple provides students with best-in-class educational opportunities in and beyond the classroom, and we are dedicated to developing innovative teaching and research practices that foster student engagement and success.  
• We embrace our global connections. We celebrate our international students, campuses and programs, and we strive to cultivate dynamic opportunities that engage the worldwide Temple community. 
• We exemplify perseverance. We honor determination, resilience and continuous effort as central to the Temple identity, as reflected in our motto “perseverance conquers.”
• We inspire innovation. We admire the innovative work of our faculty, staff and students; we strive to foster and support a collaborative culture of academic, financial, technological, entrepreneurial and research innovation that can positively impact our community and the world.