The board held the unanimous vote Tuesday following the resignation of Jason Wingard, who led the university since 2021.
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"There is no one more qualified than JoAnne to assume the role of acting president during this critical moment for our university," said board Chair Mitchell Morgan. "Her lifelong dedication to Temple and the greater Philadelphia community make us extremely confident in JoAnne's ability to unite the Temple community and lead a focused effort on developing and implementing solutions to our key challenges."
Temple University holds press conference after naming JoAnne Epps as acting president
Epps joined Temple's faculty in 1985. She was appointed law school dean in 2008 and was named provost in 2016, a position she held until 2021.
Epps will lead the 33,600-student university until a permanent president is found.
"As acting president, my mandate is to provide the necessary leadership to focus our collective intellect and energies on the immediate challenges of safety and enrollment, and to engage with individuals and groups across the university to reinvigorate a culture of shared governance, listening and learning," said Epps in a statement.
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Wingard, 51, resigned shortly before a no-confidence vote by the faculty union, with members citing concerns over falling enrollment, financial issues and labor disputes. He had told a panel of state lawmakers a week earlier that Philadelphia's homicide rate has wrought a climate in which students, faculty, parents and staff are afraid.
In announcing his resignation, the school vowed to ensure "the highest level of focus" on serious issues facing the institution, "particularly campus safety."
Temple University police officer Christopher Fitzgerald, 31, was shot and killed near campus earlier this year after pursing three people dressed in black and wearing masks in an area where there had been a series of robberies and carjackings. Two youths were arrested nearby, and an 18-year-old suspect was taken into custody the following morning. The school said Fitzgerald, a father of five, was the first Temple University officer killed in the line of duty.
The university had also recently seen a six-week strike by graduate students who are teaching and research assistants. Members of the graduate student union last month ratified a new contract after overwhelmingly rejecting an earlier agreement and extending their walkout.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.