When Stacey Eleby arrived at Temple University Center City, the campus had just nine years in the heart of Philadelphia under its belt and she was just starting her college career at Temple.

"I came through the doors as a first-year freshman when Temple Center City (TUCC) was still located on Walnut Street. I didn't even know there was a Center City Campus until I went for my interview as a student worker," said Eleby, who is now Manager of Meeting and Training Space at TUCC. "When I was initially interviewed, they weren't sure I'd work out for the position, but they decided to give me a try. Sometimes it's not about the interview but what you can do when you get there, and I've definitely showed them what I could do ever since."

When a full-time position opened, Eleby said, her colleagues encouraged her to apply.

"That meant so much to me, that encouragement and just pushing me to do better. Since then, TUCC has been like a home to me, we're family," she said. "We look out for each other and our students — it's a very welcoming environment, an environment full of possibilities, for anyone who walks through our doors."

On Friday, October 4, beginning at 6 p.m., Temple University Center City will cap off its 50th anniversary celebration with a night of music and history at the Center City Campus, featuring a performance by the Jasper String Quartet. The concert is being held in collaboration with Temple University Music Preparatory Division of the Boyer College of Music and Dance. Learn more and register for the event here.

A History of Opportunity

Opportunities, both professional and personal, have been at the core of Temple Center City's history from the very beginning. Temple University saw an opportunity to bring its programs to a predominantly adult audience when Westinghouse Broadcasting Corporation gifted a seven story Center City building at 1619 Walnut Street — formerly used by KYW-News Radio and KYW-TV — to the university in 1973.

This new academic venture opened its doors with 20 course offerings and 423 students. The Temple Real Estate Institute at TUCC soon followed in 1974, offering licensing for real estate salespeople and brokers, as well as continuing education for real estate professionals.

"The impetus for Temple to open a new campus not all that far from Main Campus was that it provided opportunities to reach out to varying kinds of students," said Melanie Ellison-Roach, Director of Temple University Center City. "It wasn't only about credit programs; it was also about the personal enrichment and professional development types of programs that TUCC has been known for the past 50 years."

The Center City Campus spoke to "the original mission of Temple University and its founder Russell Conwell, which was to provide education to a broader population of people," said Ellison-Roach.

"Since Temple started out as a night school, the Center City Campus became the evening campus, offering credit programs to people who were working for the most part during the day," she said. "It was designed to reach a different community of people. While Main Campus was predominantly offering credit courses to traditional-aged students, the Center City Campus also offered a whole range of non-credit programs that accommodated a lot of different populations."

With burgeoning enrollment, TUCC leased an additional 10 floors at 1616 Walnut Street in 1976. That same year, the Temple Association of Retired Professionals — now Temple's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute — began offering programs and courses at TUCC. By 1982, TUCC's enrollment reached 10,000 students — it was estimated that nearly one out of every four Center City residents took a course on campus at that time.

The community then and today "see Temple Center City as a vital resource for career development and personal enrichment," said Dr. Vicki Lewis-McGarvey, Vice Provost of Temple University University College, of which TUCC is an essential part.

"For adults who are looking to expand their education, it's a natural location for people who live and work here," she said. "Over the years we've built up our graduate programs in addition to undergraduate program offerings as well. I see the Center City campus as a hub for continuing education."

Ellison-Roach has spent most of her career focused on providing continuing education opportunities for adult learners and has spent half of TUCC's 50-year history ensuring that it is the perfect location to pursue a broad diversity of continuing education initiatives.

"I think that as long as you're learning, you're continuing to grow. I'm a lifelong learner myself; I know that there is a lot of gratification that comes from just learning for the joy of learning and learning for professional development and career advancement," she said. "If you are an adult student, education tends to increase your earning capability and your options for advancement. I like the idea of a place that zeroes in not only on traditional learners but on a wide diversity of people who would benefit from continuing their education."

One of the things that is unique about the Center City Campus "is that we offer learning opportunities to people from near infancy to later adulthood, from music preparatory programs for very young children offered by the Boyer School of Music and Dance to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute," said Ellison-Roach.

A Home for Music and the Arts

Since its inception, TUCC has been as much a home for the arts and music as it has for real estate classes, MBA courses, professional development certificates and non-credit courses on topics ranging from getting the most out of Microsoft Outlook to, yes, famous composers.

In 1984, TUCC celebrated its 10th anniversary with a block party on Walnut Street and an open house of exhibits and performances on campus. In 1985, TUCC opened the Tyler Gallery on its first floor, displaying art and sculpture from around the country and hosting an artists lecture series funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1994, another big anniversary was celebrated once again with concerts, exhibits, lectures and a block party all to the theme of "Opening Minds in the Heart of the City."

"TUCC's history is deeply intertwined with the past half century of Philadelphia's history. Our history is also strongly connected with the arts at Temple and in the city," she said. "For the October 4 event with the Jasper String Quartet, we wanted to open our doors and invite people to share in that rich history and enjoy firsthand our dedication to musical performance and enriching our community."

Temple Music Prep began in 1968, prior to the establishment of Temple Center City, as a University outreach program to students within the School District of Philadelphia, according to Mark Huxsoll, Director of the Temple University Music Preparatory Division of the Boyer College of Music and Dance.

"The School District of Philadelphia through the 1950s and 1960s was kind of the exemplar of music, dance and arts programs for public schools located in a large urban setting," he said. "As budgetary priorities changed over the years, Temple, being the trainer of more educators — including music educators — than anyone else in the area, wanted to continue to support the arts in the city and the school district."

When the Center City campus was established, Huxsoll said, "some of the professors in the College of Music (now the Boyer College of Music and Dance) felt it was important to offer music preparatory programs at that location as well."

"Dr. Harvey Wedeen, chair of the piano department at the time, was the driving force, followed by music history and musicology teacher Nancy W. Hess, who was a true dynamo. The College of Music's pre-college preparatory program merged with Music Prep and has produced some truly gifted young musicians, among them violin virtuoso and child prodigy Sarah Chang," he said. "Many of our students have gone on to become prominent musicians in major orchestras — there was a family, the Semes family, who had four daughters who all played violin; all of them are now leaders in major orchestras."

The Center for Gifted Young Musicians, part of the Music Prep program, provides students an opportunity to be mentored by some of Philadelphia's finest professional musicians, guiding and motivating them to achieve the highest level of performance. The Center's Youth Chamber Orchestra additionally enjoys a unique more than 10-year relationship with students of the Tonskoli Sigursveins in Reykjavik, Iceland, exchanging biennial visits between the students of the two schools.

The Jasper String Quartet, recipient of Chamber Music America's prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award, is Music Prep's professional quartet-in-residence and provides Center for Gifted Young Musicians students with valuable insights into career building and performance.

"The Music Prep program is a big part of what we love about Philadelphia. The program is made up of just supremely talented elementary, middle and high school students," said J Freivogel, violinist with the Jasper String Quartet. "I have great appreciation for all of my teachers growing up and it's nice to be that for future generations. We're grateful to be a part of celebrating this rich history at Temple Center City."

During the October 4 program, the Jasper Sting Quartet will perform Lyric String Quartette (Musical Portraits of Three Friends) (1960) by William Grant Still; Carrot Revolution, a 2015 composition by Gabriella Smith; and Quartet No. 14 in A-flat Major, Op. 105 (1895) by Antonín Dvořák. Read more about the Jasper String Quartet here.

Making a Big Move

In 2001, Temple bid farewell to its Walnut Street location to its present home at 1515 Market Street, a 105,000-square-foot space that sits closer to the city's economic core and at the hub of the area's regional rail and subway systems. That same year, William Parshall became Director of Temple City, a role in which he would remain until his retirement in 2021.

"Relocating from Walnut Street to the present location marked a significant improvement in the quality of the classroom experience," said Parshall. 

The move allowed Temple to move a significant number of undergraduate classes from Main Campus while Alter Hall was being built, he said.

"After the completion of Alter Hall, TUCC increasingly became a focus for graduate and continuing education programs," he said.

Eleby recalls the move to Market Street quite well since initially "the idea of moving was devastating!"

"At the time I was working with non-credit programs and we offered so many different types of classes — personal enrichment, professional development, lifelong learning — and I didn't know how those established programs would translate to a new location," she said. "It's like anything — when you are used to something, it's familiar, it's comfortable, until you experience the new and realize it's going to be okay. The Market Street location offered us opportunities, particularly with meeting and training space, that we didn't have at the previous location."

TUCC may have never been able to receive a $1 million endowment grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation (in 2011) had Temple not had a facility in Center City, Parshall said.

"The grants helped to fund courses, clubs, trips and lectures on a wide range of subjects for adults aged 50 and above," he said. "The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) has provided a treasure trove of programs to thousands of people year after year and has since expanded to the Temple University Ambler campus."

OLLI is "a great example of what Temple Center City is all about — lifelong learning," said Ellison-Roach.

"I think it appeals to a population that gets true joy out of learning. What is also interesting is that it is member taught," said Ellison-Roach. "When you join OLLI, you have people who come from a lot of different walks of life who are able to provide training in or teaching in different areas — the programs run the gamut from the academic to just plain fun. TUCC has been offering educational programs like this for decades, but OLLI truly took it to another level."

For adult learners, TUCC continues to be a hub for providing an important variety of higher education opportunities, Eleby said. "There are people who started and did not complete their degree and want to return to finish what they started," she said.

"We're convenient, close and offer a variety of degree programs, such as the Bachelor of General Studies, which many people have taken advantage of since it was first offered just a few years ago. Think about it — once you're done work, you take a class and go home and finish your degree in short order," she said. "How nice is it to have somewhere you can go and continue your education after work. I think being able to offer these programs at TUCC is very beneficial to Temple as well as the community as a whole — everyone benefits."

An Educational Space for Everyone

As the population in the city and the region has evolved, "so have our program offerings," said Ellison-Roach.

"There is a broader emphasis today on degree programs, degree completion and professional development. We are reaching out to corporations that want to provide specific kinds of training for their people — we're expanding our reach," she said. "There is no one type of TUCC student or one type of person using TUCC's resources — its real estate agents renewing their certifications, people interested in taking music classes, adults who are retired and looking to continue their education, businesses and corporations holding conferences and meetings, its undergraduate and graduate students. We are constantly striving to ensure that our facilities meet the needs of everyone who sees TUCC as an essential resource for themselves or their organizations."

In 2015, TUCC debuted a new $2.75 million campus renovation project.

"Our event space was renovated, we were able to open the bookstore on the first floor and several classroom spaces were upgraded so that we have more flexible learning capabilities," she said. "We'd like more of Temple's schools and colleges to offer programs here with the understanding that we have this capability. We've combined a few classrooms as well so that we can have greater capacity courses."

Today, working collaboratively with Temple departments and external partners, Temple Center City is home to a wide range of programs and initiatives, including the Real Estate Institute, one of the largest real estate training programs in the city; the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute; the evening MBA offered by the Fox School of Business — one of the largest programs located at TUCC; the Master of Public Policy, which has been expanded at the campus; the Small Business Development Center; the Pennsylvania Innocence Project; the Boyer Music Preparatory Division for Music and Dance and numerous music practice rooms for both credit and non-credit programs. Temple's office of Off-campus Programs and Training is also based at the Center City campus.

"I think that speaks to the great diversity of activity that is happening on campus every day. Having the Fox MBA at TUCC, for example, makes it available to people who are not able to go to school full-time," she said. "For someone driving into the city or taking regional rail, it can be just a simple matter of leaving your office and walking down to campus. The convenience of the location, I think, can't be overstated."

According to Ellison-Roach, TUCC also has a "robust conference center business."

"We do a lot of work with the City of Philadelphia. We are right across from City Hall so what better place to offer a Master of Public Policy," she said. "Philadelphia's Office of Human Services offers a lot of training here throughout the year. TUCC is also a place where a lot of non-profit organizations gravitate to if they need training space, which I think is wonderful, because we want to be that kind of essential resource for the community."

Meeting People Where They Are

While the Market Street campus is the central location for TUCC offerings, it's certainly not the only place where instructors are providing educational opportunities.

"I think at our core what makes the programs we offer off-site unique in comparison to other similar offerings is that we are Temple — no matter where they are held, they are Temple programs taught by University faculty and staff," said Samantha Kimmel, Assistant Director of Off-Campus Programs and Training for University College. "We partner with different city or greater Philadelphia organizations that want training for their staff or administrators — programs like emotional intelligence training and workforce development are specifically designed to help their teams grow and succeed. SEPTA, PGW, the Free Library of Philadelphia, they are just some of the organizations that we've worked closely with within the city."

In turn, Kimmel said, corporate and non-profit partners have also found great value in coming to TUCC or locations like Main Campus or Temple Ambler "that have amenities that they might not be able to provide."

"They are seeing the value of getting their employees off of their work campuses and bringing them to a different environment — we've had PGW come to Main Campus and SEPTA visiting Temple Center City on multiple occasions," she said. "We have space to just spread out and let them use different smart technologies. Whether they come to us or we go to them we want to be there, wherever and however they need us."

For example, Kimmel said, during supervisory training programs, participants are "learning about not only their strengths but how they can leverage their team's strengths."

"We're facilitating conversations among teams to make sure that everyone is not only putting their best foot forward but leveraging what they know about their own teams and strengths," she said. "In turn Temple, by providing these training programs, remains connected to some of the biggest businesses and industries and people that really move and shape our city. We truly value those community partnerships."

Sometimes students discover Temple Center City's programs in unexpected ways and from unexpected places, said Katy Fagan, Assistant Director of Professional Development whose particular focus is on Public Enrollment.

"Working with external educational partners, such as Educational Testing Consultants for test preparation and Learning Resources Network, which offers professional development, we offer a number of virtual, self-paced programs. That can be one course or a series of several courses that comprise a certificate program," she said. "It's a very welcome surprise how popular these programs have become and how far-reaching they can be — just recently I had someone from the Netherlands register for a program! I'd say about 40 percent of our business for these types of programs is in the tri-state area while the rest is from all over the country and well beyond — the diversity of students taking these courses is truly quite astounding."

For students at Temple Center City and others that tap into TUCC's offerings wherever they may be, "I hope they get the typical excellent education that Temple can provide, but in a way that is most convenient for them and a way that will ensure their success," said Ellison-Roach.  

"TUCC works very hard to meet people where they are while they're juggling multiple responsibilities. We offer advising, for example, at times that are most convenient for people; we offer the typical services that students need access to at times that are best for a population that is predominantly working adults," she said. "When people come to TUCC, I hope they feel that it is a welcoming and nurturing place where they can meet a lot of other people and fulfill their desire to continue to learn and grow."

For more information about Temple University Center City, visit here. To support the Temple University Center City campus, visit giving.temple.edu/GivetoTUCC.