The university has launched a survey where members of the Temple community can share their feedback on what they see as potential opportunities for Temple Ambler.
Temple has engaged U3 Advisors and Newmark to help the university move forward in developing a long-term strategy for the Ambler Campus.
Photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg
This past fall, Temple University announced that it had issued a request for proposals (RFP) from consultants and advisors to help develop a long-term strategy for the Ambler Campus. Now, the next step in that process is ready to begin.
Temple has engaged U3 Advisors and Newmark to help the university move forward in developing a long-term strategy for the campus. Specifically, U3 will conduct outreach and engage with stakeholders, including members of the Main Campus and Temple Ambler Campus communities. U3 will then work directly with Temple to develop a plan in part based on this outreach. Following that, Newmark, in collaboration with U3 and Temple, will solicit proposals for the university to consider.
“As I have shared before, Temple Ambler is a tremendous asset, but it remains a significantly underutilized asset. We intend to change that,” Temple President John Fry said. “We are just in the beginning stages, as this process will likely take at least six months, but when it’s completed, we will have developed a concrete strategy for Ambler moving forward.”
Some of the options that could be up for consideration include the development of a single or multiple private/public partnerships, transforming the campus into an experiential learning campus which incorporates commercial activity with academic endeavors, or a potential sale.
Since the onset of this process, the university has made it clear that both the Main Campus and Temple Ambler Campus communities are going to have a role in the process. Specifically, the university, in partnership with U3, is launching a survey to the Temple community. The survey can be accessed here, and it will remain open until March 27.
“What is exciting for us as a university is that this is the first time we are not just considering traditional academic uses for the campus, but exploring private and public partnerships as part of the future of Ambler,” said Jonathan Reiter, vice president of business affairs and administration. “We are eager to work with these advisors and look forward to hearing their recommendations, which will be guided by the feedback of the Temple and Ambler communities.”
In recent weeks, Temple representatives have met with Upper Dublin Township leaders to discuss the process for this effort.
“Temple representatives have met with Upper Dublin Township staff several times as they begin considering the future of the Ambler campus,” said Upper Dublin Township Manager Kurt Ferguson. “We appreciate that Temple has included the township in these early conversations and look forward to learning more as the process moves forward and the future of the campus takes shape.”
First established as the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women in 1910, what is now Temple Ambler merged with Temple University in 1958. While the campus has always been known for its vibrant landscape and scenic woodlands, it was officially designated as an arboretum by the University Board of Trustees in March 2000.
Over the years, its enrollment fluctuated, reaching highs of several thousand in the early 1990s to the present where 647 students reported taking a course at Ambler in fall 2024.
The campus also overcame an EF2-level tornado that made its way through campus in September 2021, destroying and damaging buildings while also uprooting hundreds of trees. Through this all, Temple Ambler and its community have remained resilient, as the campus reinvented itself in the wake of the storm.
Specifically, Temple Ambler has taken on new life as its value as a significant environmental research site has increased. Approximately 10 acres of the campus are designated as a Smithsonian Institute Forest Global Earth Observatory site and its recovery from the tornado is being studied as a “disturbance ecology laboratory” under the oversight of the Temple Ambler Field Station.
“I joined the Ambler Campus as its director almost 12 years ago, and I have such an affinity for both that campus and the Ambler community,” said Vicki Lewis McGarvey, who also serves as vice provost for University College. “I have long hoped for Temple Ambler to gain stronger direction within the university, and that is why I am excited for this next step in the process. I encourage all members of the Temple Ambler community to participate in this survey and lend their voice to this important process.”