Campaign News
Inspiring Advanced Dental Education
The Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry has formally named its advanced education in general dentistry clinic after Temple alumni Ray N. and Dolores K. Leidich, in honor of their $1 million gift.
A 1953 graduate of the Dental School, Leidich said he was inspired to give the gift in appreciation of Temple giving him and his wife, Dolores — a graduate of the Temple School of Pharmacy — a springboard for the successes in their professional lives.
“As a student, I was aware of people giving back to the university, and I hoped that one day I could show my appreciation in the same manner,” Leidich said.
Temple President Ann Weaver Hart said Leidich’s generosity will make a substantial difference at the School of Dentistry and at Temple.
“We are extremely grateful to both Ray and Delores Leidich for this thoughtful gift,” President Hart said. “Their desire to give back is in the finest Temple University spirit, and their actions will have a positive impact on students for generations to come.”
Naming the advanced education in general dentistry clinic for the Leidichs is a fitting tribute, said Martin Tansy, dean of the Dental School.
“Gifts of this magnitude not only enhance the academic experience at the dental school, but are a sign of confidence, a signal to our alumni that the benefactor had a solid experience as a student and a productive life as a dental professional,” Tansy said.
The gift was provided through an annuity that entitles donors to a fixed payment from Temple over their lifetimes in exchange for creating an endowed fund.
The naming of the Ray N. and Dolores K. Leidich Advanced Education in General Dentistry Clinic took place at an April 30 ceremony.
A Model for Community Engagement
Verizon awarded a $24,500 grant to Temple University’s New City Writing: Institute for the Study of Literature, Literacy and Culture to be used for recruiting, training and supervising Temple students who conduct literacy-related activities at non-profit community agencies. One premise of the institute is that helping others in literacy-learning activities enhances university students’ learning and attainment of professional goals. In addition, the grant will enable Temple to rent space adjacent to Tree House Books for showcasing performances and for developing a rich variety of projects with the community.
The brainchild of Eli Goldblatt, associate professor of English at Temple, New City Writing grew out of his interest in demonstrating that it is possible to do principled academic work and still be involved in the community. With this as its goal, the institute is pioneering a new model for community engagement. Goldblatt’s model places literacy instruction within a network of relationships across an array of institutions and organizations.
To this end, the institute has imagined and implemented a number of projects, including publishing community-based books and journals and developing media- and arts-based projects in partnership with neighborhood non-profits, such as Art Sanctuary and Asian Arts Initiative. The institute operates writing centers at two area public elementary schools, where two Temple graduate students in English supervise more than 20 Temple undergraduate education students, working with more than 100 children, each semester. Last year, the institute’s new summer program for teens, the Temple Writing Academy, worked with more than 60 high school students during a four-week program on critical and creative writing.
Now in its 11th year, New City Writing has been supported by grants and gifts totaling $1.5 million, including a series of grants from the Knight Foundation reaching $1 million.
“The whole idea behind the Knight grants was to develop an institutional commitment inside the university that connects to a strong presence outside the University,” explained Goldblatt. “Not only did the grants allow us to fund community projects, but more importantly, they enabled us to develop a conceptual model for working within the community.”
In an age when everyone is talking about social and professional networking online, Goldblatt is building his network the old-fashioned way — in face-to-face conversations that lay the foundation for real partnerships and real success.Goldblatt outlines his model for capacity-building within a community in his new book, Because We Live Here: Sponsoring Literacy Beyond the College Curriculum, from Hampton Press. The book contains the influential essay "Alinsky's Reveille: A Community-Organizing Model for Neighborhood-Based Literacy Projects," for which Goldblatt was named the 2005 winner of the prestigious Richard Ohmann Award.
Figuring prominently in Goldblatt’s award-winning essay and accompanying Goldblatt to the award dinner was Manuel Portillo, director of the Open Borders Project.
In many ways, the relationship between New City Writing and Open Borders acts as the model for all of Goldblatt’s community literacy efforts. It’s a model based on making connections and forging relationships across disciplines and beyond campus.
Supporting Student Performances
Temple’s Board of Trustees voted to use an anonymous $1 million received in the mail in February to help shape the future of the renovated Baptist Temple.
The anonymous donor of the $1 million said the university could use the funds as it sees fit. The money will be placed into an endowment to support student programming, such as the Temple University Symphony Orchestra and Choir, which will perform in the renovated historic landmark when it reopens in 2010.
The gift was one of two anonymous checks unexpectedly received in the mail in early February. The companion $4 million check was designated for student scholarships by the donor.
“This is a tremendous gift, and will help us turn the Temple building once again into the heart of Temple University,” said President Ann Weaver Hart following the board’s action.
“When the renovations are complete, the Temple will offer students a stunning new facility while drawing visitors from around the world onto campus and into the community,” said Hart.
The Temple is currently undergoing a dramatic $29 million renovation, which will turn the 1891 building into a premier venue for arts and cultural productions, international speakers, symposia, intellectual debate and gatherings both large and small.
The renovation of the Temple will modernize the historic structure, while respecting its imposing role as a Broad Street landmark. Once work is complete, the 36,000-square foot Temple will stand as a northern anchor of Philadelphia’s celebrated Avenue of the Arts.
With room for a 100-piece orchestra, 215-member choir and flexible seating for as many as 1,200 people, the Temple will comfortably host opera, dance, jazz, orchestra, theater and other types of performances for the university and greater Philadelphia community.
The university is in the midst of an ambitious $15 million fundraising effort for the Temple. The university has an overall goal of $350 million as part of the “Access to Excellence” campaign, which continues through Dec. 31, 2009.
Take part in the Baptist Temple’s historic rebirth by contacting the Office of Institutional Advancement at 215-204-1001 or visit www.myowlspace.com to make your gift.
