‘Universally loved’ top Temple administrator who was ‘a constant’ amid leadership turnover will retire in June

A longtime top Temple University administrator, whom president John Fry called “a constant” in times of challenge and “a calming force in any storm,” will retire at the end of June following a health scare, the university said in a campus announcement Tuesday.

Ken Kaiser, senior vice president and chief operating officer, has spent more than three decades at the North Philadelphia university, which is his alma mater.

“Having a pretty significant health scare in late January and just dealing with that” reframed his perspective, Kaiser said, noting his desire to re-prioritize and put his health and his family first. “Getting a second chance helped me to see things more clearly.”

But Kaiser, 58, who entered Temple as a freshman from Northeast Philadelphia in 1985, said the decision to leave was “brutally hard.”

He oversaw finances at the university during some of Temple’s most troubling leadership challenges, including the forced resignation of president Neil Theobald in 2016; the resignation of president Jason Wingard in March 2023 after less than two years that were marked by a graduate student strike and the death of an on-duty university police officer; and the sudden passing of president JoAnne A. Epps in September 2023.

Kaiser helped guide university finances through the recession from 2007 to 2009 and, later, the pandemic, and he oversaw capital planning that led to the building of Temple’s signature Charles Library and Science, Education and Research Center.

“The significance of Ken’s departure cannot be overstated,” Fry said in his message, adding that he was “universally loved” among employees. “Ken has devoted his professional life to this university and in times of challenge, he’s been a constant — a calming force in any storm. His knowledge, leadership and genuine love for this institution have helped Temple thrive and grow, as he always made decisions with the best interests of the university and our students in mind.”

“Ken has always been a deliberate and thoughtful steward of university resources, which gained him the respect of colleagues around the university.”

Fry said that the university would launch a national search for Kaiser’s replacement and that David Marino, vice president of finance and treasurer, would fill in as interim COO.

Kaiser’s retirement is among a number of high-level cabinet departures since Fry’s arrival. Provost Gregory N. Mandel also plans to step down this summer, and the vice president of institutional advancement resigned in March. Changes in top administration often occur when a new president arrives.

Kaiser had not been planning his departure and did not want to disclose details of his health issue. He said he regrets having less than a year to work with Fry, who he said has “a concrete vision and ideas on how to execute it.

“John’s going to be just what Temple needs in these crazy times,” he said.

Working in higher education has become even more stressful in recent years, given enrollment challenges and now pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration, which is cutting research funding that schools like Temple receive.

“Colleges have to do what’s right and stand up and defend themselves, regardless of the short-term financial pain that they might have to take,” Kaiser said.

Kaiser earned his bachelor’s degree in finance at Temple in 1989. His wife, Denise, a marketing major, also graduated from Temple, in 1990. They went on to get their MBAs together at Temple in 1994. Kaiser also got a master’s in e-business there in 2003.

Kaiser worked at AT&T as a treasury analyst before moving to Temple as a budget analyst. He went on to run finances at Temple’s Ambler campus, then was an institutional advancement executive, before moving into central finances. In 2003, he left Temple to become vice president for finance and administration at Montgomery County Community College, then returned to Temple in 2005, eventually becoming the chief financial officer and, later, chief operating officer.

In his current role, he oversees budget, human resources, bursar, risk management and insurance, controller operations, treasury and investments, construction, facilities and operations, purchasing, real estate, environmental health and safety, sustainability, public safety, business services, and auxiliaries.

His son, one of three children, graduated from Temple, too, getting his degree in graphic design in 2018.

Some of Kaiser’s favorite times at Temple were when he first got hired, he said, recalling the camaraderie of his coworkers and how they used to run together at lunch time. He also enjoyed the period after the recession when Temple began to boom and eventually reached its highest enrollment ever.

“Then that kind of ran into a wall with COVID, and it’s been very challenging ever since,” Kaiser said.

He will most miss his coworkers who have become family, he said, and least miss commuting in the winter from his home in Huntingdon Valley.

Kaiser plans to spend time at the Shore this summer and take up golf; he used to be an avid runner and work out two and a half hours a day, but intense aerobic exercise is out now, given his health. He still lifts weights and walks.

In the fall, he plans to look for a part-time job, “something that’s interesting to me and relaxing. I wouldn’t mind working at a gym or a car dealership, two of my hobbies.”

Eventually, he would also like to teach part-time, he said, hopefully at Temple.