Temple University Interim President JoAnne A. Epps has died at the age of 72 after collapsing on stage during an event Tuesday afternoon.
Epps was transported to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia where she was pronounced dead around 3:15 p.m., the university said.
She was participating in a memorial service for Charles L. Blockson, curator emeritus of the Charles L. Blockson African American Collection at the university, when she suddenly collapsed on stage.
A uniformed police officer led her off stage and the ceremony was temporarily suspended.
Temple University Interim President JoAnne A. Epps has died at the age of 72 after collapsing on stage during an event Tuesday afternoon.
Epps was attending a memorial service at Temple University (pictured) when she suddenly collapsed while on stage.
Her death was confirmed by the university in a statement that said: “It is with deep sorrow that we write to inform you that Temple University Interim President JoAnne A. Epps passed away suddenly this afternoon.”
“There are no words to describe the severity and sadness of this loss,” Temple Board of Trustees Chairman Mitchell Morgan said in the release.
“President Epps was a devoted servant and friend who represented the best aspects of Temple.
“She spent nearly 40 years of her life serving this university, and it goes without saying that her loss will reverberate through the community for years to come.”
Ken Kaiser, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Temple, declined to speculate on Epps’ health before his collapse.
“We don’t know if President Epps has had any health problems,” Kaiser said at a news conference.
Temple University Provost Gregory Mandel choked up while describing Epps.
“We are all in deep grief and at a loss for words. To know Joanne is to be her friend,” Mandel said at the press conference.
“She was one of the most remarkably compassionate and caring people I have ever known.”
Mandel said the university’s board of trustees will meet tomorrow to “develop a plan for us as we work through this transition.”
Epps was speaking at a memorial event for Blockson, who died June 14 at the age of 89, before collapsing.
The event was temporarily suspended when she collapsed, but resumed with Kimmika Williams Witherspoon, a former Faculty Senate president, stepping in to read Epps’ remarks.
Epps, former provost and dean of Temple’s law school, was named to the position in April following the resignation of Jason Wingard who resigned in March after leading the 33,600-student university since July 2021.
Wingard, the university’s first black president, resigned after less than two years as head of the university, following a wave of violence that gripped the campus.
Epps’ tenure began after Temple University officer Christopher Fitzgerald, 31, was shot and killed in February after chasing three people dressed in black and wearing masks in an area where there had been a series of flights.
She was transported to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia where she was pronounced dead around 3:15 p.m., the university said.
Temple University Provost Gregory Mandel choked up while describing Epps. “We are all in deep grief and at a loss for words. To know Joanne is to be her friend,” he said at a press conference.
Christopher Fitzgerald, 31, a Temple University police officer, was shot and killed Saturday night, reportedly by Miles Pfeffer, 18, who was arraigned on a series of charges.
Kaiser said Epps began working at the Temple Bookstore 40 years ago and was dedicated to improving the university.
Epps pledged to focus on enrollment and safety due to spiraling crime near Philadelphia’s North Campus and other issues during her predecessor’s tumultuous tenure.
She told the Philadelphia Inquirer, which reported that registrations were down 14% since 2019, that she believed she was selected in part for her “ability to calm the waters.”
“I’m obviously honored and excited and really looking forward to being able to make a contribution to the university that I love so much,” Epps told the newspaper. She said she would not be a candidate for the permanent position.
The Temple Association of University Professionals union recalled Epps’ personal touch.
“I remember her walking into my office in April and talking with me one-on-one about how we could work together to make Temple a better place,” the president said. union, Jeffrey Doshna, in a press release.
Gov. Josh Shapiro described Epps as “a powerful force and consistent ambassador for Temple University for nearly four decades.”
“Losing her is heartbreaking for Philadelphia,” Shapiro said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Lori and I hold JoAnne’s loved ones in our hearts right now. May his memory be a blessing.
Kaiser remembers leaving the office when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and Temple was on the verge of closing its doors.
“It was our last day in the office, we were together and I said, ‘OK, I’ll see you in a few weeks,’ and I didn’t really see her for two years,” Kaiser said.
He later told her that if he had known they wouldn’t see each other for two years, he would have given her a hug.
Bill Cosby, who has been accused of numerous sex crimes by at least 60 women – all of which he denies, served as a Temple University trustee from 1982 to 2014.