Temple University received a $55 million donation, marking the largest single gift the university has ever received in its 140-plus year history, writes Mike DeNardo for KYW Newsradio.
Temple alumnus Christopher M. Barnett is responsible for it.
As a result of his massive donation, Temple has renamed its School of Public Health in his honor.
It is now the Christopher M. Barnett College of Public Health.
The renaming comes just weeks after Temple’s College of Public Health moved into its new home at Paley Hall.
After initially being denied admission into Temple, Barnett camped out outside Temple’s admissions office until the director at the time agreed to meet with him.
“I pleaded my case as if it were all on the line and I made her a promise: If she reversed her decision, I would graduate with a 4.0 GPA, become a prominent alum and give back to the university,” Barnett said during a ceremony last week.
He was later admitted and graduated in 2010.
He credits his experience of getting an opportunity and being invested in for helping shape who he is.
Barnett is the founder of Florida-based autism care provider ABA Centers of America.
To this end, $20 million of his donation will go toward an autism center at the school.
Read more at Temple’s largest-ever donation and what it means at KYW Newsradio.
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