The new center supports Temple’s strategic plan, Forward with Purpose, and will serve as one of the hallmark features of the soon-to-open Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication. 

Over the summer, Temple University Trustee Steve Charles, KLN ’80, found a new favorite piece of literature. When talking with his fellow trustees as well as university leaders, he would frequently reference The Connected College: Leadership Strategies for Student Success, a data-driven, evidence-based book designed to help college administrators prioritize student success within their institutions.  

Charles’ appreciation for the book is well-founded; his own story and the work he does as a trustee to ensure student success is prioritized at the highest level is among the anecdotes within the book’s pages. 

“In recent years, while going through the strategic planning process, we have been discussing the work that we need to do in the student success space, and I had made it my own personal mission as a trustee to become fully immersed in this topic,” Charles said. “That is why I am so excited about the launch of the strategic plan. We now have a blueprint to guide us and ensure we are prioritizing student success at the highest level, and that is part of why I felt so compelled to make this gift.” 

In the latest illustration of his commitment to student success, Charles and his family have made a $2.5 million gift to Temple that will establish The Charles Family Center for Student Success at the Klein College of Media and Communication. The new center will be one of the hallmark features of the Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication, which is under construction and set to open next fall. 

“There are few individuals more dedicated to the success of Temple University and its students than Steve Charles, who tirelessly donates his time as a member of our Board of Trustees,” Temple President John Fry said. “This gift is a visible demonstration of Steve’s unwavering commitment to this institution, and it is fitting that it will support student success, as Steve was one of the first individuals at the university to push us to prioritize it at a deeper level. I am grateful to Steve for both this gift as well as his continued service to the university.” 

The Charles Family Center for Student Success will operate as a high-visibility hub within Klein College, centralizing academic advising, career coaching and experiential learning into a single, cohesive operational unit. Occupying a prominent footprint within the new building, on the entry floor, it places student success front and center at Klein. Instead of waiting for students to reach out for support, the center’s location proactively invites students to be engaged with the center.  

“For me, this is exciting because of what a commitment to student success can do for an institution,” Charles said. “It also aligns so well with Temple. We want to be measured on the success of educating and graduating more students rather than being measured on how many students we exclude. So, now, through this center, we will be able to know when our students are struggling, so we can then intervene and help them right away.” 

Through the new center, Klein will utilize backend technology to fuel frontline actions. The college will use predictive analytics to identify students showing sudden drops in attendance or performance in foundational communications coursework. When an issue is identified, proactive, personalized outreach will be delivered to the students in the form of text messages and emails. 

“Klein College laid the foundation for my professional career. Reflecting on my own experience, the support from academic advising and career coaching was pivotal in preparing me for my first job. By bringing these services together and integrating real-time data into a proactive student success model, Klein is directly setting up the next generation of graduates for success as they prepare to launch their careers,” said Nick Charles, KLN ’17, FOX ’21, nephew of Steve Charles. “I am so excited to see the impact this center will have—not just on Klein, but across the entire university—and it is an honor to have this center bear our family’s name."  

“Temple is a special place for our family. As a student, navigating college for the first time without many resources, there was an outpouring of support I received at Klein on all sides that still amazes me. I can remember the tremendous care to ensure my time here and beyond was successful. It brings me so much joy to know that this same care will now be scaled to meet the needs for the next generation,” added Marnice Charles, KLN ’16, FOX ’22, wife of Nick Charles. 

The gift from the Charles family comes less than a year after the university introduced its strategic plan, Forward the Purpose. The plan, which is designed to serve as Temple’s compass from now through its 150th anniversary in 2034, has been organized around the three priorities, with the keystone priority being Student Success.  

It also follows Temple joining the University Innovation Alliance (UIA) as its 18th member in the spring of 2025. The UIA is a multi-university consortium working to improve student success and broaden participation in higher education for all students, and Temple is the only university in Pennsylvania represented in the alliance. 

“The timing and focus of Steve’s latest gift are perfect,” said David Boardman, dean of Klein College and the university’s chief strategy officer. “We hope The Charles Family Center will serve as a model for the entire university as we elevate student success as our top priority.” 

Charles, who also sits on Klein’s Board of Visitors, agrees. “As a communication school, Klein should be at the cutting edge when it comes to helping socialize these concepts across the university, and that is what The Charles Family Student Success Center will help accomplish,” he said. 

The recent $2.5 gift to Klein College is just the latest example of Charles’ history of supporting his alma mater. A previous $10 million gift named the Charles Library, the state-of-the-art academic library that opened in 2019 and serves as Temple’s Main Campus library. He previously also established the Stephen G. Charles Scholarship Fund in Klein College and committed $2 million to establish the Center for Community-Engaged Media at Klein.