Jon Jay DeTemple graduated from Sidney High School in 1961, having played quarterback on the last unbeaten Sidney football team, and the only one to go 8-0. He attended Cornell on a football scholarship, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree there. He went on to earn an M.B.A. and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Syracuse University.
Dr. DeTemple served as Vice President of Administration at SUNY College of Technology at Alfred from 1975 to 1982, when he was promoted to Executive Vice President, a position he held until 1986. He then moved on to serve as President of the Genoa Art Institute, leaving in 1989.
For several years, Jon Jay was employed in the corporate world. As Operations Manager for Paychex, Inc., he was responsible for providing payroll and tax preparation, employee benefits and personnel services for a company branch comprising more than 2,000 businesses.
Returning to academia, Dr. DeTemple served as Vice President of Mitchell College in New London, CT from 1998 to 1999, then was appointed President of Post University in Waterbury, CT, at a time when the college had been suffering from low enrollment and accreditation and financial problems. Through his comprehensive revitalization program, DeTemple transformed the school, restoring its accreditation and reputation.
Since 2007, Jon Jay has served as president of Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, PA, and has had remarkable success in reviving the college's fiscal and academic status. One of his crowning achievements has been increasing access to college education in dramatically underserved areas of Greater Philadelphia. In partnership with I-LEAD, Harcum offers twelve locations where area students can take college classes close to home, complete their associate's degrees and find remunerative work. Harcum also offers a highly respected program for dental and Allied Health professionals, which allows them to preserve their credentials.
As a component of Harcum's centennial celebration, Dr. DeTemple led the 100 Acts of Service initiative, which sent volunteer teams of students, faculty, staff and alumni into the Philadelphia area to provide services and assistance in 2015.
In 2015, Jon Jay received the Arthur V. Ciervo Award from the College and University Public Relations and Associated Professionals (CUPRAP) as an individual who exemplifies CUPRAP's fundamental purpose of advancing public understanding of higher education. Dr. DeTemple is proof that an empathetic and thoughtful leader committed to diversity can create a climate of kindness and equality, and that small private colleges like Harcum can thrive through collaboration, commitment to core values, hard work and constructive engagement in the surrounding community.