Thomas Jefferson University provost elevated to president under new structure

The provost of Thomas Jefferson University will become its next president under a new structure that also includes a president of the health system and a chief operating officer to oversee the whole enterprise.

Mark L. Tykocinski, a molecular immunologist and academic leader who has been at Jefferson for 15 years, will become president of the 8,400-student university July 1, the school announced Wednesday. He currently serves as provost, executive vice president of academic affairs, and dean of the medical college.

“We now have a president of a university who is not serving other functions of the organization,” Tykocinski, 69, said in an interview. “It creates a highly powered president’s role that is really able to laser-focus on the university and push forward the next level of strategic planning.”

» READ MORE: Jefferson-Philadelphia University merger drawing attention from other schools

Most recently, Stephen K. Klasko, who retired at the end of last year, had been serving as both president and CEO. H. Richard Haverstick Jr. is serving as interim president and CEO; as of July 1, he will continue as interim CEO. Jefferson is conducting a search for a new CEO and expects to announce one later this summer. It also plans to search for a new provost and medical school dean.

Both Tykocinski and Bruce A. Meyer, president of the health system, will report to the CEO.

It’s the latest evolution in the system since Thomas Jefferson merged with Philadelphia University in 2017. At that time, then-Philadelphia University president Stephen Spinelli Jr. became chancellor of the system. That position lasted only for about a year and was not continued when Spinelli departed to become president of Babson College in Massachusetts.

» READ MORE: Former Philadelphia University president Stephen Spinelli Jr. to lead Babson College

“Dr. Tykocinski is internationally respected for creating and leading a culture of transformation in education, research, clinical science, and academic administration,” Patricia D. Wellenbach, board chair, said in announcing the appointment. “He is a person of extraordinary vision and creativity, committed to using innovation as a catalyst for growth, organizational vitality and excellence.”

Under Tykocinski, Jefferson’s annual research expenditures have tripled to more than $200 million and the school has created eight centers in other countries, giving it broader international reach, university officials said.

» READ MORE: After eight years of growth, Jefferson president Stephen K. Klasko announces retirement

Tykocinski said he looks forward to further developing Jefferson’s global centers and exploring potential partnerships with other universities on new types of degrees.

In addition to his academic roles, he has been involved in “immunotherapeutic strategies that invoke engineered proteins and cells,” the school said. He has designed several classes of “fusion proteins with therapeutic potential for cancer and autoimmunity” and also has contributed to the field of gene therapy, the school said. He has several patents related to protein and cellular engineering.

He previously worked at the University of Pennsylvania for a decade, and before that, he spent 15 years at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, where he was founding director of its Gene Therapy Facility.

He got his bachelor’s from Yale and his medical degree from New York University.

Tykocinski, who lives in Merion Station with his wife, Judy, is married and has four children and 10 grandchildren. He plays the piano and enjoys cycling.