Delaware State in Talks to Acquire Struggling Private College
Delaware State University is in negotiations to acquire Wesley College, a nearby liberal arts college that has struggled with financial stability and enrollment despite public investments in recent years.
The Delaware State News reports on the discussions, which officials from DSU and Wesley would not detail with how close the two sides may be to an agreement, or timetables for an acquisition.
Last year, Wesley received about $5 million from the Higher Education Economic Development Investment Fund to help support the institution.
Also last year, Wesley sought and was later given permission to use $1.375 million earmarked to renovate the former Dover Public Library for operational purposes. It must still use the same sum on the South State Street property, which it purchased from the city in 2016 for $1, at some point.
Correction: Story has been updated to reflect that Wesley College is not a PWI, but a federally-designated minority serving institution. The Digest regrets the error.
Cheyney is Pennsylvania’s Best in Projected Fall Enrollment
Down payments for fall enrollment deposits at Cheyney University are up by 51%, a dramatically positive data point that bodes well for the embattled HBCU among its Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education peer institutions, which are largely facing steep declines.
From the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Overall, 17,277 students had paid deposits to attend the system’s 14 universities as of this week, compared with 17,583 at this time last year, a decline of 1.7%, said Dave Pidgeon, a spokesperson for the system.
And that’s because some schools saw large increases. Cheyney University, a historically black institution that has struggled with enrollment, led the way. It showed the largest increase — 51% — in first-year students who paid deposits to attend in the fall, the system breakdown showed. Lock Haven and Kutztown also each showed an increase greater than 10%.
Courtesy: Philadelphia Inquirer
Alabama State Plans Purge of Confederate Symbols on Campus
Officials at Alabama State University have launched an internal audit to identify facilities that may bear names of individuals with ties to the Confederate army to have them removed.
The announcement comes weeks after the police lynching of Minneapolis resident George Floyd sparked international outrage and protests, and has driven industries to speak out against racism while reducing discriminatory policies and practices.
We understand that the names have become a part of ASU history and may have sentimental significance for some of our alumni; but as leaders of the University that was at the heart of the modern Civil Rights Movement, we feel that we must be proactive in our response to the pervasive and public displays of racism in this country,” said Alabama State President Quinton Ross.
The audit results will be presented to the board for approval of removing the names. The initiative comes just days after the university established a scholarship in the names of Floyd and Greg Gunn, a Montgomery, AL resident who was shot and killed by a police officer just steps from his home in 2016.
