News Archive - Page 23 of 39 - Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

Cheyney University Receives Grant from Starbucks Corp.

(CHEYNEY, PA – January 2020) – Cheyney University is proud to announce it has received a special grant sponsored through The Starbucks Foundation. The grant will serve to enhance the progress of the HBCU’s to reinvent itself as an institution of higher learning focused on educating a 21^st century workforce.

The grant, projected at $100,000 will fund a research project that will study race and access to economic opportunities in the Philadelphia region. The study will be conducted through the university’s Institute of Contemporary African American Experience (ICAAE).

“We are pleased to learn that The Starbucks Foundation has offered us the grant,” said Cheyney University President Aaron A. Walton. “We are in the midst of a major transformation. Our new corporate partnerships, intensive alumni engagement, ambitious and successful fundraising targets, and strong enrollment growth have allowed us to overcome difficult challenges over the last several years. This grant will strengthen those successful efforts and add to our reputation as a university focused on contributing to a nation of highly educated men and women.”

The Institute of Contemporary African American Experience was launched by Cheyney in 2018. One of its first priorities was to examine how unemployment rates continue to remain high in the region even as companies struggle to recruit and retain skilled employees. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has determined that even though Philadelphia’s unemployment rate has shown a decline, the overall unemployment rate is still higher than the national average. Research also shows that in Philadelphia over 53,000 citizens are categorized as the ‘working poor.’

With funding from The Starbuck’s Foundation, the ICAAE research teams hopes to determine why.

The Starbucks Foundation is a charitable organization that receives funding from the Starbucks Corporation and private donations. The Foundation’s goals are to support communities affected by disaster and advance opportunities for youth, veterans and refugees.

Cheyney University has made substantial progress over recent months toward achieving that goal. Through partnerships with Thomas Jefferson University, Epcot Crenshaw, a West Chester-based company that focuses on the environmental impact of food production and Navrogen Inc., Cheyney solidifies its long-term stability and sustainability while providing the highest educational opportunities for its students.

“We are thrilled that Cheyney University will continue to play a critical role in diversifying and strengthening our workforce, promoting equity in education, and providing a space for young students to be educated by faculty who represent them and the communities from which they come,” President Walton said.

One of the contributing factors to Cheyney’s financial recovery has been the Resurgence fundraising campaign, which received $4.4 million in gifts in FY19. Phase 2 of the campaign is launching with a cumulative goal of $10 million by June 30, 2020.

“We are continuing the mission that drives us every day: providing the highest quality and most accessible education we can to students in Pennsylvania and around the world,” Walton said.

###

About Cheyney – Founded in 1837, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is the nation’s oldest historically Black institution of higher education. Building on this legacy, the vision for Cheyney is to become the premier model for academic excellence, character development, and social responsibility among not only Historically Black Colleges and Universities, but in all of American higher education. The campus is located on 275 acres straddling Delaware and Chester Counties. Read more at www.cheyney.edu.

Chester County Economic Development Council Reveals County’s Top Economic Milestones for 2018-2019

EXTON, PA — As the Chester County Economic Development Council enters its 60th anniversary year, it has released its top economic development milestones for fiscal year 2018-2019 as well as announced details of a new initiative to engage the county’s business and community leaders under the age of 40.

CCEDC showcased the end-of-year milestones at its 9^th Annual Stakeholders’ Breakfast at the Desmond Hotel in Malvern, PA on Wednesday, November 20^th. Over 150 local business leaders attended. The work of CCEDC is supported by 270 investors spanning every major industry, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, including Cerner Health Services, Comcast, PECO Energy, Pfizer, QVC, Vanguard and West Pharmaceuticals.

Highlights of CCEDC’s milestones for fiscal year 2018-2019 include:

Financing for 28 projects totaling $58,078,272
Obtaining $9,292,869 in new grant funding for 28 workforce and redevelopment projects
Engaging 6,631 individuals in various workforce and STEM initiatives
Raising more than $1.4 million in support of high priority industry sector activities
Serving more than 100 startup and growth companies focused on technology, biotech, medical devices, digital health, clean tech and more
Enabling 15 emerging tech companies to receive a total of $1,218,576 in funding through the Keystone Innovation Zone Tax Credits

CCEDC also introduced details of a new initiative, CCEDC ConNEXT, which will launch in 2020. CCEDC ConNEXT will engage 40 of the county’s most dynamic business and community leaders under the age of 40, as identified annually by VISTA Today’s Millennial Superstars. Millennials who participate in CCEDC ConNEXT programs will form a cohort of young leaders and be asked to provide valuable perspective that will help guide CCEDC strategies and programs moving forward.

“For 60 years, CCEDC has promoted smart growth in the region,” said Gary W. Smith, CCEDC President and CEO. “We look forward to providing the county’s next generation of leaders with opportunities to flourish as professionals while fostering their connections with other leaders. Their perspective on economic- and workforce development-related issues is essential to the region’s continued success.

“We value the input of our young leaders and are committed to incorporating them into not only our organization, but other impactful organizations throughout Chester County,” said Michael L. Grigalonis, CCEDC’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President.

Reinvigorating Cheyney University: In its role as an advocate for smart growth opportunities, CCEDC partnered with Mosaic Development Partners of Philadelphia to work with Cheyney University to identify facilities that would be suitable for companies to locate on Cheyney’s campus, creating economic value and incorporating students into their programming. This public/private partnership will also provide students with career exploration and internship opportunities that will revitalize the campus and enhance the educational experience of the student population.

Redeveloping Pennhurst: CCEDC and co-applicant Penn Hurst Holdings DE LLC received a $10 million Business in Our Sites (BOS) grant/loan from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania providing the funds for environmental remediation of site asbestos and demolition of twelve buildings, making them shovel ready to transform the 120-acre site of the former Pennhurst State Mental Hospital into a mix of commercial and industrial sites.

Choosing Chester County – Sofresco: Portuguese juice maker Sonatural chose Malvern as the location for their U.S. operations – Sofresco. They selected Chester County after working with the Pennsylvania Office of International Business and CCEDC who connected them with Georgia-based Universal Pure, LLC at their 7 Lee Blvd., Malvern location where Sofresco will manufacture its juice using locally sourced produce.

CCEDC continued in its role as a regional leader in providing financing solutions for growing companies and key economic development projects. Fueled by effective marketing, a knowledgeable staff and historically low rates, CCEDC, and its SBA-lending affiliate Seedcopa, combined to finance nearly 25 projects totaling over $58 million.

Over the past year, CCEDC also promoted early career exploration activities to 4,681 students with area employers through its GETT, Techies Day, What’s So Cool About Manufacturing video contest, career fairs and other programs. Nearly 300 job seekers in transition were helped through the HireOne/ReferOne initiative, and 819 employers participated in industry partnership activities.

CCEDC continues to be a vital regional resource for starting and growing businesses, incubating business by working with emerging tech companies via its i2n, ITAG, SEI and Life Science programs. The continuing collaboration between CCEDC, West Chester University and Penn State Great Valley resulted in the second annual Chester County Startup Weekend where aspiring entrepreneurs, innovators, and would-be inventors gathered to take a new idea from concept to creation in just 54 hours.

Source: Dede Crough, NouSoma Communications
Correction: Universal Pasteurization, LLC to Universal Pure, LLC, MyCheso

Cheyney Professor and Students Create Mural Depicting Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware

(CHEYNEY, PA – October 30, 2019) – Just in time for Native American Heritage Month, a Cheyney University professor and her students have created a mural depicting the story of the Lenape (pronounced len-OPP-pay) Indian Tribe of Delaware. The large artwork goes on display beginning November 1 at the Biggs Museum of American Art in Dover, Delaware.
Marietta Dantonio-Madsen, an associate professor at Cheyney and chairperson of the Humanities Department, spearheaded the project, with help from the Lenape community, which numbers several hundred in Kent County, as well as another Cheyney professor, volunteers, and her students.

“I approached them and presented my idea to do a healing arts project with them. They asked if I would do a mural of the history of their people and I was delighted because that is my passion – to help people tell and re-tell the stories of their communities,” Professor Madsen said. “Then I asked my students who would want to volunteer and work with us. Ten students and former students stepped up. It was an incredibly intensive five days over two weekends, literally working around the clock. They had to stay at my house because the project was so labor-intensive, plus traveling down to the Lenape community in Cheswold, Delaware. We created the mural from our research as well as information the Lenape provided, and asked us to include in the piece.”
The mural, measuring about ten feet wide by six feet tall, captures the history, customs and spiritual traditions of the Lenape people and the recognition that they are still in Delaware. The mural has three interlocking panels.

“They had asked that it be portable so we broke it down into panels and separate sections so that it can be easily reassembled and taken on tour because that’s what they would like for it to do after the exhibit at the Biggs Museum is over,” Madsen said.

The students were the primary painters. They also wanted the community to participate so as the mural progressed more and more Lenape added their drawings. Madsen took on the role of conductor as she typically has done on similar projects. When she saw a mistake she went in and fixed it while also teaching the artists different techniques. Her goal was to get as many people who wanted to contribute involved. Ultimately, she said the final product is something far more beautiful than if one person had painted it alone.
The creation of this mural is a prime example of the life-enriching projects students in Cheyney’s Fine Arts and Pre-Art Therapy programs get to experience as they matriculate. These academic programs are designed to guide students as they hone their skills and learn to fully express themselves in the visual or performing arts.
Making the project even more relevant, some of Madsen’s students have Native American ancestry, something their families were reluctant to mention in the past.

“Their families believed for a long time it was actually better for them to hide the fact they were part-Native-American rather than being solely African American,” Madsen said. “Fortunately, like most things in America society, that has evolved and people are willing to recognize their ancestry. You would be amazed at how many Cheyney students have some Native American background.”
Next, Madsen will help the Lenape get prints made of the mural so they can sell them to raise money toward their dream of building a cultural center on their original land in Delaware.
“They were so gracious,” Madsen said. “They cooked and served the most fabulous meals for everyone, and then we had a big celebration at the end with live drumming, singing and dancing.”
An opening reception for the Lenape Tribe of Delaware Healing Arts Mural will be held from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. on November 1st at the Briggs Museum, 406 Federal Street in Dover. The mural will be on display through January 19, 2020.

About Cheyney – Founded in 1837, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is the nation’s oldest historically Black institution of higher education. Building on this legacy, the vision for Cheyney is to become the premier model for academic excellence, character development, and social responsibility among not only Historically Black Colleges and Universities, but in all of American higher education. The campus is located on 275 acres straddling Delaware and Chester Counties. Read more at www.cheyney.edu.

As enrollments continue to slide, is there a way to save Pa’s state-owned universities?

The news was not good last week for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

There was hope earlier this year that a two percent increase in state funding combined with a tuition freeze could stem a major decline in student enrollment at the state system’s 14 universities.

However, state system officials announced last week that enrollment has dropped 2.6 percent since last year. It’s the ninth straight year that student enrollment has declined overall.

The system now enrolls 95,802 students, the same number it had 20 years ago. Enrollment has dropped by 24,059 students since it peaked at 119,513 in 2010.

Declines were reported at 10 of the 14 schools. Cheyney University had the biggest increase at 32 percent, followed by Mansfield University at 2 percent, West Chester University at .7 percent and Millersville University at .4 percent.

Indiana University reported the biggest decline at 8.6 percent, followed by Lock Haven University at 7.7 percent, California University at 6.4 percent, Shippensburg University at 4.9 percent, Edinboro University at 3.9 percent, Clarion University at 3.4, East Stroudsburg University at 3.3 percent, Bloomsburg University at 2.6, Kutztown University at 1.3 percent and Slippery Rock University at .2 percent.

There’s no doubt that trying to reverse the numbers will be a challenge in the years ahead.

According to a 2018 study by the RAND Corp., which was commissioned by the state Senate, most of the state-system universities serve a local area and draw students from surrounding counties. But it pointed out that 55 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties will experience declines in traditional college-age students over the next 10 years, ranging from 3 percent to 45 percent.

The report also noted that while state system tuition levels remain more affordable than those of state-related institutions, room and board charges are increasing faster than at state-related institutions.

Moreover, the report maintained that some services, such as counseling and student retention initiatives, have been curtailed while others have been downsized, with staff let go or asked to reduce hours.

“These services are critical to ensure the success of students, particularly underrepresented and first-generation students. Interviewees suggested that inadequate state support and revenue from tuition have affected these providers of student support, as has increased competition for funding among the different services,” read the report.

The report noted that competition for students is intensifying, particularly with state-related university branch campuses, such as those operated by Penn State University, which enjoy the benefit of state funding, but operate with far broader autonomy than their state-owned counterparts.

The report added that that the board of governors which oversees the state system, includes the governor and several members of the legislature representing partisan points of view. This structure enables members to infuse their ideologies and views in education discussions which might not be in the best interests of the system.

So, what can be done? Well, the report urged state system officials to consider closing universities or merging them. They urged possible alignments where state-owned universities could serve as branch campuses for state-related universities such as the University of Pittsburgh, Temple or Penn State University.

They also suggested modifying the board of governors’ membership to reduce political influence and conflicts of interest. They added that the system should allow more independence for schools doing well and more oversight for those performing poorly.

Officials for the system rejected outright all of those recommendations, deciding instead to focus on things such as student retention.

That might work out in time but system officials would be wise to take a good look at Cheyney University where Aaron Walton, a retired corporate executive, has engineered a major turnaround since he was hired in 2017.

On the verge of closing before Walton arrived, the university had a $2.1 surplus this year. Walton cut $9 million in expenditures while starting a successful fund-raising campaign led by university alumni which raised $4.4 million. Walton hopes to raise another $5.6 million next year.

Best of all, after enrollment is up in a big way. Enrollment at the university plummeted from 1,586 in 2010 to 469 last fall, but it rebounded to 618 this fall.

It was interesting that Walton was able to get Cheyney alumni so involved in its fundraising. The state-owned schools have graduated thousands of students over the years and many of them have been very successful. If the right pitch is made, they would no doubt be willing to help their alma maters in their time of need.

For the most part, state system schools have been waiting on a bailout from the state, which probably will never come. They would be wiser to take action on their own as Cheyney did. That might lead finally to some good news.

Mike OKeefe, Penn Cap Star

At Cheyney, students get advice from some of the country’s most successful black business owners

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia-area college students and residents get a master class in entrepreneurship from some of the country’s most unique business owners, and the focus was on minority businesses.

Master P is best known as a rapper, actor and philanthropist who’s sold more than 100 million albums and continues to venture into different fields. He stopped by Cheyney University for their Friends and Family Day to show others how to build their businesses.

“This is so important because we only show up when it’s sports events, basketball, football or baseball, but why not show up to something to empower us and educate us on how to keep some money. Not just how to get some money,” he said.

Master P spoke on a panel with other successful black entrepreneurs about financial literacy.

“You look at African Americans, we don’t look at the importance of education. It’s important for us to see people successful that look like us, come from the same struggle and pains that we come from and just to let our people know we can make it out of this,” he said.

James Lindsay, who also sat on the panel, is a Cheyney alum and owner of the potato chip company Rap Snacks.

“I want them to take away that anything is possible if you continue to work, put your work in and believe in what you’re doing,” Lindsay said.

He had a universal message for aspiring business owners.

“Putting the work in. You can have all of the people in the world around you, but if you don’t have that sticktoitiveness and be able to understand you have to work everyday and out work everybody, you’re not going to be as successful as you would like,” Lindsay added.

Lindsay says snacks are a $540 billion industry and with blacks own less than one percent of it, he wants to help change that.

Justin Udo, KYW News Radio

Cheyney University’s Turnaround Is A Blueprint To Saving Pa.’S State-Owned Universities

One of the most stunning reversals in higher education is happening right now in Pennsylvania. And it could be a blueprint for other struggling universities and colleges both here and across the nation.

Founded in 1837 as one of the nation’s first black colleges, Cheyney University was in serious trouble as recently as four years ago.

According to a story published by Inside Higher Ed in September of 2015, Cheyney was facing a deficit of $19 million. It reported that enrollment at the university had declined from 1,470 in 2008 to about 700 by 2015.

With many of Cheyney’s facilities reportedly outdated and in disrepair, its six-year graduation rate was 26 percent, far below the 55 percent average for historically black colleges as reported by the National Student Clearinghouse.

It was reported in the article, that Cheyney, which had no financial reserves and no endowment, may have to repay as much as $30 million in federal aid funds because it didn’t properly administer or track them. During one recent admissions cycle, scores of forgotten and unreviewed applications were reportedly lost and then rediscovered too late.

“There are lots and lots of factors at play that make Cheyney really messy,” Marybeth Gasman, director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Minority-Serving Institutions, told Inside Higher Ed at the time. “It really does look like a shadow of itself.”

There was even talk of closing Cheyney, which has been owned by Pennsylvania since 1922. Located about 30 miles west of Philadelphia, it was a founding member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which was created in 1983.

“There is widespread concern about where we are headed and how we’re going to progress through this period,” Norma George, who chaired the university’s English, Languages and Communication Arts Department, told the website HBCUForever in 2014.

Furthermore, despite going more than four years with interim presidents, there was no search underway for a new president.

However, all that changed with the November of 2017 hiring of Aaron Walton, a retired corporate executive, as the university’s permanent president. The turnaround has been quick and stunning.

From that $19 million deficit back in 2015, Walton said the university had a surplus of $2.1 million this year, outperforming the planned surplus of $261,000, according to an Aug. 19 story by the Daily Local News, a Chester County newspaper.

“Beginning two years ago under the leadership of Walton ― a retired and highly experienced corporate executive ― Cheyney University undertook a broad range of efforts to ensure the long-term financial stability of the university and to ensure the university’s resources were prioritized and sufficient to provide robust academic programs and student support,” Cheyney University Council of Trustees Chairman, Robert Bogle, told the newspaper. “We are well on our way to restoring Cheyney to its rightful position among elite Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).”

The story reported that In addition to cutting $9 million in expenditures, Walton also started a successful fund-raising campaign led by university alumni. It raised over $4.4 million as of June 30, which exceeded its goal by $400,000. A second campaign hopes to raise another $5.6 million by June of 2020.

Best of all, after enrollment plummeted to 498 it rebounded to 722 this fall. The university anticipates retaining 72 percent of its fall 2018 freshman class ― Cheyney’s highest rate of retention for a freshman class in over 25 years.

Cheyney’s turnaround offers hope for other struggling schools, especially for those in the state system, which includes Bloomsburg, California, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities.

HBCU Editiors