Rate this HBCU Day 67: Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

[DrBanneker]

We last covered Morehouse College which received an average score of 9.2.

See the updated leaderboard here

Today we cover the oldest HBCU in the nation--Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. Founded in 1937 from the $10,000 donation of a Quaker businessman, Richard Humphreys, who was horrified by a 1929 race riot in Cincinnati, Cheyney was the first institution for higher education accessible to Blacks in the nation. First called the African Institute and then the Institute for Coloured Youth, it attracted many Black students in the trades as well the liberal arts.

The school became Cheyney University after relocating to the Cheyney family farm near Philadelphia. Until the late 19th century, Philadelphia was the finance capital of the country and also had one of the most prosperous and educated communities of Black Americans (see DuBois' book The Philadelphia Negro). So Cheyney, as well as the later founded Lincoln University, were ideal to serve these communities. Cheyney also received funds from many industrialists such as Andrew Carnegie during its heyday in the early 20th century.

In 1983, Cheyney became public school and parts of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Unfortunately, Cheyney has had a rocky road in the last couple of decades. Faced with declining enrollment and financial troubles it ended its football program in 2017 and was also placed under monitoring by the Department of Education, only one of two HBCUs in this position. See this post by @get these nets.

It is continuing its fight for survival, though remaining accredited, and unfortunately has a still unclear future. Its president since 2017, Aaron Walton who is a former high level corporate executive is taking actions such as right-sizing enrollment (currently at 650 and down from 3,000 in the 1990s) so we can hope for the best that he can enact a full turnaround and re-imagining of Cheyney and its role in the HBCU landscape.




Founded: 1837

City, State: Cheyney, PA

Type: 4-Year Public

Nickname: Wolves

Enrollment and percent Black enrollment: 642 (all undergraduate), 91% Black

Part-time student percentage: 8%

First Generation Student Percentage: 45%

Percentage of students from households under $30k/over $100k: 56% / 6%

Out of State Percentage: 17% (Top States: New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Virginia)

Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 15:1

Admissions Acceptance Rate: Open admissions

4-yr/6-yr graduation rates: 23% / 41%

Transfer out rate: 26%

Male/Female percentages (Female:Male Ratio): 36% male/ 64% female (1.8:1 ratio)

Tuition: In-state: $11k, Out-of-state: $19k

Median Federal Debt After Graduation: $21k

Median Parent PLUS Loans After Graduation: $21k

Median Earning 10-Years after 10 years from freshman year: $35k

Median Earnings for specific majors after 3 years after graduation:
Business Administration: $48k, Sociology: $47k

Top Majors by Degrees:
Business Administration, Psychology, Sociology, Biology, Hospitality


Endowment: ~$1.3M

Alumni Engagement: 5% of alumni give back

Athletic Conference: Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)

Mascot: Wolves

Notable Alumni:

Octavius Catto - Black politician and community leader; influential in ratificatin of the 15th Amendment

Robert L. Woodson - prominent neighborhood development leader, MacArthur Fellow, and conservative activist

Julian Abele - prolific architect including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Harvard's Widener Library

Khris Davis - actor to play George Foreman in the upcoming biopic

Main Campus

Soulful Sound Marching Band

Cheerleaders

Dancers




Miss Cheyney University

@ab.aspectus @Originalman @#1 pick @Ziggiy @SupaVillain @Tug life @Idaeo @get these nets @MostReal @Bryan Danielson @Rollie Forbes @Sonic Boom of the South @staticshock @Charlie Hustle @BigAggieLean. @Optimus Prime @How Sway? @DropTopDoc @Johnny seawolf

 

[get these nets]

Great profile. Great series.

 

[MostReal]

Thank you for everything Cheyney

 

[Charlie Hustle]

Never heard of this school until now. I hope they get back on their feet.

 

[Lucky_Lefty]

Never heard of it until I saw one of my old Army homies son and daughter got scholarships to play ball there.

 

[get these nets]

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[DrBanneker]

​

Sad. I am not sure they are going to make it without a drastic administration overhaul.

 

[get these nets]

Sad. I am not sure they are going to make it without a drastic administration overhaul.

I'm generally an optimist, and was happy to see Cheyney (and Morris Brown) come back from the brink. But, I am not sure that they will make it this time.
The state cancelled $40 million debt, and hand selected a member of the PA Board of Governors to be president. He works hand in hand with the state system, knows what the benchmarks were, and directly got the resources to meet them. Followed belt tightening measures to cut costs. Been there for six years.

If a handpicked PA system insider can't make it work, and accreditation problems and mismanagement allegations have returned? It might be over this time. Very sad.

 

[DrBanneker]

​

Governor here in PA is behind them. They may survive despite the issues.

Was Cheyney University placed on probation in violation of protocol? • Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Cheyney has seen enrollment increases every year since 2019, and the university has had balanced budgets in the last five consecutive years.

penncapital-star.com

Fortunately, though, Gov. Shapiro — like former Gov. Tom Wolf who in 2017 said “Cheyney will not fail on my watch” — is totally aware and actively supportive. “I share Cheyney leadership’s disappointment with your refusal to reevaluate your decision-making that led to placing the university on probation and your disregard of established procedure,” Shapiro wrote in his Feb. 20 letter.

The governor makes a compelling point regarding “established procedure.” He was referring to MSCHE’s own established procedure. And during that Feb. 23 press conference, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Chancellor Dan Greenstein pointed out that MSCHE’s decision “raises serious questions about the Commission’s procedural fairness.”

He also said he was “saddened, profoundly, that the Middle States Commission on Higher Education appears to have ignored the advice of its [own] visiting teams, which cited in their reports the measurable progress that Cheyney is making.”

 

[get these nets]

April 26, 2024

How Cheyney State players recalled making NCAA history before Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honor

Cheyney State and C. Vivian Stringer will get their long overdue recognition with the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame's Trailblazer of the Game award.

www.knoxnews.com