Cheyney University of Pennsylvania: The first “HBCU”

The Cheyney University of Pennsylvania became the nation’s first Historically Black College and University on February 25, 1837. Richard Humphreys, a Quaker benefactor, bequeathed his estate to create the University. University spent its early years providing instruction in crafts and agriculture. The most common skills required in the general economy. Our campus now accepts students of many races, ethnicities, and nations.

Importance of HBCU in the Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.

HBCUs symbolize pride and prosperity for the African American community and the rest of the country. HBCUs provide opportunities for all students, irrespective of race, to improve their talents and abilities. These institutes train young people who will serve in the domestic military. According to the Higher Education Act of 1965. An HBCU is any historically black institution or university founded before 1964.

Importance of HBCU in the Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.

Some students obtain faculty recommendations but do not hear back from admissions or financial aid. A treasure of missing applications. For example, to uncover during a recent admissions round. Cheyney committed multiple errors while issuing and monitoring federal grants and loans, according to a PASSHE evaluation. Nearly $30 million in aid supposedly returns, including Pell Grants, federal work-study, and direct student loans. From 2008 to 2010, Cheyney’s PASSHE collaborated with the university to improve its systems. But the mishandling of federal student funding resulted in fines and penalties.

The US Department of Education will determine Cheyney University of Pennsylvania punishments and reparations. If the university owes the department money. It must be paid by the state, which does not have the finances. According to Moody, remediation of erroneously provided aid will be a liability for PASHEE. Combined with dwindling enrollment and issues.

The Cheyney University of Pennsylvania enrollment has decreased from over 1,470 in 2008 to slightly more than 1,000 last year.  

This autumn, it is likely to drop another 300 students. Lincoln University, Pennsylvania’s only other HBCU, had 1,820 students in autumn, a reduction in seven years. Most of Cheyney’s students are low-income and first-generation. Pell Grants are awarded to three-fourths of undergraduates. The yearly operational losses of Cheyney University increased from $213,000 in 2011 to $5.9 million in 2014. After their first year, 45 percent of students depart Cheyney. Four of the university’s buildings are presently shuttered or scheduled for destruction due to their poor state. According to the temporary president of the institution, raising enrollment is “priority No. 1.”

Alumni and academics criticize Pennsylvania’s PASSHE system for Cheyney’s underfunding and unfair treatment.

A new network of graduates and campaigners advocates for “parity via equity,” to compensate for historical under funding. Inadequate financing has a cascading effect on an institution’s capacity to endure. Cheyney earns the most per-student funding of any Pennsylvania state-owned university. Cheyney received $14,000 in state support per student last year, more than trebled the state average.

In recent years, the Cheyney University of Pennsylvania necessary appropriation has decreased dramatically. The PASSHE system has not had a financial rise in four years. The university reduced its funding by 18% in 2010. Cheyney has received $97 million in capital investment since 2008. Compared to a peer institution’s average of $43.5 million. According to a 2014 state audit, the university is increasingly relying on public financing to stay alive. “The writing is on the wall,” Bogle adds.

What’s the future of the Cheyney University of Pennsylvania?

At 2014, around 9%, or 10,400, of the 95,700 students enrolled in PASShetE’s 14 institutions were black. Some wonder if Cheyney can continue as an HBCU and if it should be allowed to fail. According to Pogue, Cheyney University’s reputation as a forerunner in black education may be its saving grace. “I see black children around the country struggling.” Mash adds, that adding HBCUs can play a significant part in alleviating that pain. During the Cheyney foundation. 90 percent of blacks in the united states were into slavery, but today, approximately 10 percent is the employment rate.

Cheyney University, a small, rural public university, has several obstacles. Students are departing in droves. Enrolment has dropped by around half since 2008. With state funding cut by 20% then, the university faces a nearly $19 million deficit. Cheyney may be required to reimburse up to $30 million in federal aid payments. Cheyney’s enrollment and revenue have been dropping for years. With nothing done to reverse the trend.

The state system is in the early phases of developing a plan to expand enrolment with the Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. Can the institution recover sufficiently to pay its costs and better assist minority students?

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