A new business model has the potential to save Cheyney University — if a reaccreditation inspection doesn’t close the book on the new chapter of the historically black university’s history first.

“We cannot let Cheyney collapse under our watch,” said U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans in a Daily Local News report by Kathleen Carey. “Our HBCUs play an incredibly crucial role in the stability and strength of our neighborhoods.

“If Cheyney loses its accreditation, the school will experience a negative domino effect as enrollment numbers will plummet and keep students from obtaining an invaluable academic education.”

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Cheyney has been accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education since 1951, but that status is at risk pending a sustainability report and on-site evaluation due Sept. 1.

The deadline comes on the heels of reorganization efforts that have hired new Interim President Aaron A. Walton and produced a new business model that involves creating an Institute for the Contemporary African-American Experience.

“Cheyney has played a vital role in shaping the lives of many Americans,” said U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, “and we must do all we can to help that legacy continue. It has consistently demonstrated its ability to perform in educating its students and cultivating young leaders. At this great institution’s time of need, we must step up.”

Read more about Cheyney’s crossroads in the Daily Local News here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage here.

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