Students and staff at Cheyney University have received some long-awaited good news from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, writes Susan Snyder for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The regional body has decided to reaffirm Cheyney’s accreditation. This ends years of uncertainty on whether the financially troubled school would have to close its doors for good.

One of the key elements to this positive result for the university was the pledge made by Gov. Tom Wolf to ensure the school’s debt of $40 million to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and its chancellor’s office is eliminated.

“Cheyney University is the nation’s first historically black university and remains an important educational resource for many Pennsylvania students,” said Wolf.

Among other important factors in the decision was the school’s ability to balance its budget and increase its enrollment, said Cheyney President Aaron Walton.

Walton said that the decision means Cheyney 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.”

Read more about Cheyney University in The Philadelphia Inquirer here.

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