Good afternoon,
Delaware State University President Tony Allen is a busy man.
Since the former Bank of America executive took the helm in early 2020, DSU acquired financially troubled Wesley College in Dover. Earlier, it deftly navigated the Covid-19 pandemic with an aggressive testing program and other measures that kept cases at a low level.
At its Kirkwood Highway center west of Wilmington, DSU gained a New Castle County grant that allows it to operate a lab that processes Covid-19 tests at a lower cost. The goal is to transition to other types of medical testing.
This week, the university gained a brick-and-mortar presence in Wilmington with the $4.7 million building donation from Capital One. The building will spur DSU’s mission of revitalizing the city and aiding its economically challenged residents.
Allen would be the first to say that the current momentum would not have been possible without the efforts of his predecessors.
DSU long ago moved beyond survival mode with initiatives that included strong research programs and a high school that prepares students for higher education.
Over the decades DSU steadily improved its standing despite headwinds from the state’s troubled racial history that included a governor ordering an occupation of the Dover campus, complete with police dogs that in the 1950s and ’60s were a symbol of the response to Black protests.
To their credit Delaware legislators and governors, unlike some of their counterparts in some states, provided resources.
Now corporate America is stepping up with a host of initiatives in an effort to reverse its legacy that in the case of banks includes predecessors propping up slavery and more recently (with the help of government) redlining loans for Black communities.
Allen and DSU’s administrators face a formidable challenge in navigating an increasingly difficult environment for higher education that includes students and alumni saddled with crushing debt burdens.
But with growing enrollment and a focus on the future, Allen’s goal of making Delaware State University an elite HCBU and a force for change is well within reach.
Enjoy your weekend. This newsletter returns on Monday. – Doug Rainey, chief content editor.
