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Cheyney State College Research Paper

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In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania of 1837, the first higher education institution for African Americans was founded on February 25th given the name Institute for Colored Youth (originally the African Institute). After changing its name again to Cheyney University of Pennsylvania and moving to Delaware County, Pennsylvania, it continues as the oldest predominantly African American school of higher learning. The institute was founded by Richard Humphreys, a Quaker philanthropist who donated 10,000 dollars to establish a school that would educate young African American male and females the skills needed to become more competitive in the job market (Conyers, 1990). The school taught basic subjects such as math, reading and writing, as well as agriculture and mechanics. Humphreys envisioned the institute to train people of color to become teachers who would further instruct more young men and …show more content…

At the school’s reopening in 1905, Booker T. Washington, a dominant leader in the African American community, served as the keynote speaker. After receiving aid from the state of Pennsylvania in 1914, the school was renamed to Cheyney Training School for Teachers; later in 1959, it became Cheyney State College and in 1983 the institution adopted its current name, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. (Conyers, 1990). Today, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania remains a small institution with intimate class sizes of 15 students. Cheyney now offers over 30 baccalaureate degrees and a variety of MA degrees in Education with a School of Arts and Sciences and a School of Educational and Professional Studies (“Cheyney University Factsheet,” n.d.). The institution was founded originally for African Americans only, however, the university now openly accepts people of all races and

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