President's Blog - April 2013 - CU Transforming to Produce A Quality Education for the 21st Century

May 03, 2013

CU Transforming to Produce A Quality Education for the 21st Century

In the last few years, funding has receded rather drastically at both the federal and state levels for public higher education. While these reductions in funding are disturbing, they foretell transformations and opportunities that are evolving in higher education for the foreseeable future. Like many other industries, higher education must transition towards meeting the unprecedented 21st century workforce and lifestyle needs of a broader spectrum of Americans.

Without a doubt, Cheyney University must continue to produce responsible and contributing citizens who add to the intellectual capital of the Commonwealth and nation by pursuing graduate school, adding to the diversity in the law and other professions, demonstrating creativity in entrepreneurial ventures, pursuing public service agendas, furnishing quality business services, and adding to intellectual capital in ways not yet imagined.

Unfortunately, some of our talented students have been forced to drop out to earn a living to support themselves and their families. Our families are still struggling through one of the deepest recessions in our nation—sometimes compared to the Great Depression of the 1930s. At Cheyney University, we are affected adversely by the financial stresses of our families through reduction in enrollments and students dropping out to help their families earn a living.

Without a doubt, alumni have been extraordinarily supportive in raising scholarship funds for students. Faculty members have also aggressively sought grants to support the teaching and learning environments. However, even with this support and the growing support of private donors, enrollment trends have not corresponded with increasing expenditures. In fact, enrollment trends in Pennsylvania for high school graduates further predict reductions in college enrollments.

Thus, in order to strengthen Cheyney University for its future, the University is reviewing carefully many of its processes and services including enrollment management, financial aid, and other student services—looking for ways to interact more strategically with potential students. We are also reviewing our academic programs and customer service to students, so that we will improve our competitive place in the Commonwealth and national marketplace.

Furthermore, in order to bring our revenue in line with our expenditures, we will be seeking recommendations on cost-savings from all areas of the University community and engage in our annual budget hearings.

In April 2014, Cheyney University undergoes its ten-year reaffirmation of accreditation by Middle States Association to ensure that the University is capable of carrying out its mission and that it is responding appropriately to an agenda of continuous improvement.

It is essential to note that the path forward must embrace the aforementioned realities of the higher education community in the Commonwealth, region, and nation.

Please feel free to provide comments or recommendations for cost savings or innovations to Chief of Staff Sheilah Vance (svance@cheyney.edu) or me (mvital@cheyney.edu).

Sincerely,

Michelle Howard-Vital, Ph.D.

President

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

Tags: 21st century , blog , cost of higher education , President , President Michelle R. Howard-Vital , Vital

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President's Blog - March 2013 - Our Daughters and The Broadening of The Talented Tenth

April 03, 2013

Recently, a colleague and I had lunch with our two twenty-something daughters. Both of these young ladies are college graduates, fluent in Spanish, and have traveled and lived in other countries.

While I watched their youthful faces aglow with stories of college experiences and living abroad - one had lived in an African country for two years in the Peace Corps, and the other had lived in Spain for six months studying abroad - my emotions ranged from pride to concern. These two young ladies, from different parts of America, stood as examples of what should be for many more millions of Americans. Without a doubt, these two young ladies, even though they are not men, would represent the Talented Tenth that W. E. B. DuBois first argued for in 1903 to describe the one in ten black men who would become the leadership class who would lead, elevate, and save others by talent and character. Unfortunately, both young ladies admitted that they did not see too many young men of color traveling abroad.

For W.E.B. Du Bois the leadership class would be the exceptional men (I think we can now expand that to women) who would guide those of diverse backgrounds to a higher standard of living. They would also demonstrate how others could be so prepared and educated.

In his 1903 paper, "The Talented Tenth," DuBois discussed that such a curriculum would include "intelligence, broad sympathy, knowledge of the world that was and is, and of the relation of men to it -- this is the curriculum of that Higher Education."

However, some historians believe that W.E.B. DuBois altered his thinking later in life to recognize that leadership could come from many who were not the Talented Tenth and that a broader movement of the masses could push forth positive social change.

At Cheyney University, our task is to help expand the intellectual capital of the Commonwealth, region and nation. It is our vision that the Talented Tenth could be nearly every citizen, if he/she has the benefit of exposure to higher education, entrepreneurial possibilities and future-oriented workforce options. We acknowledge that a higher education curriculum that produces intelligent, compassionate and responsible citizens raises the quality of life and well-being of all of our citizens.

We hope that more families will look at their sons and daughters and support their attempts to contribute to a higher quality of life for all. W.E.B. DuBois ends his famous essay with a statement like this, “If you do not lift them up, they will pull you down. Education and work are the levers to uplift a people."

Michelle Howard-Vital, Ph.D.

Tags: President's Blog , study abroad , The Talented Tenth , W.E.B.Dubois

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9 April 2013 Dr. Michelle Howard-Vital, PhD (President), thank you for the encouraging words and thoughts. As a father of a "talented" daughter who graduated from high school earlier than her peers and will obtain an associate degree before she becomes 18 years old, I often share with her the importance of ...knowledge of the world...as a critical part of ...the curriculum of Higher Education. Frankly you nailed "it" when you cited what Cheyney University, my wife's graduate school alma mater, is contributing with your clear notation about the university's task. I will share your Blog and passionately encourage others to read you as you lead us all where we ALL need to be...thinking about the next generation of "The Talented Tenth" of both genders. In Seminary at Virginia Union University a professor shared the following quote which has helped shaped me. It reads: Catherine Esther Beecher (1800-1878), an American educator, wrote in her book, A Treatise on Domestic Economy (1843): “Let the women of a country be made virtuous and intelligent, and the men will certainly be the same. The proper education of a man decides the welfare of an individual; but educate a woman, and the interests of a whole family are secured.” I remain, TJ Hunter Hayes (HH4VU@aim.com)

TJ Hunter Hayes 5:44PM 04/09/13

Excellent President Vital! The Pennsylvania NAACP Youth & College Unit, made up of 46 Youth Councils (youth ages 8 to 24) and College Units (youth enrolled in a college) is issusing a challenge to its members to read the "Talented Tenth" by W.E.B. DuBois and understand that they are the members of the Black Race that Dr DeBois was talking about. And being the ones he was talking about in the 21st Century, they have a moral impartive to take full advantage of the opportunity to be in schools and colleges being trained to represent as the best in our race. Therefore, the attainment of education, in all of its forms, must be their first pirority and then to impart that knowledge and know how to others who could not attain that college educaiton. Thus creating a cycle of education that will cause the entire race to rise higher than before and, ensure a better future for the entire race of Black people. Thank you Madam President for this blog reminding us and telling us to do more and better for both our Black males and our Black females, because they are our today and our tomorrow.

Rev. Elisha B. Morris 10:50PM 04/07/13

hey dude..!! thnx for the discussion i really appreciate it but not only our support and comments made this efforts, your also own efforts helps you.. see you on boards dude..! Ahman Adam - Legal Transcription

RPJ 4:01AM 04/05/13

Dr. Howard-Vital: Your thoughts are well taken and as the parent of a graduating senior I too, I do whatever I can to lift my daughter up. At this time, I hope you can help with what may seem like a trivia matter in your busy schedule but it is monumental to the students and parents of graduating seniors. It is just over 45 days to graduation and the pieces are not falling into place. The cap and gowns were finally ordered, the rings, invitations and pictures have yet to be ordered because decisions are still being made on some of these items. For some reason the pictures need to be retaken (urban legend). I have viewed the Cheyney website and there aren't any instructions on graduation procedures, when you view some of the other HBCU websites, there are instructions on what to wear, where to park for parents/students, hotels, etc. At this point it is frustrating because graduating seniors should be concentrating on their studies, not wondering why the pieces are not falling into place. I did notice that a few years back, a well known company provided the invitations, rings, etc. I am not sure why that is not being done this year. Is it possible to light a fire under someone so that the students can move forward with this process. This would go a long way in lifting the students up. Thanks!

concerned parent 8:46PM 04/02/13

Great smiling faces, love it!

Korepetycje 9:37AM 03/27/13

President's Blog--January 2013--Our Collective Action is Required

January 27, 2013

The Inaugural Speech of President Barack Obama probably will be one of the most memorable Inauguration speeches of United States' presidents and, likewise, one of the most defining speeches of Barack Obama, the man and leader.

Like many other Americans, I listened to the speech wanting to hear a message that would brace us through these tough times, bring us together in times of extreme divisiveness, and steer us towards a future that envelopes the dreams of happiness and well-being for a diverse, varied, and sustainable America. Like he has done so many times in the past, President Barack Obama delivered. He reemphasized that we are the "change," in statements like, "Preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action," and "We are responsible, each of us as citizens, for setting the country's course."

Understanding the difficulty of our challenges, President Barack Obama stated, "We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect." Yet, "that is our generation's task- to make these words, these rights--of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness--real for every American."

As we prepare the campus for students to return this weekend, the words of this courageous American echo in my ears--"it is our generation's task"; "commitments we make to each other... do not sap our initiative, they strengthen us."

We at Cheyney University consider it a noble task to work towards the words memorialized in our Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Welcome back students!

Michelle Howard-Vital, Ph.D.

President

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

Tags: Cheyney University of Pennsylvania , featured , Inaugural Speech , Michelle Howard-Vital , President Barak Obama , President's blog

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President's Blog - February 2013 - Helping Others Reach Their Potential

January 25, 2013

Most of us have visited a pre-school or kindergarten and noticed how much fun the children are having playing, moving around, laughing, and learning. Their enthusiasm seems contagious, and some may even marvel at the teacher's ability to direct the students' energy and movement towards the learning and development activities. But many of us also notice that when we visit students in the sixth or eighth grades, something has changed. The students seem to have become more sluggish, and there is less laughter and enthusiasm. These differences seem to become more pronounced as students enter high school. The noticeable transitions from excited interest toward apathy probably are related, in some part, to hormones and adolescent development, but does it have to be so? Some of the transitions in students' outward attitude towards school, learning activities, and the acquiring of cognitive skills brings back memories of Jonathan Kozol's observations of his teaching experience that he discussed in "Death at an Early Age."

So the question becomes, even as students begin a college education, how do we rekindle that "joy of learning" and guide students towards a life that will have to include continuous learning along with professional, and emotional growth? Yes, we know this is not easy, unless you get to know the students. At Cheyney University, we work to help students rediscover their natural curiosity towards learning and their confidence. Small classes, caring faculty, and University College are just some of the strategies we use to help students explore, develop personally, and find their potential contributions to society.

The thousands of Cheyney graduates who tell us how we helped them find their way to complete graduate programs and reach fulfilling careers are the evidence that inspire us to continue pressing forward in this mission of restoring that youthful love of learning.

Michelle Howard-Vital, Ph.D.

President

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

Tags: education , Michelle R. Howard-Vital , president , youth

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If students really understood the impact they can have in this world and just the potential of their human bodies, they would strive as hard as they could to be the best they can be. Life's amazing when you really educate yourself!

Karen Falgore 10:23AM 03/25/13

I think this is a great idea because of opportunities, which events like this are giving. Good job!

Caroline 5:05AM 03/15/13

Thoughts for a Really New Year

December 17, 2012

As the door closes on 2012, we look back in thankfulness as we come out of a massive depression, we move forward with guarded optimism, we mourn a national tragedy in the loss of innocent young lives in Connecticut, and we give gratitude to the s/heroes among us.

What will it mean to be a good American citizen in 2013?

As we look at the changing demographics of America, we see signs that a more pluralist society is emerging. Thus, it is important for each of us to broaden our socio-political perspectives to realistically map our roles and responsibilities in the global community.

Despite our shared past, complete with profound sorrows and unprecedented triumphs, we know that our future will be full of opportunities--and we will go where no one on this planet has gone before. So, how does a good citizen prepare him/herself for this new world?

As we move forward into the year 2013, effective higher education, true diplomacy, and an understanding of our roles in preserving the Earth for future generations seem essential.

Thus, as we make our individual resolutions, it seems essential that we also include a few global resolutions: Resolve to make more compassionate daily decisions, to do more to preserve the planet for coming generations, to understand how our daily actions affect the communities and countries around us, and to be excellent in all that we do.

At Cheyney University, we are demonstrating our community citizenship by the choices to use green design and construction methods, such as those for our new science building. We also are taking responsibility for spreading as much knowledge as possible about the interconnectivity of our communities. And, we embrace the need to support the intellectual and emotional development of all of our next generation of our rising, global citizens.

There is a lot to do in 2013, we hope that you will join us in becoming more enlightened and more excellent citizens of the planet.

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nice article for me thank you

Vasyaboy 6:26PM 03/23/13

HBCUs – A Village of Choice for Some

November 15, 2012

Over the last decade, there have been numerous articles on HBCUs and discussions about their value and continued relevance in the 21st century. Some of these articles state that in order to survive, HBCUs must be more competitive, more diverse, and more responsive to the needs of the nation. It should be noted that during the same time period, there has not been equal scrutiny of religious colleges and universities, women's colleges, and colleges that profess missions for other specialized groups. Moreover, there are many bright students and middle-class students who choose HBCUs because they seek faculty and staff with different perspectives. However, that is the subject for another blog.

While the focus on HBCUs is broad, generally from lenses of others, and within the current racial understandings in America, these discussions often overlook some of the more substantial contributions of HBCUs. Besides the bright students and middle class families who choose them, these institutions also serve as safe havens for students who have been underserved, if not pushed to the outskirts of learning, by K-12 educational systems with limited paradigms. In this regard, the curricular and extra-curricular activities of HBCUs help some students overcome low academic expectations and serve as the needed "village" to help guide and direct them towards contributing and responsible citizenship.

When I meet the incoming class of students each year at Cheyney University, I note the range of students who attend HBCUs. I embrace these students and assure them that education is about transformation and change. The faculty and staff will help them with this transformation. For some students of color, first generation college students, and other marginalized students, this transformation can be a hugely emotional, psychological, and social transformation that helps to guide them farther along their life's journeys. For many incoming students, they have yet to experience high expectations from their families or academic institutions. Once accepted, these students are challenged and expected to perform at higher standards.

Often when I meet incoming students at Cheyney University, I see hope in their eyes, but caution in their interactions. It generally takes more than four years to help most students realize that they are talented and bright, and can be responsible and contributing citizens (not to mention taxpayers) in the Commonwealth. At the end of the students' academic journey, faculty and staff often celebrate the obvious transformations of these students to intelligent and assertive citizens.

What is interesting about this transformation is that faculty and staff at HBCUS like Cheyney University are rarely applauded for the extraordinary work they perform which includes serving as surrogate parents, exposing students to a range of academic and career options, and helping students develop the academic and social skills that will help them succeed in the global village.

Some in the larger society look at HBCUs and question why they should still exist, even though the same questions are not asked as rigorously about religious and special interest colleges and universities. However, few observers of HBCUs delineate the extraordinary value these institutions add to the Commonwealth and nation by elevating, and supporting the lives of families, both advantaged and disadvantaged, who want what most Americans profess to desire—a better life for their children and the next generation of leaders.

Even if K-12 educational institutions found ways to buoy the lives of all of their students and families, and all students left secondary educational institutions on a level-playing field, students and their families still should have choices—it is the American way.

Michelle Howard-Vital, Ph.D.
President
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

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Cheyney University – 175 Years of Access, Opportunity, and Excellence

September 17, 2012

This year we celebrate the 175th anniversary of the beginning of higher learning for African descendants in America––Cheyney University. This anniversary also symbolizes the courage, persistence, perseverance of historically black colleges and universities in spite of staggering odds, and their enduring faith in the power of education to improve the futures of generations of citizens spanning three centuries––19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. As the first such institution in America, the story of Cheyney University begins with Quaker Richard Humphreys, and chronicles a long and arduous journey that reflects aspects of American history and American s/heroes by whose sheer force of will we have moved forward as Americans.

We only wish we were able to tell the full stories of the connected lives and works of all the diverse s/heroes who have served to enrich America by broadening its intellectual capital. The most important aspect of the legacy of Cheyney University is that it is a story about people and the value they have brought to the Commonwealth and the nation. These visionaries and beacons of hope have included the faculty, the advisors, the mentors, the alumni, the administrators, the supporters, stakeholders, and the hundreds of families who converged at institutions called The African Institute, the Institute For Colored Youth, Cheyney State Teacher's College, Cheyney State College, and finally, Cheyney University with hopes for a better tomorrow.

There are many facts that are less known about the value of Cheyney University, such as the fact that Cheyney University has a very high percentage of students who have gone on to complete doctorate degrees. There are graduates of Cheyney University who are surgeons, physicians, attorneys, scientists, entrepreneurs, political analysts, teachers, and responsible and contributing citizens in a host of jobs that are too numerous to mention. All of these graduates bring the experience of a Cheyney University education back to their families and communities and demonstrate the range of possibilities available for other youth.

We hope that this 175th Anniversary will bring credit to some of the s/heroes who have created the legacy of Cheyney University. We also hope that stakeholders will invest in the next generation of leaders by helping us raise merit scholarships for talented and deserving students.

It is important for us as Americans to ensure that creativity and genius will continue to emerge in all segments of America. Thus, we invite all to join us at our 175th Anniversary Gala on October 18th in the Pennsylvania Convention Center to raise merit scholarship dollars, so that the University can better produce more young intellectual capital and continue its legacy of access, excellence, and opportunity!

Michelle Howard-Vital, Ph.D.
President

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awesome

Desmond Kking 2:38PM 09/22/12

A Fork in the Road ...

August 15, 2012

As new students arrive on campus to begin their first year of college, it is certainly a moment of anticipation and hope for many. The unloading of cars by family members, even grandparents, cousins and smaller siblings, comes with a measure of anxiety about what this move to college really means.

For most families, going to college is an important fork in the road of life. Students and families have participated in somewhat agonizing financial decisions and planning involving financial aid, loans, and expectations regarding the continuing value of a college education. As many of us at Cheyney view these transitions into a higher education environment, we smile and assure these families that the journey that led to this fork in the road has been worthwhile -- and there are life changing adventures ahead.

Cheyney University will help structure some of these potential life transformations through the learning communities in University College, the Keystone Honors Program, the Call Me Mister program, internship placements, activities in the Entrepreneurship Institute, and many cultural and sporting events on campus. However, it will be up to students to avail themselves of these learning opportunities and exposures.

Now as I begin my sixth year, as president of Cheyney University, I am assured that this academic learning environment represents a good fork in the road of life when I review the accomplishments of recent graduates as well as the emerging changes on campus. The new residence hall is opening. The new science center is under construction. With a measure of patience and yet, anticipation, we are restructuring our enrollment management, scholarship and financial processes for more efficiency. As a growing liberal arts university with a focus on communications and natural and applied sciences, Cheyney University offers students a knowledgeable and committed faculty, cultural exposure to the arts, and a supportive environment in which students are encouraged to discover their purpose in life.

On behalf of the Cheyney University family, welcome to the Class of 2016!

Sincerely,

Michelle Howard-Vital

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The Unleveled Playing Field

July 16, 2012

It is blog time, and my attention seems fixated on the violence I see every day on the morning news. Like many others in the Commonwealth, I watch the morning local and national news shows while sipping my morning coffee, occasionally tweeting my plans for the day, or gathering words of wisdom from Twitterland.

Almost every morning, there are beautiful news people who momentarily interrupt their updates about Who's who, Hollywood, and "The Royals" to somberly inform us about some of our sisters and brothers who did not make it through the night. I know... " If it bleeds it leads." But what about the lost lives reported, and what about those many more lives that never make it to the "B-roll" footage morning shows used for optional "filler" stories? Usually, after we hear the accounts of lost lives and other mayhem in the world, the news seems to quickly revert to a lighter entertainment fare, and those lost lives, or the societal consequences, are rarely addressed.

Maybe I am more sensitive to the accounts of needless lives lost because I work with, and for, many young adults who also worry about their daily safety. It is not unusual for about a dozen students to ask to stay on campus during breaks because they fear for their safety if they were to go home. The majority of the students who arrive at Cheyney University have already survived, in many respects, and they come to the University to gain knowledge, exposure, and guidance to help them navigate the uncharted waters of future challenges in a competitive workforce.

Students who learn to persist and manage to navigate through the financial aid hurdles and college coursework usually exclaim that it is because of the excellent faculty and staff who care about them, their dreams, their lives, and their ultimate successes.

It is our goal at Cheyney University to broaden our influence, increase our capacity, and help guide these young people, so that they will not be one of the woefully brief 15-second news flashes about violence and arrests and circles of lives that will never be the same again. It is our goal to be one solution to save some of those lives––to add to the roll call of living, improving, and contributing survivors.

We view them as our noble and highly worthwhile contributions to the Commonwealth!

Michelle.

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100 Black Men: Fathers and Husbands Working for A Better Tomorrow

June 18, 2012

I had the pleasure of accompanying my husband, Geri Vital, to the 2012 annual 100 Black Men of America conference in Atlanta, GA. Even though my time at the conference was limited, it was apparent that the National 100 Black Men organization is continuing to leverage the expertise, goodwill, and time of its many thousands of members to guide young men and women towards positive life choices.

A record 3,000 members, guests, sponsors, students, and mentees participated in the 100 Black Men Conference-- the largest attendance to date. It seems appropriate that the 2012th conference was scheduled a few days before Father's Day. As I sat at the Friday night banquet, I especially enjoyed the co-host Sheryl Ralph Lee, wife of Senator and Cheyney Trustee Vincent Hughes, and the positive energy in the enormous ballroom that contributed to both a sense of well-being and gratification.

As the various speakers thanked and congratulated Attorney Albert Dotson for successfully steering the organization in a period of growth that included the development of charter schools, structured mentorship programs, health care awareness, and sponsorships, I looked around the ballroom and saw looks of pride, satisfaction, and hope on the faces of the members who ranged in ages from the energetic 30s to the wise 80s. These men were engaged and committed to moving forth an aggressive agenda of mentoring and good works to build responsible and contributing future generations of leaders.

There was also a sense of Philadelphia Pride when the academic team that the 100 Black Men of Philadelphia sent to compete in the national African American History Challenge came in second in the junior division; this was their first appearance, and they competed against more experienced and championship teams. This Philly accomplishment was cheered by all in attendance and gratified the Philadelphia 100 who seek to expand their mentoring activities with a range of young men and women in the Philadelphia area. Another good Philly moment was when Boyz II Men performed in the concert portion of the program, with pictures of Center City in the background. They were excellent, and bought the audience to their feet in appreciation.

There were many opportunities at the conference to network and make friends for the 100 Black Men of Philadelphia and Cheyney University. In order to help support the retention goals of the University, the 100 Black Men of Philadelphia are pledging their support to developing a Collegiate Chapter at CU!