Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Cheyney gets $4.5M in state funding
THORNBURY TOWNSHIP » Cheyney University has been awarded $4.5 million in Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program funding slated to improve existing infrastructure and technology on the campus.
“Cheyney University has been an integral part of our region’s history for nearly 200 years as America’s first institution of higher education for AfricanAmericans,” said state Rep. Dianne Herrin, D-156th of West Chester. “Cheyney continues to mold the minds of ambitious students who seek to make a positive impact on our world. This funding ensures these students are able to learn in a comfortable, modern environment as they progress through their academic careers.”
The funding consists of two awards. The first award consisted of $3 million to assist with the ongoing revitalization of Cheyney University, including improving HVAC systems, updating antiquated plumbing, installing new windows, upgrading electrical capacity, and performing other necessary upgrades to make buildings on the campus more efficient and environmentally friendly. The second $1.5 million award is earmarked to assist in the conversion of the Wade Wilson building to the Wade Wilson Workforce De
velopment Center. These dollars will be geared toward renovating the second story of the building to house a technology and data center with the underlying goal of helping undergraduate students obtain and retain employment after graduation.
“This much-needed funding will improve the existing infrastructure on Cheyney’s campus and help secure the modern vision of this institution, which includes public-private partnerships, internship opportunities, hands-on learning, career-informed curriculum, and rigorous academic experiences,” Herrin added.
The Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program is a grant program administered by the Office of the Budget for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historic improvement projects. RACP projects are authorized in the Redevelopment Assistance section of the Capital Budget Itemization Act to support and improve the local and regional economy.