Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is a public, co-educational historically black university
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....

 that is a part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a large public university system in the United States. It is the tenth-largest university system in the United States and 43rd largest in the world...

. Cheyney University has a 275 acres (1.1 km²) campus that is located in the Cheyney
Cheyney, Pennsylvania
Cheyney is an unincorporated community that sits astride Chester and Delaware Counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the home of Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. The area and the University derive their name from George Cheyney's Farm which became the current campus of Cheyney...

 community within Thornbury Township, Chester County
Thornbury Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Thornbury Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,017 at the 2010 census. It is adjacent to, and was once joined with Thornbury Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.-History:...

 and Thornbury Township, Delaware County
Thornbury Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Thornbury Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,093 at the 2000 census. It is adjacent to, and was once joined with, Thornbury Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.-Geography:...

. The university offers bachelor's and master's degrees.

History

Founded as the African Institute in February 1837 and renamed the Institute of Coloured Youth (ICY) in April 1837, Cheyney University is the oldest African American school of higher education, although degrees were not granted from Cheyney until 1913. The founding of Cheyney University was made possible by Richard Humphreys, a Quaker philanthropist who bequeathed $10,000, one tenth of his estate, to design and establish a school to educate people of African descent. Born on a plantation in the West Indies, Humphreys came to Philadelphia in 1764, where he became concerned about the struggles of free African Americans to make a living. News of a race riot in 1829 prompted Humphreys to write his will, in which he charged thirteen fellow Quakers to design an institution "to instruct the descendents of the African Race in school learning, in the various branches of the mechanic Arts, trades and Agriculture, in order to prepare and fit and qualify them to act as teachers...."

Founded as the African Institute, the school was soon renamed the Institute for Colored Youth. In its early years it provided a classical education to young African Americans in Philadelphia. In 1902 the Institute moved to George Cheyney's farm, 25 miles (40.2 km) west of Philadelphia, the name "Cheyney" became associated with the school in 1913.

The school's official name changed several times during the twentieth century. In 1983, Cheyney joined the State System of Higher Education as Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.

The university offers baccalaureate degrees in more than 30 disciplines and the master’s degree in education.

Athletics

Cheyney University has one of the most storied basketball programs in NCAA Division II history. The men's basketball program is 7th all-time in NCAA win percentage, including 16 PSAC conference championships, four Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...

s, and one National Championship (1978).

The women's basketball team in 1982 competed in the championship game of the inaugural NCAA Division I tournament despite being a Division II school.
In 2009, Cheyney University hired the first ever NCAA men's and women's basketball coaches who are brother and sister. The men's coach is Dominique Stephens, a North Carolina Central graduate and member of the NCAA Division II Basketball Championship team, and the women's coach is Marilyn Stephens, the Temple University Hall of Famer.

See also


External links

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