Tale of 2 HBCUs: One enjoying a boom, one fending off doom
Founded by Quakers in 1838, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is the nation's oldest historically black college.
North Carolina A&T State, created in 1890 by an act of the state Legislature, is the nation's largest historically black college.
» FULL COVERAGE: HBCUs: A Threatened Heritage
Both are public schools. But A&T is booming, and Cheyney is struggling. Enrollment at A&T now is nearing 12,000, and incoming freshmen have a GPA of 3.5. Enrollment at Cheyney declined more than 50 percent from 2010 to 2015, and the school’s accrediting agency has placed it on probation.
For our special series "HBCUs: A Threatened Heritage," the AJC's Ernie Suggs visited both schools and tells their stories. Find out how A&T became a powerhouse, and how Cheyney found itself in such difficulty.
About the Authors
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.
