The Middle States Commission on Higher Education has extended the probation of historically Black Cheyney University of Pennsylvania for another year. Under commission rules, this is the last extension that Cheyney will obtain. It must submit a report to the commission by August showing that it has addressed the commission’s concerns. A final decision on the university’s accreditation status will be made in November 2019. In an encouraging sign, in making the announcement the commission stated that Cheyney is making “significant progress.”
According to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, Cheyney’s total enrollment dropped to 469 students this fall compared to 755 last spring. This decrease comes on the heels of earlier drops in the number of students at Cheyney. Enrollments were down 53 percent from 2010 to 2016.
In a statement, Aaron Walton, president of Cheyney University said that “We are working in a deliberate manner to transform the university to ensure it continues to serve the commonwealth into the future. We’re now going to continue our efforts to make sure we have complied with all the requirements so we can continue to move forward with the transformation.”
