The Greene County university founded in 1856 hired a new president last September, seated ten new trustees in November, and prepared a 3,000-page report to show the accrediting body its house is back in order.
“We deeply appreciate you sticking with us through the tough times. We believe that we have turned the corner and that indeed it’s a new day and a great day at Wilberforce University,” Algeania W. Freeman, Wilberforce’s new president, told about 100 students, faculty, staff and community members before cutting a ribbon inside Allen Commons and proclaimed a “grand reopening” of the campus on Friday.
The efforts over the past two months include about $2.2 million on renovations, repairs and furnishings for nine campus buildings and improve the streetscape with new sidewalks and landscaping. Another $400,000 went to technology upgrades, including four technology labs with 80 new computers. The campus network bandwidth was also upped from 11 to 70 megabits per second.
Two of the new computer labs are in Henderson Hall where students live. The increased connectivity will allow them to stay on top of classwork and in touch with professors, said D.R. Buffinger, a chemistry professor and vice president of institutional effectiveness.
“We are creating this living-learning environment where (students) are actually housed.” Buffinger said.
De’Andre Dearinge, a Wilberforce junior from Dover, Del., said the changes make students feel important and again proud of the university.
“The morale at the campus was very low, things were going on with the university on an administrative level and we had to go through a transition. It was not always a bed of roses,” Dearinge said. “The campus has turned from rags to riches. It’s humbling to be a student to witness the changes – the renaissance, the rebirth.”
Wilberforce currently has 116 administrators, faculty and staff and offers 19 academic majors, one a graduate program, according to the university. Tuition, room and board at Wilberforce costs roughly $20,000 per year.
Since Freeman’s arrival, new fiscal, strategic and information technology plans have been put into place — both a response to June’s “Show-Cause” order and an effort to attract more enrollment.
“As a result of these renovations and repairs and implementing our strategic plan, we’re also seeing an increase in the number of applications we’re getting from students,” Freeman said.
Antonio Boyle, vice president of enrollment management and retention, said enrollment stood at about 1,000 a decade ago then slid recent years to about 350 students. He said that’s going back up now due to efforts during the short time since Freeman’s taken the helm.
The university now has 366 students — exceeding last fall’s enrollment — and has already received 838 applications for next fall semester. Come fall, Boyle believes about 600 students will be enrolled.
The Wilberforce University National Alumni Association continues to raise funds to pay for the upgrades, receiving more than $675,000 to date from individuals and alumni from across the country, according to Talbert Grooms, the association’s president. Grooms said the organization steeled itself in July for the “Committee of 500” fund raising campaign.
“The renovation of these buildings and the enhanced technology for the learning environment is beyond expectation,” Grooms said. The African Methodist Episcopal Church, the university’s founding affiliate, also raised more than $325,000 for the effort.
The Higher Learning Commission team will be on campus Monday through Wednesday for a show-cause evaluation to determine all the concerns have been resolved. Their report is expected to be filed within two weeks. Wilberforce will then have 30 days to review and respond to the report if necessary.
The Higher Learning Commission board that will make the final determination is scheduled to consider Wilberforce’s case in late June, according to HLC spokesperson John Hausaman. HLC accredits more than 1,000 institutions in 19 states.
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