Delaware State University Plans to Acquire Nearby Wesley College

Emma Whitford reports on the pending acquisition of Wesley College, "Delaware State Acquiring Wesley College," for Inside Higher Ed on July 20, 2020.

Whitford notes that this will be the first time a historically Black university buys a non-HBCU institution. Delaware State University president Tony Allen indicates plans call for completion of the process in June 2021. The institutions are both located in Dover, Delaware with just two miles separating the campuses.

Wesley College was founded as Wilmington Conference Academy in 1873. The name changed to Wesley Collegiate Institute and then to Wesley Junior College. The first baccalaureate degrees were offered after 1978. Whitford indicates 2019 enrollment of 1,229 undergraduates and 122 graduate students.

Delaware State University was founded as the State College for Colored Students in 1891. The name was changed to Delaware State College in 1947 and to Delaware State University in 1993. Enrollment in 2019 was 4,208 undergraduates and 378 graduate students.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.