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Delaware State seeks $45 million this year; proposes athletic, academic and workforce projects and highlights HBCU role
Summary
Delaware State University leaders asked the Joint Capital Improvement Committee to restore and expand state capital support, outlining academic and athletics projects and arguing that stronger facilities would improve student recruitment, workforce pipelines and community economic activity.
Delaware State University President Tony Allen told the Joint Capital Improvement Committee the university seeks significant capital support to expand academic, research and athletics infrastructure and to continue the campus turnaround following the Wesley campus acquisition.
Allen described the university's progress since acquiring the Wesley campus, cited recent projects (a new agriculture building, a $15 million Early Childhood Innovation Center) and said DSU has increased research activity and enrollment while growing workforce programs such as nursing. "We are now the number 1 choice for students of color in Delaware," Allen said, noting that many undergraduate slots are covered by the state's INSPIRE scholarship.
Allen urged the committee to restore a prior recommendation of $20 million for DSU capital that had been reduced in a later budget reset to $14 million and asked legislative support for a broader $45 million request this year that would include an athletic transformation. The proposed athletics package described in the presentation calls for a new indoor field house ($25 million), $10 million in alumni stadium upgrades and long‑term planning for a multipurpose convocation center. Allen argued the athletic facilities serve as a "front porch" for the university and a driver of community and economic activity.
The president also highlighted workforce and academic investments: an $8 million ag science hub (now under construction), expanded nursing cohorts, early college partnerships that yield college credits tuition‑free, and a growing research portfolio (from about $18 million in 2017 to $45 million currently). Allen said DSU educates a high proportion of Pell‑eligible and first‑generation students and described broad socioeconomic benefits of HBCUs.
Committee members asked about federal funding exposure and research risks; Allen and staff said the most significant vulnerabilities are federal research funds and Pell program changes, and provided rough exposure figures the administration tracks: roughly $34 million on the research side and $71 million on tuition/Pell‑related exposure noted during questions. Allen said DSU would continue to pursue philanthropic and state support to sustain operations and capital programs.
Public comments from current DSU students, staff and community leaders at the end of the session reinforced the university's pitch, urging capital support and noting recent on‑campus improvements. No committee votes were taken during the presentation; DSU requested the committee consider its multiyear capital plan in bond bill deliberations.
