Delaware State University asks lawmakers to restore $5M and highlights early college, nursing and workforce gains

Delaware State University told the Joint Finance Committee on Wednesday that expanded enrollment, scholarship programs and the Wesley College acquisition have accelerated the university’s growth while increasing operating costs — and DSU asked lawmakers to consider restoring $5 million reduced from the governor’s recommended operating appropriation.

President Tony Allen said DSU’s in-state mission centers on access: about 41% of incoming students are first-generation and roughly 60% are Pell-eligible; the university’s enrollment has grown about 25% since Allen took the helm in 2020, to approximately 6,623 students. He credited the INSPIRE scholarship with expanding access — reporting that 75% of in-state freshmen were INSPIRE scholars last fall — and described the early college program that allows students to accumulate up to 60 college credits before graduating high school.

Allen noted DSU’s research portfolio has grown to roughly $50 million, and he outlined three spending priorities if the committee restores the $5 million: continued development of the Wesley College of Health and Behavioral Sciences (for which DSU said operations cost roughly $12 million annually), an online consortium funded in part by private philanthropy (a $7 million private investment for an HBCU online initiative), and campus public safety investments. Allen said Wesley has increased DSU’s nursing and allied-health capacity dramatically — DSU reported expanding from roughly six nursing graduates several years ago to about 120 annually after the acquisition.

Committee members asked about specific uses of the supplemental $5 million and about DSU’s capital and program priorities in downtown Dover and Seaford. Allen and DSU officials cited partnerships with local employers, the Early Childhood Innovation Center and workforce programs that, they said, have direct economic impact on adjacent communities. DSU provided an economic impact figure to the committee — roughly $700 million annually — and told members that for every dollar of state support the university now returns an estimated $12 in economic activity.

Students and faculty gave in-person public comments in support of DSU’s operating request, citing INSPIRE, early college, internship pathways and workforce programs as critical supports for low-income and first-generation students. The committee did not take a final vote; lawmakers indicated they would consider DSU’s request during the budget mark-up process.