Coatesville school board OKs deal with Lincoln U.

University branch to open in former Gorden Elementary School building

By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times

CALN – In its meeting on Tuesday night, the Coatesville Area School Board voted unanimously to allow Lincoln University to lease the Gordon Facility (formerly Gordon Elementary School).

The agreement will also give Coatesville Area School District students, faculty, and their family members who reside in the district a 10% discount on degree-granting programs.

Board members spoke enthusiastically about bringing a university to Coatesville, Paul Johnson most of all.

“This is an important event for both the district and the city,” said Johnson. “Not only will it add to the district, but it will add to the climate of Coatesville.”

Board members hope that the facility will encourage students to continue their education and pursue degrees after high school.

“College, to most of our kids [in Coatesville], is a far off thing. Having a college within sight and sounds, you get a better impression and more incentive to go on to further your education,” Johnson said after the meeting.

The Coatesville Area School District Board of Education discusses its plan to lease space to Lincoln University starting in 2013, during its meeting, Tuesday.

Johnson said that the university will not just affect students but many aspects of the city.

“You have students coming here; they’re going to have to eat somewhere,” he said. “Parents will visit; they have hotels to stay in, and they’ll get to see what this city is really like.”

Johnson, who grew up in Coatesville, hopes that having a university will help improve the city’s reputation.

“I’m pushing Coatesville all the time—I know how good it used to be,” he said. “Now, we just get the bad press, but this is a step in the right direction.”

Additionally, the agreement will allow free admission to Barnes Foundation facilities for 25 Coatesville students per year. A partner of Lincoln University, the foundation has libraries, archives, plant, and art collections at its campuses in Philadelphia and Merion.

The lease will run July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2016, and Lincoln University is being charged $1 per year.