Campus to work with community, offer courses in business says president
By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times
COATESVILLE – Lincoln University’s President Dr. Robert R. Jennings announced official plans for Lincoln University during Monday night’s City Council meeting.
Already accepting applications, Jennings said the Gordon campus will open Aug 15. Fall semester will offer undergraduate and graduate-level business classes such as finance, accounting, management, and information technology for up to 650 students. The university will add nursing classes in January with more to come in the future.
“We will continue to add additional programs as the market demands it,” said Jennings.
He believes that the branch will not only expand the number of students the university is able to teach but also benefit the surrounding community.
“We think we will enhance your city and at the same time enhance our university,” Jennings told those in attendance.
For example, nursing students will take their clinicals at the Brandywine and VA Hospitals, and in exchange, Lincoln will offer classes for hospital employees who are required to keep up on their training. The university, which will offer a 10% discount to students and teachers of the Coatesville Area School District, is also looking into the possibility of holding tutoring programs in the district.
“The cost of education is becoming that you want to stay at home if you can and avoid having to pay for room and board,” said Jennings.
In addition to more classes, the university will look to expand the entire campus in the future, adding administration buildings and dorms.
“Eventually, that campus will look just like main campus,” said Jennings.
In other city news, City Council will likely work with The Humane Society and Forgotten Cats, a trap-neuter-return nonprofit group, to get rid of the city’s feral cats.
After efforts with previous organizations fell through, the Forgotten Cats course of action is still in the planning stages but will likely consist of cats being captured, neutered, and held. Kittens will become available for adoption, while neutering efforts on adult cats will “manage to extinction”.
“This has definitely been a successful method that we’re hoping will work for Coatesville,” said Hetti Brown, the Humane Society’s State Director for Delaware.
Getting rid of the cats will require more than just the actions of Forgotten Cats. Felicia Cross, the founder of Forgotten Cats, asked that City Council take a look at policies that could affect the animals. City Manager Kirby Hudson said that volunteers will be crucial to the effort.
“I’m putting out a plea for all those who like to help because we need volunteers,” he said. He stressed that anyone who likes cats should volunteer because, “We’re all on the same side of this issue” of wanting to see the cats being treated humanely.
A number will be listed on the city’s website for those interested in volunteering, or they can call City Council.
City Council also agreed on an ordinance to sell the city-owned Conti Property at Pratts Dam and North Manor Roads in West Brandywine and the property at 214 Mt. Airy Road in Valley Township. Appraised at $925,000 and $320,000, respectively, the city will auction off the land.
Proceeds from the sales will go toward improvements on city facilities and paying for new vehicles for the public works department.
