The Philadelphia Tribune June 2, 2017 Cheyney appoints new interim president The Board of Governors of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education announced Wednesday morning that Aaron A. Walton was selected as interim president of Cheyney University. He replaces Frank G. Pogue, who has served as interim president at the historically Black college in suburban Philadelphia since November 2014. Walton is a former senior vice president of Highmark Inc., a health care company, and a longtime member of both the Board of Governors and California University of Pennsylvania's Council of Trustees. His annual salary will be $248,000. Pogue's salary was $223,450. "Aaron Walton understands the challenges facing public education today," said State System Chancellor Frank T. Brogan in a statement. "He has the knowledge and the leadership skills necessary to lead Cheyney University at this important time in history. I look forward to working with him as we all seek to ensure the long-term success of the university and its students." Cheyney, the nation's oldest historically Black college, has faced ongoing financial issues and declining enrollment over the years. Earlier this month the state system announced that a task force was created to lead the development of a new institutional model for the historic institution. Cheyney's Chairman of the Council of Trustees, Robert W. Bogle, was made co-chair of the task force alongside Walton. "I think Dr. Pogue did very well, particularly in view of the pressing and challenging issues before the university," said Bogle, also president and CEO of The Philadelphia Tribune. "He brought a unique insight as an African American. He certainly understood HBCUs, and he understood the State System of Higher Education. I thought he served us well." Cheyney has a looming $30 million deficit and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, but remains on probation from the agency that looks at leadership, academic offerings and financial stability. The Board of Governors is responsible for hiring an interim president - not the school's Council of Trustee's - nor is a formal search conducted compared to when a permanent leader is sought, said Kenn Marshall, media relations manager of PASSHE. "Cheyney University is in the midst of a major transition toward a new operational model, even as it faces unprecedented challenges to its long-term sustainability," said Board of Governor's Chair Cynthia K. Shapira in a statement. "It needs strong leadership now more than ever. Aaron has a strong track record of leadership." Walton has a bachelor's degree in speech pathology and audiology from California University and a master's degree in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University. He has served on more than 35 community boards, and was first appointed by Gov. Edward G. Rendell to the State System's board of Governors in 2005. Michael Coard, a Cheyney alumnus and activist with Heeding Cheyney's Call, said on behalf of the advocacy organization that sued PASSHE to end decades of racial discrimination, he was pleased that PASSHE has taken its first step in searching for permanent leadership. "But I am displeased, actually livid," Coard said, "that discussing the possibility of selling our land, tearing down our buildings, eliminating our NCAA sports teams and cutting our staff. And at the same time, it is ignoring imminent and fundamental accreditation issues involving debt forgiveness, attractive academic programs and a long-term pragmatic vision for expansion." Coard continued, "But Heeding Cheyney's Call is willing to give the Task Force a chance to 'do the right thing' before we go to confrontation mode.'" Before taking the helm at Cheyney, Pogue was also president of Grambling State University, an HBCU in Louisiana. This year Cheyney is celebrating 180 years of education. Bogle is optimistic about the upcoming school year as he said he was told enrollment is up, which means recruitment efforts are working. There are 14 schools in the PASSHE system. Marshall said the search for a president for Cheyney could begin soon, as Walton will be interim president until the permanent replacement is found. SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/