Delaware State University is actively taking steps to acquire our neighboring institution of Wesley College. If all proceeds as planned, Wesley College will cease to operate as an independent institution, and will instead serve as Delaware State University's satellite campus for the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences.
I wish to acknowledge that because this is not a merger, there are inherent fears on the part of our Wesley colleagues and students. More specifically, Wesley College alumni have expressed anxieties about how their collective identity and legacy as proud Wolverines is being impacted. Wesley alumni - Your history will not be forgotten. I hear you, and I share in your passion for your alma mater's history.
At this time DSU and Wesley continue to operate as two distinct and separate institutions until the acquisition is legally affirmed. I would love to jump in and start working to preserve Wesley College's records and institutional memory, but I must remain at a distance. Nevertheless, I wish to allay your fears. Current Wesley College employees, from the library, alumni relations, athletics and others, are on a mission to gather the historic papers, photographs, artworks, and more. Allow me to definitively say that after the acquisition takes place, the records of Wesley College will be incorporated into the Delaware State University Archives. For the first time ever, Wesley documents will receive the preservation treatments they so richly deserve under the direction of a professional archivist.
If you are a member of the Wesley family, please don't hesitate to reach out to your current library staff to learn more about the initiatives happening on your campus. After the acquisition is finalized, I too will be standing by to answer questions and ready to welcome you into the university archives. I am so excited about the next chapter of the archives journey and meeting all of you!
Until then,
Rejoice
