I spent some time last night on one of the best-kept secrets in Delaware County.
That would be the absolutely stunning campus of Widener University, located smack dab in the middle of Chester. If you haven’t been there in awhile, you owe it to yourself to check it out. The place is not exactly the old Pennsylvania Military College, which it proudly points out as its predecessor.
Now the campus is a glittering gem in a city that continues to struggle to turn around its fortunes.
We took our livestream Internet show, ‘Live From the Newsroom’ to Widener last night to get a feel for what is going on there and the role of the university in the city’s turnaround efforts.
If you missed it, you can catch the replay here.
Our thanks for Widener President Dr. James Harris, who was a most gracious host as we set up shop in the gorgeous conference room in Old Main on the campus.
Paula Silver, dean of the School of Human Service Professions, talked about one of the great success stories in Chester. That would be Widener Partnership Charter School. She is the chair of their Board of Trustees. The school has responded to requests from parents to expand their offerings. It was pretty simple really. They love the charter school and were worried about what would happen to their children after they finished the fifth grade. The school heard their plea and now will offer classes through eighth grade. I get the feeling that when these kids reach eighth grade, the talk will turn to a high school, and I think Widener will likely again step up to the plate.
This is a tricky slope for the university. Clearly one of the biggest issues in the city is the perenially struggling Chester Upland School District. Almost half of the district’s students are now enrolled in charter schools, including Widener Partnership. Critics believe eventually the district will be folded and all students funneled into a series of charters.
There are now more than 380 children attending Widener Partnership. It is exactly that in every sense of the word, a partnership between the university and the school district. It is pointed to as the way a charter school should operate to help a struggling school district.
We also heard from Julie Dietrich, who is director of special projects and initiatives, and her work with city officials in a unique federal program called Strong Cities, Strong Communities, or SC2 for short. It again proves the cooperation being undertaken between Widener and the city it calls home.
Finally, graduate student Anna Miller, the pride of York, Pa., talked about what first lured her to the Chester campus and her work coordinating community service programs in the Presidential Service Corps/Bonner Leaders Program.
It was a great night. I hope to be back soon. Especially when they get their new TV studio done. ‘Live From the Newsroom’ could use a nice new home. Being on the campus of Widener, in the middle of Chester, would suit me just fine.
Maybe they could even make me look a tad less ancient on camera.
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