- Delaware State University and McKinsey have announced the launch of eHBCU
- The online consortium will expand economic mobility and access for students at historically Black colleges and universities.
In the summer of 2022, Tony Allen, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of one of the nation's most diverse contemporary historically Black colleges and universities, told USBE magazine that Delaware State University is a strong investment in higher education, particularly for its ability to educate students thoughtfully.
This spring, Delaware State University graduated more than 1,300 students, the largest in its 135-year history.
To expand economic mobility through education, McKinsey & Company has partnered with Delaware State University to establish an HBCU online consortium.
According to the press release, the multiversity consortium will expand access to degrees, credentials, and career pathways for online learners nationwide.
Stats posted on the eHBCU website show that HBCU graduates are 51 percent more likely to move into a higher income quintile.
McKinsey research shows that HBCUs enroll more than twice as many Pell Grant-eligible (low-income) students as non-HBCU institutions.
The mean mobility rate for HBCUs is 3.0 percent, compared with 1.6 percent across all U.S. colleges.
President Tony Allen's vision to create a streamlined, student-centered online model in which learners could apply once and access programs across multiple HBCU campuses, including both degree and non-degree offerings such as certificates and stackable credentials aligned with high-demand labor markets, led to the creation of eHBCU.
This online learning consortium launched in June 2025 in partnership with Pensole Lewis College, Alabama State University, Southern University and A&M College, Southern University at Shreveport, and Southern University at New Orleans.
Allen said that despite the debate over the value of a college degree in today’s marketplace, college degree attainment remains central to economic mobility, particularly in the African American community.
There are more than five million online learners in the United States, while one million of them received their education at just 12 campuses. And only 20,000 are receiving their education from an HBCU.
Suffice it to say, we have a significant opportunity, Allen said.
As DSU and its partner institutions moved from concept to execution, they engaged McKinsey to help shape strategy, operating models, and partnerships to enable eHBCU to scale sustainably.
What DSU is doing through eHBCU is truly differentiated, said Ryan Golden, a partner at McKinsey. This is not just about launching online programs—it’s about building a consortium that can scale opportunity for underrepresented learners in a way no single institution could achieve on its own.
On May 15, Delaware State University marked its 135th anniversary.
A retired assistant professor from the School of Social Sciences noted that Delaware State College, as it was formerly known, was 75 years old when she graduated in 1966.
Jancie McCants Miller shared on LinkedIn that her daughter, brother, and niece are also graduates, and her granddaughter recently completed her freshman year, residing in the same halls she lived in from 1962 to 1966.
During the spring commencement ceremony in May, the historically Black college and university honored the completion of academic journeys for more than 1,300 graduates.
According to a press release, the Class of 2026 was the largest ever in Delaware State University's history.
Twelve undergraduate students were awarded the Presidential Academic Award. All 12 graduates completed their bachelor's degrees with perfect 4.0 grade point averages and the highest Summa Cum Laude academic status.
In total, there were more than 1,000 bachelor's degree graduates, nearly 300 master's and doctoral graduates, and 270 associate degree graduates.
In his address, Delaware State University President Tony Allen remarked that the Class of 2026 engaged in more public service, completed more internships, launched more artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives, and developed more research opportunities than any other class.
Click here to read Tony Alen's interview with USBE Magazine in the summer of 2022.