DSU dedicates Agilent Hub at Dover campus

“We generally have longstanding great relationships with companies, but sometimes a company comes in and asks, ‘What can we do and how fast can we do it’,” DSU President Tony. Allen said. “Agilent – under the first leadership of retired CEO Mike McMullen and Sally Frank – in three short years has invested $10 million in DSU’s College of Agriculture, Science and Technology, including $4 million in scholarships, $5 million in instrumentation, and $1 million for the first endowed professorship at DSU.” 

Agilent - a manufacturer of instrumentation equipment, software and related products - has operations in northern Delaware.

Cherese Winstead, Dean of the College of Agriculture, Science and Technology, noted that the construction of the Agilent Hub was also supported financially by $7.6 million from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and $1.5 million from the State of Delaware.

 “The physical infrastructure of HBCUs and minority-serving institutions is sometimes deferred, so we are challenged in this area. Not many federal agencies will put forth the dollars to make an investment in your physical infrastructure for your student training, research and extension,” Dr. Winstead said. “If you think about the millions and millions of dollars USDA NIFA pours into 1890 Land Grant schools, it is USDA NIFA that made this day happen for DSU for our physical infrastructure.”

During the ceremony, about 20 Agilent Scholars who are benefiting from scholarship support from Agilent Technologies were brought before the large gathering as proof of the impact of the federal and corporate partnership. 

Delaware State University is one of nineteen 1890 Land Grant institutions of higher education in the U.S. which as HBCUs offer research-based programs.