Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design

For business school of Marshall University, in Huntington, West Virginia, see Elizabeth McDowell Lewis College of Business.
Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design
The main building at 5450 John R Street
TypePrivate, HBCU
Active1928–2015; 2021-present [1]
PresidentD'Wayne Edwards
Students300
Location
Detroit
,
Michigan
,
United States

Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design is a private, historically black college in Detroit, Michigan.[2] It was also the first and only historically black college in Michigan. Founded in 1928 as the Lewis College of Business by Violet T. Lewis, it specialized in business-related topics.

The school originally closed in 2015 after losing its accreditation.[1] However, the school became the first HBCU to reopen, rebranding as Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design in 2021 through the efforts of D'Wayne Edwards, founder of the Pensole Footwear Design Academy, with an emphasis on design in addition to business.[3][4] The school is operating in a partnership with the College for Creative Studies while it works to obtain a new accreditation, campus, and legal & legislative approval to reopen.[5]

The school was the founding location of Gamma Phi Delta sorority, Eta Phi Beta sorority, and Tau Gamma Delta sorority.

  1. ^ a b "Lewis College of Business, once a Michigan jewel". Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  2. ^ Marisa Schultz (2007-08-10). "Lewis College's future cloudy". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2007-08-10.
  3. ^ Michigan Public Radio: Oct. 28th, 2021: Historically Black college plans to reopen in Detroit under a new name and mission
  4. ^ Burrell, Lilac (October 12, 2021). "Pensole Lewis College Slated To Be The First-Ever HBCU To Reopen, As Part Of $500 Million Detroit Investment". Forbes. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  5. ^ Peter Verry (December 29, 2021). "The Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design Is Now Michigan's First and Only HBCU". Footwear News. Retrieved July 23, 2023.