Coppin State President Jenkins Inspires Power of Learning at Inglewood City Honors School
The generational leader champions power of education in Inglewood
By KENNETH MILLER, Publisher
It was nice and warm on the Friday before Easter Break in the auditorium at City Honors International Preparatory School in Inglewood where an assembly was held for its potentially college bound students to learn about Coppin State University.
City Honors, is the City of Inglewood’s precious model of academia where its 349 student population offers AP courses, Cambridge International curriculum, and a Gifted & Talented program.
Coppin State University President Dr. Anthony L. Jenkins address City Honors students in Inglewood on March 27. (KENNETH MILLER/PHOTO)
Coppin State nestled on 60 acres in Baltimore educates an estimated 2,210 students according to their 2024 reporting, essentially introduced itself to City Honors students during a ceremony that lasted an hour and a half.
That’s longer than anticipated by Coppin staff, but shorter than desired by Copping State University President Dr. Anthony L. Jenkins.
“This was beyond what I thought it was going to be,” Dr. Jenkins explained to South Bay Black Journal during an exclusive interview following the assembly. “We do our ‘Destination Coppin’ where we go into high schools across the nation, but the energy, the students and just how sharp they are, how inquisitive they are. I was very blown away by just their overall demeanor and their commitment to wanting to showcase that excellence.”
DESTINATION COPPIN–Coppin State University President Dr. Anthony L. Jenkins stands before welcome sign at City Honors on March 27. (KENNETH MILLER/PHOTO)
‘Destination Coppin’ is a tour that visit some 30 different states in an effort to recruit students during this ultra-competitive environment where evidence suggests education is experiencing a significant decline, marked by a number of factors including widening achievement gaps, pandemic-related learning losses, and falling international rankings. Recent assessments show math and reading proficiency at 25-year lows, alongside decreasing confidence in higher education and falling enrollment, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
“This was wonderful visit for me and I’m leaving now twice as excited as I was before I walked in,” continued Dr. Jenkins, bald, clean shaved and looking fit and dapper in a nav blue suit.
Dr. Jenkins was hired as just the 8th President at Coppin in 2020, and suffice to say he has been enormously successful, expanding Coppin academic portfolio, increased record enrollment growth, brand elevation, generating hundreds of millions in capital projects, and achieved record-breaking milestone in fundraising, student retention, graduation rates, corporate partnerships, endowment growth, and alumni engagement.
POWER OF EDUCATION– Coppin State University President Dr. Anthony L. Jenkins takes questions from a wide eyed City Honors student during a ceremony on March 27. (KENNETH MILLER/PHOTO)
“When I arrived and became president, I said that we are going to introduce and reintroduce Coppin State to the world and we’ve been on these tours to where we are introducing students of Coppin and reintroducing people to Coppin who may have an outdated perception of the university,” Dr. Jenkins added.
Often that perception consist of old stereotypes that suggest HBCU’s such as Coppin are just for Black students, but as Dr. Jenkins informed, “We are historically Black but not exclusively Black. We educate a diverse, multicultural, multigenerational student population.”
Some of those students were on display at City Honors, painting a picture of a thriving university under a new moniker “BMORE” a reference to their urban community that offers 750 courses in 63 areas of learning with a student faculty ratio of 12:1.
Tuition at Coppin is among the least expensive of universities in America at $20,073 for in state residents and $27,134 for out of state residents, but for California candidates they are eligible for in state tuitions because of a genius innovative programs implemented by Dr. Jenkins.
One could only arrive at the conclusion that Coppin was the best place to go to school on earth and their very own student’s explanation and testimony. It was announced after the presentation that one City Honors student had been accepted to a round of shouts and applause.
Amid the euphoria, is the pending gloom launched by the federal government that abolished the Department of Education, growing homeless population, increasing dropout rate, substance abuse issues, mental health and an economy tinkering on the brink of collapse.
I AM ONE OF YOU–Coppin State University President Dr. Anthony L. Jenkins walks to the middle of the auditorium to emphasize his message about education at City Honors in Inglewood on March 27. (KENNETH MILLER/PHOTO)
None of which makes Dr. Jenkins blink or tampers his robust enthusiasm for education. “When I come, I’m talking to students about Coppin, I’m talking to students about their opportunities, I’m talking to them about understanding their worth and their value and how they are going to ad that value to any community of scholars that they end up going to, that’s a part of what this whole process is about.”
“Coming out of this I want students to learn more about HBCU, and I want them to understand that yes we produce 80 percent of the Black judges, 70 percent of the Black doctors, 40 percent of all congressional members. I want them to understand the beauty of HBCU and how we much Black excellence and brown excellence and how we are communities that were never forced under Brown v Board of Education to integrate, we’ve always valued integration and that’s a part of what makes us unique and that’s a part of us that makes us among the best institutions in this country and I want students to know that first hand and that’s why as the president I come to these visits,” Dr. Jenkins elaborated.
After the presentation that featured question and answer session with the president, one female student came onto the auditorium stage and express how impactful it was for Dr. Jenkins to be there and she wanted to tell him personally.
He’s a busy man, not never too busy for a student whether they belong to City Honors, Coppin or any educational institution. He is about the power of education.
A product of a single mom, a veteran of our treasured arm forces and now our designated transformational leader for hope.
Education, learning…the only chance we’ve got.
