In 1991, 100 years after Delaware State University (DSU) was chartered to serve Black students who were not allowed to attend the University of Delaware, future DSU president Tony Allen was a UD student who participated in a sit-in in Smith Hall where 200 Black students protested race relations on campus and called for new programs and activities focused on multiculturalism and inclusion. 

Allen will recount his experience at both UD and DSU — the alma mater he still loves, both for the pain it evinced and the advocacy it ignited, and the HBCU he now serves — and examine the struggles both institutions face in today’s challenging higher education landscape as the speaker for this year’s James R. Soles Lecture on the Constitution and Citizenship. 

His talk, titled “A More Perfect Union Is a Verb,” will be held Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 4 p.m. in the Audion at the Tower at STAR.

Allen, who earned his undergraduate degree in political science and doctorate in urban affairs and public policy from UD, has led DSU for six years. He joined the highly ranked HBCU in 2017 as executive vice president and provost. During his tenure DSU has expanded its physical footprint, research profile and enrollment. 

Allen is also the founding chairman of eHBCU, the country’s largest online consortium of HBCUs. eHBCU offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, and professional certifications. All courses are taught by professors in the consortium. 

He sees his experience as an example of “the continued story of the American experiment,” one that began with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and continues to unfold. 

“Our annual Constitution Day Soles lecture provides an opportunity to appreciate how the vision of the founders has been implemented, and how it has evolved — warts and all,” said Matthew Weinert, chair and professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations, which hosts the event. 

“The title of Dr. Allen's lecture reminds us that what is at stake is the union itself: the union must necessarily prevail over special interests, elite preferences and panderings to political supporters at the expense of the whole of the union,” Weinert said. 

Registration for the event is required by Sept. 20.

About the Soles Lecture

The James R. Soles Lecture is held annually around Constitution Day, which commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 1787. The event honors the deep impact Soles, a political science faculty member for more than 34 years, had on generations of UD students, faculty, staff and the state of Delaware. 

Soles, who died in October 2010, received the University’s Medal of Distinction, one of several awards and recognitions during his distinguished career. However, he is best remembered for his dedication to teaching and to his students, hundreds of whom have served or continue to serve the public and their communities throughout the United States.

“Jim Soles was very concerned about political engagement and the responsibilities of citizenship,” said David Redlawsk, James R. Soles Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations. “He was the epitome of someone who lived what he taught.”

Shortly before he retired in 2002, many of his former students and colleagues created the James R. Soles Citizenship Endowment to celebrate his lifelong commitment to public service. In addition to the annual lecture, the fund supports a named professorship, undergraduate citizenship stipends and graduate fellowships.