WDET
Sascha Raiyn
June 24, 2025
Michigan’s only HBCU is a part of a consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities launching “eHBCU” on Tuesday.
Pensole Lewis College joins Alabama State University, Delaware State University and the Southern University A&M College System in the effort.
eHBCU offers students across the country the chance to earn degrees and certification online from accredited universities. eHBCU becomes the nation’s 108th HBCU.
Dr. Violet Temple Lewis founded the Lewis College of Business in Indianapolis in 1928 to train Black secretaries. The branch opened in Detroit in 1938 would eventually become Michigan’s only HBCU. Lewis closed in 2015.
Accomplished footwear designer Dr. D’Wayne Edwards opened the Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design in 2021 continuing the legacy of the Lewis College of Business as an HBCU. Pensole Lewis offers degrees in footwear and apparel design and in color strategy, as well as design-related certificate programs.
For more information about Pensole Lewis, visit plcdetroit.com.