By Rachel Sawicki

WILMINGTON — Delaware State University received a $1 million donation from Barclays bank Tuesday, with the goal of further funding the newly created Global Institute for Equity, Inclusion and Civil Rights at the school.

Barclays CEO Denny Nealon presented the check to DSU President Dr. Tony Allen in front of the bank’s revamped corporate office on South West Street in Wilmington.

Dr. Allen said the Global Institute includes four centers: the Center for Neighborhood Revitalization, the Center for Global Africa, the Academy of Healing Trauma and the Center for Health Disparities. The facility was a goal of the university’s before the spike in Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 but was born shortly after, he said, to provide DSU with a prominent voice and structure.

“All of these centers were underfunded before this unique opportunity,” Dr. Allen said Tuesday. “We see a lot of opportunity for them to grow and to affect the lives of the communities we serve and create more opportunities for our faculty, staff and students.”

DSU has partnered with Barclays for 10 years, and other donations have helped to up graduation rates and kick-start workforce-development initiatives, according to Dr. Allen. Mr. Nealon said Barclays will look to DSU for applicants, as well as for students to fill internship positions.

“DSU has such a tremendous track record of doing good and making our community stronger,” Mr. Nealon said. “I’ve gotten to know Dr. Allen over the years, and there’s a reason that we have a decade-long partnership that we’re extending and deepening: Because we believe in what he and his teams are doing, and we’re seeing the results and want to be a part of it.”

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki extended additional thanks to Barclays for its commitment to the city.

“We need partners that are committed to helping others making significant investments,” he said.

Mr. Nealon said the bank is not only continuing to invest in its partnership with DSU but also in Barclays workforce in the First State. Over the next 18 months, Barclays plans to hire 1,000 employees across the country, with a few hundred of those positions likely in Wilmington.

“We believe that better outcomes happen when you have diverse workforces,” he added. “There’s so much talented diversity around here that it would be silly for us not to take advantage of that.”

He noted that the company’s current Wilmington staff are returning to work in a building that has updated technology infrastructure, open collaboration spaces and health and wellness areas and that models the “workplace of the future,” strengthening Barclays’ relationship with the city and state. Barclays recently purchased the facility after leasing it for 13 years.

“There’s nothing more important than good jobs, well-paying jobs, jobs that provide a future for individuals and their families,” said Gov. John Carney. “Our obligation is to cultivate an environment where businesses like Barclays can be successful and grow and expand and compete in your markets.”

The governor noted that, in August of this year, there were about 10 million job openings across the country but only 8.4 million people looking for work.

“Your decision to expand in Wilmington reminds me of our obligation as a state to prepare the young people of our city to be able to take these jobs of the future,” he said. “We’re making investments in the city and the schools in Wilmington, so that every one of those children has an opportunity to be successful in their educational career, go on to a successful life where they can support themselves and their families, and work here in the neighborhood at Barclays.”