All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

[Fightingscot82]

Re: All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

IUP was the first of the state colleges to be elevated to university status in 1965 (18 years before the rest of the system was elevated at the same time).

The original legislation that was proposed to elevated Indiana State College to University status was for it to be called The Western Pennsylvania State University. However, there were amendments to it and one of them was to call it Indiana University of Pennsylvania. I'm looking in Ron Juliette's book as to why it was changed...but it doesn't really say why. I am wondering if locals wanted to keep Indiana in the name but that is just speculation. Or maybe somebody at Slimey Pebble got really whiny about it....LOL!

In grad school it was taught that Pitt objected because that was or was too similar to their original name.

[ctrabs74]

Re: All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

The inevitable nickname of 'West Pen' sounds like a prison.

It WAS the name of the prison on the north side of pgh. Good idea going with IUP instead of WPU (which also happens to sound bad) jus sayin

Not to mention there's a Western Pennsylvania Hospital (aka West Penn Hospital) in the Bloomfield section of Pittsburgh...

[IUPMonk]

Re: All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

Not to mention there's a Western Pennsylvania Hospital (aka West Penn Hospital) in the Bloomfield section of Pittsburgh...

Yeah, that was my initial though too when catching up on this thread. Western Pennsylvania State University would have been a name that lead to many bad jokes. By the way, retirement is great! The West Virginy DNR really knows how to take care of their trout fisherman. I have been out twice so far and have caught four nice plump brookies and only about five miles from my house. I only catch two to save some for the next guy - limit is six. #IAintNoTroutHog #DontBeASlobFisherman.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

Yeah, that was my initial though too when catching up on this thread. Western Pennsylvania State University would have been a name that lead to many bad jokes. By the way, retirement is great! The West Virginy DNR really knows how to take care of their trout fisherman. I have been out twice so far and have caught four nice plump brookies and only about five miles from my house. I only catch two to save some for the next guy - limit is six. #IAintNoTroutHog #DontBeASlobFisherman.

Is nobody else old enough to remember Biggie rapping "F*** the state pen, f*** hoes at Penn State"?

[iupgroundhog]

Re: All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

In grad school it was taught that Pitt objected because that was or was too similar to their original name.

I believe that is the truth.

[iupgroundhog]

Re: All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

Is nobody else old enough to remember Biggie rapping "F*** the state pen, f*** hoes at Penn State"?

I am actually TOO OLD to remember that. I have childhood memories of the Rockview State Prison near Penn State. A kid's dad on my Little League team was a guard there and he arranged for us to play an exhibition game each year on the grounds for the entertainment of the inmates. I remember being on the field and looking up at the armed guards in the towers and thinking 'this is so surreal.' (Surreal, yes, because it was the late 60's)

[Fightingscot82]

Re: All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

I am actually TOO OLD to remember that. I have childhood memories of the Rockview State Prison near Penn State. A kid's dad on my Little League team was a guard there and he arranged for us to play an exhibition game each year on the grounds for the entertainment of the inmates. I remember being on the field and looking up at the armed guards in the towers and thinking 'this is so surreal.' (Surreal, yes, because it was the late 60's)

When I worked at Penn State I lived down the road in Pleasant Gap (still unsure where the gap is) and drove past Rockview twice every day. Never made it inside though. That's a cool memory.

[Mikefln]

Re: All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

The state needs to defund Pitt and Penn State branches. The big boys need to stay in their lane.

This right here is the correct answer. I am not sure how much state funds get dirrected towards the branch campuses of the state related schools, but it needs to be redirected asap.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

This right here is the correct answer. I am not sure how much state funds get dirrected towards the branch campuses of the state related schools, but it needs to be redirected asap.

Their 'student success statistics' (my term) are buried by the flagship campus. That's the whole point: they farm out less desirable students who want the brand but don't qualify for the real thing. Its like wanting a Chevy Suburban but you can't afford it so you buy a Geo Tracker. Removing students who transfer within the system, they're still not producing graduates like taxpayers would want. Below are Penn State's campuses, the number of their latest eligible freshman class, and the % that graduated from that campus in 150% of the time expected for their bachelors degree, which is 6 years (150% is used to allow for bumps in the road like family issues, military time, pregnancy, money issues, or change of major).

University Park 7,319 85.5
-Commonwealth Campuses 8,171 53.9
Abington 811 46.6
Altoona 1,340 68.9
Beaver 263 47.5
Berks 822 57.1
Brandywine 379 43.8
DuBois 124 41.1
Erie 1,004 63.4
Fayette 156 39.1
Greater Allegheny 266 38.7
Harrisburg 527 62.8
Hazleton 511 50.1
Lehigh Valley 267 56.9
Mont Alto 313 47.6
New Kensington 180 50.0
Schuylkill 333 40.8
Shenango 59 32.2
Wilkes-Barre 191 46.1
Worthington Scranton 323 37.5
York 302 49.7

[Mikefln]

Re: All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

Their 'student success statistics' (my term) are buried by the flagship campus. That's the whole point: they farm out less desirable students who want the brand but don't qualify for the real thing. Its like wanting a Chevy Suburban but you can't afford it so you buy a Geo Tracker. Removing students who transfer within the system, they're still not producing graduates like taxpayers would want. Below are Penn State's campuses, the number of their latest eligible freshman class, and the % that graduated from that campus in 150% of the time expected for their bachelors degree, which is 6 years (150% is used to allow for bumps in the road like family issues, military time, pregnancy, money issues, or change of major).

University Park 7,319 85.5
-Commonwealth Campuses 8,171 53.9
Abington 811 46.6
Altoona 1,340 68.9
Beaver 263 47.5
Berks 822 57.1
Brandywine 379 43.8
DuBois 124 41.1
Erie 1,004 63.4
Fayette 156 39.1
Greater Allegheny 266 38.7
Harrisburg 527 62.8
Hazleton 511 50.1
Lehigh Valley 267 56.9
Mont Alto 313 47.6
New Kensington 180 50.0
Schuylkill 333 40.8
Shenango 59 32.2
Wilkes-Barre 191 46.1
Worthington Scranton 323 37.5
York 302 49.7

Assuming your number are correct as I see no reason why you would lie and I am not going to look it up, that is 8171 freshman at the branch campuses. I think it would be a safe assumption that if there was no branch campuses or at least not as many that 50% of those students would be at a state school. Being that this is only freshman I again am going to assume that the other 3 classes post similar numbers. With that said there should be at least 16,000 more students at the various PASSHE schools that are currently going to these branch campuses that the main campus students look down on. Again I wonder how much state funds get directed to these branch campuses.

As a side note, while I question the whole system and especially the ones with less than 200 kids per class,what the hell is Shenango at 59 students doing being open? No reason not to be at Slippery Rock or Edinboro or even Theil or Westminster. What the hell can Penn State be offering to those students at Shenango students that would the aforementioned schools couldn't offer better? With enrollment that low I highly doubt PSU is funneling that many resources there. It is open there just for their own ego that they are everywhere in the state.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

Assuming your number are correct as I see no reason why you would lie and I am not going to look it up, that is 8171 freshman at the branch campuses. I think it would be a safe assumption that if there was no branch campuses or at least not as many that 50% of those students would be at a state school. Being that this is only freshman I again am going to assume that the other 3 classes post similar numbers. With that said there should be at least 16,000 more students at the various PASSHE schools that are currently going to these branch campuses that the main campus students look down on. Again I wonder how much state funds get directed to these branch campuses.

As a side note, while I question the whole system and especially the ones with less than 200 kids per class,what the hell is Shenango at 59 students doing being open? No reason not to be at Slippery Rock or Edinboro or even Theil or Westminster. What the hell can Penn State be offering to those students at Shenango students that would the aforementioned schools couldn't offer better? With enrollment that low I highly doubt PSU is funneling that many resources there. It is open there just for their own ego that they are everywhere in the state.

My source is Penn State itself: https://budget.psu.edu/FactBook/Stud...5&FBPlusIndc=N

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

I have many friends who attended Penn State New Kensington for engineering and have very good jobs. I think the perception viewed toward branch campuses is incorrect in many cases.

Look at Pitt ... some people just want nothing to do with living in the Oakland cess pool. UPJ, for example, is every bit (if not better) than most of our state schools.

[Bart]

Re: All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

I have many friends who attended Penn State New Kensington for engineering and have very good jobs. I think the perception viewed toward branch campuses is incorrect in many cases.

Look at Pitt ... some people just want nothing to do with living in the Oakland cess pool. UPJ, for example, is every bit (if not better) than most of our state schools.

They may get those jobs because the large alumni base tends to hire their own.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

They may get those jobs because the large alumni base tends to hire their own.

Perhaps but nonetheless.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: All 14 SSHE schools will close in 4 years?

I was knee deep in an administrative history book when it started talking about state appropriations for PA state colleges.

For FY 1975-76, Edinboro received $12,783,384. Fast forward forty years and for FY 2015-16, Edinboro received $27,554,403. That's only a 2.1x increase over 40 years. Add in all the administrative functions and personnel benefits that didn't exist in 1975...its no wonder tuition has gone up so much.