PASSHE Institutions Merging

[Ship69]

Yep they overbuilt many of those campuses just as much if not worse than PASSHE. Most should never have had dorms added. Once you have students living there 24/7, there are many other facilities and resources you need to support a campus with dorms. And most of those campuses have under 1,000 total students. The housing showed that this was never about 2+2 getting transfers to State College.

I've mentioned this a dozen times, but their locations are also largely terrible. While PASSHE are in rural towns that have developed around the colleges, Penn State branches are mostly in rusted out former industrial towns like McKeesport, Uniontown, and Hazleton.

It's hard for them to sell the Penn State brand to students who aren't on the main campus. Right now most of their branch campuses are underwater and have students who would be better off at a PASSHE school. Pennsylvania's lack of a comprehensive higher education plan has come home to roost. There was a Republican plan in the news tonight that would offer incentives for people with certain majors to stay in state. I got a kick out of that because thousands of PASSHE students DO stay in state every year. There probably are about 12,000 or more Ship graduates in the four-five counties of the Harrisburg area. How about just taking some action to make our public school tuitions, among the highest in the country, a little cheaper? That might help.

[Bart]

Yep they overbuilt many of those campuses just as much if not worse than PASSHE. Most should never have had dorms added. Once you have students living there 24/7, there are many other facilities and resources you need to support a campus with dorms. And most of those campuses have under 1,000 total students. The housing showed that this was never about 2+2 getting transfers to State College.

I've mentioned this a dozen times, but their locations are also largely terrible. While PASSHE are in rural towns that have developed around the colleges, Penn State branches are mostly in rusted out former industrial towns like McKeesport, Uniontown, and Hazleton.

I have heard the branch campuses took off during the Great Depression when people couldn't afford to go to college, so college came to them. If these towns are still depressed, nothing has changed, except people moving away when they graduate, but the concept should still work.

[iupgroundhog]

I'm sure the folks in West Vincent are really thrilled about that. Mind you, it was about 10-15 years ago when the apartments UTI students used as "dorms" (for lack of a better term) were in West Chester, so they must've moved north.

My ex-girlfriend's son went to UTI. He was sort of a wild kid but he was academically prepared because he graduated from Conestoga (one of the top rated public schools in the country). He opted for UTI over 4 yr. college. It really worked out for him. I don't keep tabs on him but I think he works in Parts for a large dealership. It's a good job and it also aligns with his hobby (cars). From what I've seen, UTI is a pretty good technical school.

[ctrabs74]

Thry might but a lot of them live up 100 in a complex in Ludwig’s Corners.

I'm sure the folks in West Vincent are really thrilled about that. Mind you, it was about 10-15 years ago when the apartments UTI students used as "dorms" (for lack of a better term) were in West Chester, so they must've moved north.

[Fightingscot82]

Penn State following SSHE, going with regional leadership. Staff buyouts also resulted in 10% reduction.


https://www.timesleader.com/news/165...o-1-chancellor


https://www.psu.edu/news/story/penn-...alth-campuses/

Yep they overbuilt many of those campuses just as much if not worse than PASSHE. Most should never have had dorms added. Once you have students living there 24/7, there are many other facilities and resources you need to support a campus with dorms. And most of those campuses have under 1,000 total students. The housing showed that this was never about 2+2 getting transfers to State College.

I've mentioned this a dozen times, but their locations are also largely terrible. While PASSHE are in rural towns that have developed around the colleges, Penn State branches are mostly in rusted out former industrial towns like McKeesport, Uniontown, and Hazleton.

[Bart]

Penn State following SSHE, going with regional leadership. Staff buyouts also resulted in 10% reduction.


https://www.timesleader.com/news/165...o-1-chancellor


https://www.psu.edu/news/story/penn-...alth-campuses/

[IUPNation]

Many years ago I interviewed for a job at Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, trade school converted to a 4-year college overseen by Penn State but students do not earn a Penn State degree. It’s a great in-between and what it sounds like you're proposing. If it isn't it’s very close to open admission. And it’s thriving. Williamsport isn't for everyone (it wasn't for me) and it’s not in any of the corners of the state. The state does have Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster. It could use a few others. Clarion and Mansfield might be good candidates if those campuses need to be repurposed. And yes, Thaddeus Stevens has athletics, as does Penn College.

It seems like a no brainer.

[IUPNation]

As I recall, a lot of those UTI students lived in an apartment complex up the street from Chester County Hospital in West Chester.

Thry might but a lot of them live up 100 in a complex in Ludwig’s Corners.

[Fightingscot82]

We used to see commercials for trade schoools on TV back in the day. Not so much now. Pennco Tech always advertised. I wonder if they are even open?

The automotive school by me is literally called UTI. But they have a lot of students and it’s a big building. It sits next to the Turnpike right off the Downingtown exit.

Our schools should size the day and open trade schools in unused building. Offer crossover classes like accounting and such. You can fill dorms. It might lessen the resentment those in the trades have for those who went to college.

Many years ago I interviewed for a job at Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, trade school converted to a 4-year college overseen by Penn State but students do not earn a Penn State degree. Its a great in-between and what it sounds like you're proposing. If it isn't its very close to open admission. And its thriving. Williamsport isn't for everyone (it wasn't for me) and its not in any of the corners of the state. The state does have Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster. It could use a few others. Clarion and Mansfield might be good candidates if those campuses need to be repurposed. And yes, Thaddeus Stevens has athletics, as does Penn College.

[ctrabs74]

We used to see commercials for trade schoools on TV back in the day. Not so much now. Pennco Tech always advertised. I wonder if they are even open?

The automotive school by me is literally called UTI. But they have a lot of students and it’s a big building. It sits next to the Turnpike right off the Downingtown exit.

Our schools should size the day and open trade schools in unused building. Offer crossover classes like accounting and such. You can fill dorms. It might lessen the resentment those in the trades have for those who went to college.

As I recall, a lot of those UTI students lived in an apartment complex up the street from Chester County Hospital in West Chester.

[IUPNation]

I can see that. Mechanics need such specific training anymore and its an attractive field for some. Its not a job that you can just pick up with an opportunity to learn and passion for cars.

PTI/PTC was thriving for a while. They leased an entire apartment complex adjacent to the Mall at Robinson near the Pittsburgh airport. But I question the ROI on these trade schools using either a for-profit model or even just the college pricing model. The cost of operating any college is immense and not only are people less willing to take on the cost/debt to get that education, there are fewer in general to draw from. Pittsburgh has lost art schools, culinary schools, cosmetology schools, and trade schools in the last several years. Yet the union apprentice programs always have vacancies. The "kids are choosing the trades over college" narrative just isn't true.

We used to see commercials for trade schoools on TV back in the day. Not so much now. Pennco Tech always advertised. I wonder if they are even open?

The automotive school by me is literally called UTI. But they have a lot of students and it’s a big building. It sits next to the Turnpike right off the Downingtown exit.

Our schools should size the day and open trade schools in unused building. Offer crossover classes like accounting and such. You can fill dorms. It might lessen the resentment those in the trades have for those who went to college.

[Fightingscot82]

The mechanic training school in the office complex section of my development is full of cars. The students come from all over and they live in an apartment complex about 5 miles north of it…

I can see that. Mechanics need such specific training anymore and its an attractive field for some. Its not a job that you can just pick up with an opportunity to learn and passion for cars.

PTI/PTC was thriving for a while. They leased an entire apartment complex adjacent to the Mall at Robinson near the Pittsburgh airport. But I question the ROI on these trade schools using either a for-profit model or even just the college pricing model. The cost of operating any college is immense and not only are people less willing to take on the cost/debt to get that education, there are fewer in general to draw from. Pittsburgh has lost art schools, culinary schools, cosmetology schools, and trade schools in the last several years. Yet the union apprentice programs always have vacancies. The "kids are choosing the trades over college" narrative just isn't true.

[IUPNation]

Pittsburgh Technical College is closing.

https://triblive.com/news/education-...lege-to-close/

Not even a week after Triangle Tech announced their closure. When you read that colleges are down because kids are choosing trade school, you know that's a lie. There's just too few high school students.

The mechanic training school in the office complex section of my development is full of cars. The students come from all over and they live in an apartment complex about 5 miles north of it…

[Fightingscot82]

Pittsburgh Technical College is closing.

https://triblive.com/news/education-...lege-to-close/

Not even a week after Triangle Tech announced their closure. When you read that colleges are down because kids are choosing trade school, you know that's a lie. There's just too few high school students.

[IUPNation]

UArts developments:

https://www.phillyvoice.com/uarts-cl...-philadelphia/

They aren't going away quietly.

A merger with Temple might be the best thing but I doubt it happens.