PASSHE Institutions Merging

[Fightingscot82]

"Free for certain people"

The somewhat more rational advocates of this may say this, but that is not what the true believers want. This kind of reminds me of the "defund the police" movement...The supposed "cooler heads" stepped in and said we REALLY don't want to defund and abolish the police, we just want to reprogram some money toward social programs...But then the real hard core of the movement stepped in and said "Yea, we said defund the police and that is EXACTLY what we want."

Also, by "free for certain people" I meant those under a certain income threshold. We basically have this already with Pell grants and state grant programs - but I want coordination between the government and the schools on having the highest possible grant covering tuition and fees. If they qualify for full Pell, then they'll qualify for Federal Work Study and can work on campus for extra money. These are actually the only demographic of people under 25 who a majority work 10+ hours a week before college. Once household income hits $100k, its single digit percentages for kids having a job.

[Fightingscot82]

Rumors swirling that Penn West is on track for a massive enrollment decline as high as 20%.

They've gotta realize that you can't keep reacting (cutting to solve budget deficits) and need to start fixing (get more students). The rank and file of the admissions offices are still the same people that couldn't do well before the merger. Get them out of there.

I give the Clarion campus 2 years. They already are in default of the minimum guaranteed revenue for their dining services contract. Less than 500 living on campus.

[Bart]

Rumors swirling that Penn West is on track for a massive enrollment decline as high as 20%.

They've gotta realize that you can't keep reacting (cutting to solve budget deficits) and need to start fixing (get more students). The rank and file of the admissions offices are still the same people that couldn't do well before the merger. Get them out of there.

I give the Clarion campus 2 years. They already are in default of the minimum guaranteed revenue for their dining services contract. Less than 500 living on campus.

They are saving 2 million as they "consolidate its six academic colleges into three and rename them as the year-old university — itself created through a merger — seeks to cut costs while reversing enrollment losses."
https://triblive.com/local/regional/...-will-save-2m/

[iupgroundhog]

Rumors swirling that Penn West is on track for a massive enrollment decline as high as 20%.

They've gotta realize that you can't keep reacting (cutting to solve budget deficits) and need to start fixing (get more students). The rank and file of the admissions offices are still the same people that couldn't do well before the merger. Get them out of there.

I give the Clarion campus 2 years. They already are in default of the minimum guaranteed revenue for their dining services contract. Less than 500 living on campus.

I have never thought that the goals of the Western merger were to grow solvent and self-sustaining universities. That's not going to happen. The purpose is much closer to managing the demise of the schools.

This is after one year. Where will it all go? Who knows?

I will say that the realignment of the academic schools is similar to IUP's structure. I have no idea if it is possible but I would be in favor of PennWest merging with IUP (with IUP as the parent school). I am biased, of course, but I think it would be one viable outcome in Western PA.

[boatcapt]

Rumors swirling that Penn West is on track for a massive enrollment decline as high as 20%.

They've gotta realize that you can't keep reacting (cutting to solve budget deficits) and need to start fixing (get more students). The rank and file of the admissions offices are still the same people that couldn't do well before the merger. Get them out of there.

I give the Clarion campus 2 years. They already are in default of the minimum guaranteed revenue for their dining services contract. Less than 500 living on campus.

A business will never "fix" what is driving them out of business if they are just reacting to the here and now (putting out brushfires). What a troubled business (and Colleges are businesses) is take dramatic action to get two years ahead of the decline and attempt to build a firewall to compete. I've said before, the problem with the PASHE is excess capacity. I know it hurts but you have to realize who you are and were you fall in the "desirability" category, get two years ahead of the enrollment decline and build Colleges that are the right size for the potential student base at that time.

[Horror Child]

I don't think their standard is any different. It usually takes 2-3 semesters of "failing" grades (below 2.0 GPA) to get academically suspended. Sometimes they'll even provide some advisement on courses to take at a community college to help get their GPA up. Sometimes they'll even make agreements to readmit the student if they get a certain GPA at the community college. I have seen kids readmitted who had less than a 1.0 GPA then took some classes at CCAC or CCBC.

Years ago when Edinboro had the first of two Ivy League snobs as President, he thought they should weed out more students. Every freshman who got below a 1.0 GPA their first semester was kicked out. That resulted in almost a $1 million revenue loss from fall to spring and was the first of several short-sighted financial decisions he ordered that hurt the school financially. This is an example why it doesn't matter how brilliant of a nuclear physicist someone is and/or they were tenured faculty at Princeton and Yale - it doesn't mean they understand how to run a university.

That's right. Who cares if the kid goes to class, turns in a paper or passes no classes? They're revenue for the school!!!! Even if it is a student loan that will likely be forgiven.

[Fightingscot82]

I have never thought that the goals of the Western merger were to grow solvent and self-sustaining universities. That's not going to happen. The purpose is much closer to managing the demise of the schools.

This is after one year. Where will it all go? Who knows?

I will say that the realignment of the academic schools is similar to IUP's structure. I have no idea if it is possible but I would be in favor of PennWest merging with IUP (with IUP as the parent school). I am biased, of course, but I think it would be one viable outcome in Western PA.

I actually think this was a workaround to close campuses. Only the legislature can close a university but now the six are just campuses. Chancellor Dan can close Clarion and Mansfield with an email.

[IUPNation]

I have never thought that the goals of the Western merger were to grow solvent and self-sustaining universities. That's not going to happen. The purpose is much closer to managing the demise of the schools.

This is after one year. Where will it all go? Who knows?

I will say that the realignment of the academic schools is similar to IUP's structure. I have no idea if it is possible but I would be in favor of PennWest merging with IUP (with IUP as the parent school). I am biased, of course, but I think it would be one viable outcome in Western PA.

That would be like giving cancer to IUP.

Why should IUP throw them
a lifeline?

[iupgroundhog]

That would be like giving cancer to IUP.

Why should IUP throw them
a lifeline?

I'm not going to explain it.

[IUPNation]

I'm not going to explain it.

Their past support for The IUP Rule means I have no sympathy for them.

[Fightingscot82]

In all honesty, if enrollment continues to plummet, I think it's only a matter of time that legislators start challenging IUP's immunity. So IUP may be the main hub but not the main campus or entity.

[Bart]

Their past support for The IUP Rule means I have no sympathy for them.

You used to say live and let live, but now you cry live and let die.

[iupgroundhog]

In all honesty, if enrollment continues to plummet, I think it's only a matter of time that legislators start challenging IUP's immunity. So IUP may be the main hub but not the main campus or entity.

I think it would have to be introduced by Indiana-area legislators (I know this is delving into the highly theoretical).

[IUPNation]

You used to say live and let live, but now you cry live and let die.

An apology by the league would be nice.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I actually think this was a workaround to close campuses. Only the legislature can close a university but now the six are just campuses. Chancellor Dan can close Clarion and Mansfield with an email.

I've always seen the triads as the last ditch 'we tried everything' CYA before they start closing some doors.