PASSHE Institutions Merging

[iupgroundhog]

PCT offers bachelor's degrees. You get a college degree in a technical field. They're a four year school, not a JC. They're also under state oversight as part of the Penn State system. Don't confuse them with PTC (once called PTI) that's a for-profit technical college trying to do the PCT thing.

Lehigh, Lafayette, Bucknell, and Drexel are engineering-heavy private colleges. Penn State was THE state university focused on STEM. They branched out to be more liberal arts, bought a med school, bought a law school, etc. but were founded to advance the state in STEM. If you visit, you'll see that the largest academic buildings are STEM schools.

Of course, Drexel was founded as Drexel Tech and stayed that way until not that long ago. Lehigh's nickname for most of its history was Engineers.

[Fightingscot82]

Yea...PCT and PIT (PA Institute of Technology) are examples of colleges that offer "technical education" at the JC level...everything from Engineering Technology to Auto/Diesel Mechanic. I'm talking about a true bachelors/masters/doctorate college who's focus is engineering/sciences/mathmatics...something similar to RPI, MIT or even Va Tech. PASSHE would probably get a lot of push back from Penn State, Pit and others who will say "we already do that" but even though they might have engineering and science programs, do they really? What I'm talking about is a University that is established from day 1 to be THE state university focused exclusively on producing STEM graduates to meet Pennsylvania's high technology needs.

PCT offers bachelor's degrees. You get a college degree in a technical field. They're a four year school, not a JC. They're also under state oversight as part of the Penn State system. Don't confuse them with PTC (once called PTI) that's a for-profit technical college trying to do the PCT thing.

Lehigh, Lafayette, Bucknell, and Drexel are engineering-heavy private colleges. Penn State was THE state university focused on STEM. They branched out to be more liberal arts, bought a med school, bought a law school, etc. but were founded to advance the state in STEM. If you visit, you'll see that the largest academic buildings are STEM schools.

[boatcapt]

You mean like these guys? https://www.pct.edu/

If their name was true to founding, Penn State would have been known as Pennsylvania A&M. For the first 75 years they were almost strictly agriculture, forestry, and engineering.

Yea...PCT and PIT (PA Institute of Technology) are examples of colleges that offer "technical education" at the JC level...everything from Engineering Technology to Auto/Diesel Mechanic. I'm talking about a true bachelors/masters/doctorate college who's focus is engineering/sciences/mathmatics...something similar to RPI, MIT or even Va Tech. PASSHE would probably get a lot of push back from Penn State, Pit and others who will say "we already do that" but even though they might have engineering and science programs, do they really? What I'm talking about is a University that is established from day 1 to be THE state university focused exclusively on producing STEM graduates to meet Pennsylvania's high technology needs.

[Fightingscot82]

You know what PA doesn't have that a lot of other states have? A true Technical college...Not as in a JUCO that teaches "Engineering Technology" or welding, I mean a true technical college that focusing on producting engineers, scientists and other high technology professionals. I wonder if one of the PASSHE colleges could not be converted to the "Pennsylvania Polytechnical Institute" with a sole and intensive focus on producing graduates from STEM programs.

You mean like these guys? https://www.pct.edu/

If their name was true to founding, Penn State would have been known as Pennsylvania A&M. For the first 75 years they were almost strictly agriculture, forestry, and engineering.

[boatcapt]

You know what PA doesn't have that a lot of other states have? A true Technical college...Not as in a JUCO that teaches "Engineering Technology" or welding, I mean a true technical college that focusing on producting engineers, scientists and other high technology professionals. I wonder if one of the PASSHE colleges could not be converted to the "Pennsylvania Polytechnical Institute" with a sole and intensive focus on producing graduates from STEM programs.

[Fightingscot82]

https://www.lockhaven.com/news/local...f-fiscal-year

That's a little high but it's pretty common to be in the 75-80% range for universities. Going back to the hospital analogy, their biggest resource is people.

[boatcapt]

I hope it is not EPU-Bloomsburg, although they have been mentioned as a source to support the other two. Hopefully they can pull out like SRU.

That would be the logical third member. But in looking at the geography of WPU, I could envision Shippensburg being the third and instead of Eastern PA University, it becomes Central PA University (CPU - Mansfield, CPU - Lock Haven and CPU - Shippensburg).

[boatcapt]

https://www.lockhaven.com/news/local...f-fiscal-year

[Bart]

That's a pretty big deal and quite the departure from the original plan that people interpreted as no change in the identity of the schools included. Schools derive much from their names. Becoming Westerm PA University - California, WPU - Clarion and WPU - Edinboro loses almost all the "identity" these schools have had.

While not part of this release, I wonder if a third "partner" in in the offing for the LHU/Mansfield pairing AND I wonder what the naming convention will be? Maybe Eastern PA University - Lock Haven, EPU - Mansfield and EPU - ?????

As this is a football message board, I ask again, what is the potential that all three WPU and the current EPU partner LHU all keep their football programs? In a much earlier post, I opined that a way around the athletic cost "burden" would be to split the athletic department among the now three schools - One campus gets football, one gets men's basketball, one get's women's basketball, etc. That would allow each campus to trim its individual athletic budget while allowing each to continue to sponsor DII athletics. AND it would allow the new university group to avoid duplication of effort. Of course, that plan would kind of reeks havoc with the PSAC lineup.

I hope it is not EPU-Bloomsburg, although they have been mentioned as a source to support the other two. Hopefully they can pull out like SRU.

[boatcapt]

I don't have much inside info. As I understand it, right now the plan is that on the ground level identity will be very much the same. But everything is on the table including a consolidated name change. Western PA University was mentioned to me.

That's a pretty big deal and quite the departure from the original plan that people interpreted as no change in the identity of the schools included. Schools derive much from their names. Becoming Westerm PA University - California, WPU - Clarion and WPU - Edinboro loses almost all the "identity" these schools have had.

While not part of this release, I wonder if a third "partner" in in the offing for the LHU/Mansfield pairing AND I wonder what the naming convention will be? Maybe Eastern PA University - Lock Haven, EPU - Mansfield and EPU - ?????

As this is a football message board, I ask again, what is the potential that all three WPU and the current EPU partner LHU all keep their football programs? In a much earlier post, I opined that a way around the athletic cost "burden" would be to split the athletic department among the now three schools - One campus gets football, one gets men's basketball, one get's women's basketball, etc. That would allow each campus to trim its individual athletic budget while allowing each to continue to sponsor DII athletics. AND it would allow the new university group to avoid duplication of effort. Of course, that plan would kind of reeks havoc with the PSAC lineup.

[Horror Child]

They should have done this in the first place!

Clarion, California and Edinboro universities are forming a partnership that could change the face of higher education in western Pennsylvania.expand high-quality educational opportunities for students throughout the region and beyond, position themselves for growth, and create greater efficienciesprovide great opportunitiessupporting our traditional and legacytruly uniquecould hold greater promisewelcome contributorenhance opportunities for students in Pennsylvania and beyond. The three universities already share successful academic programscreate a powerhouseserve our region even better, meeting the needs of all who will benefit from access to affordable, high quality educationa good fit for all three universities, given their histories of serving students with diverse economic backgrounds and offering them transformative experiences that lead them to places they may never have imaginedxcited about the possibilities

[Bart]

Any word on the changes for the eastern schools?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Please let it be PENNSYLVANIA WESTERN UNIVERSITY. WPU isn't good as an abbreviation and Western PA says sad rust belt loud and clear. I've never been to BORO or CU. How do their athletic facilities compare to CAL ?

The empty Angelo Dome is obviously the nicest hoops facility of the three. Tippin (Clarion) had that mega renovation last year and it's much nicer that it was. Boro's gym reminds me of Hamer Hall.

I'd probably say the football stadiums are close to a wash. If I had to pick one I'd pick Adamson.

[CALUPA69]

I don't have much inside info. As I understand it, right now the plan is that on the ground level identity will be very much the same. But everything is on the table including a consolidated name change. Western PA University was mentioned to me.

Please let it be PENNSYLVANIA WESTERN UNIVERSITY. WPU isn't good as an abbreviation and Western PA says sad rust belt loud and clear. I've never been to BORO or CU. How do their athletic facilities compare to CAL ?

[IUPNation]

Big picture-wise, I see this as a little troubling. Weeks after the PASSHE laid out the plan it is being changed substantially.

To me, this reflects a power struggle between the central office (PASSHE/Greenstein) and the individual institutions. In other words - politics and tribalism.

As far as Cal/Boro/Clarion goes, will integrating 3 struggling institutions result in a greater product? If so, how? Are these schools complementary to an extent that combined they end up greater than the sum of their individual parts?

The online program was already in place for 2 of the schools so they have just added a 3rd to the mix. Plus, that is a test program with the idea that it could be expanded to include the entire system, so it isn't something that belongs to the three schools.

Who balked at the initial realignment? Did SRU feel that they have a good thing going and not want to get involved with Boro? Or something else?

Does this open the door to a much stronger combo between IUP and SRU? IUP and SRU have greater strengths, respectively than the other western schools and they complement each other more.

As I've said before, the academic cooperation between IUP and SRU goes way back. At a certain point, they became "sister schools." They have cooperated much more in terms of academics than any other part of the system. IUP/SRU would have the potential to be a really strong entity. In the future, if there is a name change for IUP that might be a good thing. Of course, SRU's name seems to be a strength. (and, no, I wouldn't want to become an alumnus of Slippery Rock in the future if that's what you're thinking, lol.)

Ultimately, I think this all is better coordinated centrally and I would hate to see the progress Greenstein seemed to be making derailed.

Slimey Pebble would be a branch campus of IUP.