PASSHE Institutions Merging

[Ship69]

That's quite an incentive. It will be interesting to see how much it reduces staff. But clearly they are having the same over capacity problems as everyone else.

Of course allowing PSU to establish a ton of branch campuses when there was already a state college system in place contributed greatly to the overcapacity. It's a prime example of Pennsylvania's lack of intelligent planning for education.

[IUPNation]

How bad are things at Penn State? They're offering a voluntary 12 months salary severance to most employees at their branch campuses. They'll also subsidize COBRA for 6 months so the insurance premium is the same as when working.

https://www.spotlightpa.org/statecol...ry-separation/

Is this coming from the state money they shouldn't be receiving or the billions of dollars in endowment?

[Fightingscot82]

Of course allowing PSU to establish a ton of branch campuses when there was already a state college system in place contributed greatly to the overcapacity. It's a prime example of Pennsylvania's lack of intelligent planning for education.

The sheer number is a big part of the problem - but also locations. On the state map they tend to make sense but nearly all are in aging, mid-sized towns with a manufacturing history that isn't there anymore. Places like Hazelton, McKeesport, Uniontown, Monaca, Sharon, Altoona, etc. Erie's campus is named after the family that started the Hammermill Paper Company, which no longer has a presence in Erie.

[Fightingscot82]

An industry article on Keystone College's future: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/...anger-imminent

[Fightingscot82]

Also, some alarming drops in enrollment at the Penn State branches:

https://www.abc27.com/pennsylvania/a...anch-campuses/

[IUPNation]

Also, some alarming drops in enrollment at the Penn State branches:

https://www.abc27.com/pennsylvania/a...anch-campuses/

Those numbers show they should have 3-4 branches at most.

Do they need Abington and Brandywine in the Philly burbs?

[Ship69]

The sheer number is a big part of the problem - but also locations. On the state map they tend to make sense but nearly all are in aging, mid-sized towns with a manufacturing history that isn't there anymore. Places like Hazelton, McKeesport, Uniontown, Monaca, Sharon, Altoona, etc. Erie's campus is named after the family that started the Hammermill Paper Company, which no longer has a presence in Erie.

Harrisburg Channel 27 just ran a story on it yesterday. There are three campuses in our area alone — Harrisburg, York, and Mont Alto. Harrisburg, which is not a lot smaller than Ship and has a full D3 sports program, is holding its own. Attendance at the other two is dropping like a stone, and both have enrollments well under 1,000. What is really revealing is the graduation rates. Something like 9 percent of the Mont Alto students are graduating within six years, as opposed to 83 percent on the State College campus. The overall rate for the branch campuses is something like 23 percent. It certainly looks as if the branches are becoming parking places for marginal students or those short on money. The main campus with almost 50,000 students now has about twice as many students at the branches combined.

[iupgroundhog]

An industry article on Keystone College's future: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/...anger-imminent

That article might be too "industry" for me but I did scan through it. My vote would be to shut that place down already. Enough with looking for "saviors" for places that aren't viable.

[Fightingscot82]

Harrisburg Channel 27 just ran a story on it yesterday. There are three campuses in our area alone — Harrisburg, York, and Mont Alto. Harrisburg, which is not a lot smaller than Ship and has a full D3 sports program, is holding its own. Attendance at the other two is dropping like a stone, and both have enrollments well under 1,000. What is really revealing is the graduation rates. Something like 9 percent of the Mont Alto students are graduating within six years, as opposed to 83 percent on the State College campus. The overall rate for the branch campuses is something like 23 percent. It certainly looks as if the branches are becoming parking places for marginal students or those short on money. The main campus with almost 50,000 students now has about twice as many students at the branches combined.

The branches used to be money makers to help build up State College and allow them to become as big as the other major flagships of the time outside the gonzo states like Florida, Arizona, and California, as well as add big time money makers like the law & medical schools. They've also been slowly working to transition a lot of the unique pieces to State College like the law school, the forestry school, etc. It also allowed thousands of people to claim a Penn State brand education, shout "We Are!", and put some Nittany Lion swag somewhere. The mothership loved this because it strengthened the brand perception. Now the branches are financial anchors just like they are for Pitt. They too know closing them is a PR disaster but its going to have to happen. They can only convince so many kids from the McMansion suburbs of the southeast and midwest to attend to make up for our region's demographic losses...and they sure as hell won't relax standards to bring some of those branch kids up to State College.

[Ship69]

The branches used to be money makers to help build up State College and allow them to become as big as the other major flagships of the time outside the gonzo states like Florida, Arizona, and California, as well as add big time money makers like the law & medical schools. They've also been slowly working to transition a lot of the unique pieces to State College like the law school, the forestry school, etc. It also allowed thousands of people to claim a Penn State brand education, shout "We Are!", and put some Nittany Lion swag somewhere. The mothership loved this because it strengthened the brand perception. Now the branches are financial anchors just like they are for Pitt. They too know closing them is a PR disaster but its going to have to happen. They can only convince so many kids from the McMansion suburbs of the southeast and midwest to attend to make up for our region's demographic losses...and they sure as hell won't relax standards to bring some of those branch kids up to State College.

Gotta say after several years of watching local broadcast media trumpet the problems of the PASSHE system, it was nice to see the spotlight turned on Penn State for a change. Apparently there are aspects to running a university outside of football. Who knew?

[iupgroundhog]

The branches used to be money makers to help build up State College and allow them to become as big as the other major flagships of the time outside the gonzo states like Florida, Arizona, and California, as well as add big time money makers like the law & medical schools. They've also been slowly working to transition a lot of the unique pieces to State College like the law school, the forestry school, etc. It also allowed thousands of people to claim a Penn State brand education, shout "We Are!", and put some Nittany Lion swag somewhere. The mothership loved this because it strengthened the brand perception. Now the branches are financial anchors just like they are for Pitt. They too know closing them is a PR disaster but its going to have to happen. They can only convince so many kids from the McMansion suburbs of the southeast and midwest to attend to make up for our region's demographic losses...and they sure as hell won't relax standards to bring some of those branch kids up to State College.

I think it's true and worth noting that the PSU branches can be closed, while the PASSHE schools cannot technically be closed.

Also, and I'm just speculating, most of those (not all) PSU branches are located in more urbanized locations than the floundering PASSHE schools and their campuses are smaller with fewer residential buildings and I think the physical assets would be much easier to get rid of i.e. there would be local uses for those campuses. I don't really think closing some of them off would damage the brand.

[IUPNation]

The branches used to be money makers to help build up State College and allow them to become as big as the other major flagships of the time outside the gonzo states like Florida, Arizona, and California, as well as add big time money makers like the law & medical schools. They've also been slowly working to transition a lot of the unique pieces to State College like the law school, the forestry school, etc. It also allowed thousands of people to claim a Penn State brand education, shout "We Are!", and put some Nittany Lion swag somewhere. The mothership loved this because it strengthened the brand perception. Now the branches are financial anchors just like they are for Pitt. They too know closing them is a PR disaster but its going to have to happen. They can only convince so many kids from the McMansion suburbs of the southeast and midwest to attend to make up for our region's demographic losses...and they sure as hell won't relax standards to bring some of those branch kids up to State College.

I've never been past Penn State Abington (formely called Ogontz). I had to look it up on Google Maps and it's in the middle of leafy suburban back roads.

I have been past Brandywine...at least it's on a main road.

They both seem like a waste of time.

[Ship69]

I think it's true and worth noting that the PSU branches can be closed, while the PASSHE schools cannot technically be closed.

Also, and I'm just speculating, most of those (not all) PSU branches are located in more urbanized locations that the floundering PASSHE schools and their campuses are smaller with fewer residential buildings and I think the physical assets would be much easier to get rid of i.e. there would be local uses for those campuses. I don't really think closing some of them off would damage the brand.

Might not "damage the brand," but I think there's a limit to how many kids you can shoehorn into State College, not to mention there are still 25,000 attending those branch campuses. I could see Ship picking up at least a dozen more students a year if Mont Alto closes.

[IUPNation]

Might not "damage the brand," but I think there's a limit to how many kids you can shoehorn into State College, not to mention there are still 25,000 attending those branch campuses. I could see Ship picking up at least a dozen more students a year if Mont Alto closes.

If IUP could close branch campuses do can the Centre County Community College.

[iupgroundhog]

Might not "damage the brand," but I think there's a limit to how many kids you can shoehorn into State College, not to mention there are still 25,000 attending those branch campuses. I could see Ship picking up at least a dozen more students a year if Mont Alto closes.

A dozen, lol? They wouldn't be looking to close the bigger, more successful ones. Only the ones that aren't worth it. Frankly, in terms of "brand", nobody is even going to notice some of those closures. I think these severance deals could be the beginning of the end for some of them.

Of all the PASSHE schools this probably affects Ship the most. Seems like the presence of the Capitol Campus is sort of a zero sum game in that they do take directly from Ship.