PASSHE Institutions Merging

[Bart]

Something a lot of people learned from this is that the money really sits with PASSHE. So reserves are held collectively with PASSHE. Right now those total roughly $700 million. Based on what I've seen before, at least $300 million of that is West Chester. None of it is Cheney's. I've been told Cal and/or Clarion are near zero as well.

As was said PASSHE should be considered as having a single bank account, which is probably why WCU wanted to separate itself from the system. Now their $300 million dollar reserve will have to be shared with the others. As was said 'We need to restore accounts that we have drawn down.' Take from the rich and give to the poor. Or as Karl Marx said from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

[boatcapt]

I don't get the big shock over faculty being cut. It's a failing business right now. That's what happens. If things turn around they can hire the next batch. That's the breaks (and what happens in every other profession in the known world).

It sucks for those involved but they (system) have to dig out of this mess. Drastic change requires drastic measures.

When your enrollment is free falling out of the sky ... time to sink or swim.

You are 100% correct. Drastic times require drastic measures.

It's hard to do but the correct move would have been to "right size" the faculty as enrollment declined over the last 10 years. If a school had done that, they would probably be in much better position now. I would say that the PASSHE schools are not unique in ignoring the obvious and taking no real action as their ship takes on water year after year.

The schools may yet be saved but it will take drastic and painful action. Some of the schools will be up to the challenge...but some probably will not.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Iup has claimed that in 5 yrs it would meet the students/ faculty ratio passhe wants through retirement, but passhe wants it done in 2. The question is will they have to rehire in 2 to 3 years- national faculty searches are expensive. The other issue is that faculty do more than teach, things like fund raising Grant writing, recruiting and so losing faculty reduces these value added things. It weakens the universities significantly. Of course there is always the resentment as culpable groups like admissions or the president is unscathed

No doubt it's not a positive thing in many regards. But, it needs done. Strip it down and rebuild, slowly, if the need arises.

How can IUP get an extra 1,800 students or Clarion another 500? How can they retain better?

We've pointed out most of the problems pertaining to declining enrollment -- Pitt/PSU branches, large schools (WVU) with lower standards, shrinking polulation but still having the same number of schools, shaky reputaions, etc.

How do they bounce back?

"Financially unstable" IUP is building a new $90 million math building. Doesn't seem like the start we needed.

I thought Prez Dris had some interesting comments in that article.

[IUPNation]

There were times when you could be executed for stealing a horse...I think we need a constitutional amendment protecting horse thiefs because there was a time when we executed them.
Worth noting, a "breeder" can be fired for having too many children. It even has its own discrimination title - Family Responsibility Discrimination or FRD. Guess they need their own constitutional amendment protecting them also.

More nonsense from the entitled conservative elite...

[IUPNation]

Nope. Never said they were...unlike those that still describe the NYT and WAPO as fair.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

To be fair, both sides are full of sh!t

[IUPNation]

As was said PASSHE should be considered as having a single bank account, which is probably why WCU wanted to separate itself from the system. Now their $300 million dollar reserve will have to be shared with the others. As was said 'We need to restore accounts that we have drawn down.' Take from the rich and give to the poor. Or as Karl Marx said from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

I wonder how much IUP propped up the rest of the system years ago before the system declared war on IUP and dragged us down.

[IUPNation]

To be fair, both sides are full of sh!t

Yes but the conservative media is far worse.

[Bart]

I wonder how much IUP propped up the rest of the system years ago before the system declared war on IUP and dragged us down.

That proves there is no such thing as karma.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I wonder how much IUP propped up the rest of the system years ago before the system declared war on IUP and dragged us down.

Tremendously

[ironmaniup]

No doubt it's not a positive thing in many regards. But, it needs done. Strip it down and rebuild, slowly, if the need arises.

How can IUP get an extra 1,800 students or Clarion another 500? How can they retain better?

We've pointed out most of the problems pertaining to declining enrollment -- Pitt/PSU branches, large schools (WVU) with lower standards, shrinking polulation but still having the same number of schools, shaky reputaions, etc.

How do they bounce back?

"Financially unstable" IUP is building a new $90 million math building. Doesn't seem like the start we needed.

I thought Prez Dris had some interesting comments in that article.

But Slippery Rock is doing great in the same environment, IUP should/could have many of those students

The money for the science building comes from a separate source and was allocated 10 years ago. Plus 10+ million in donations. Weyandt/Walsh were years beyond their expected lifetime already, and crap academic buildings probably have something to do with more students going to slippery rock

[WarriorVoice]

Hahahahaha! High up in my ivory tower...that's funny! Whatever floor of the ivory tower I occupy, I have gotten there by hard work and inspite of race and sex based discrimination I have had to endure. I can count four jobs that I know of that I did not get hired for because of my skin color or sex...those are the ones I've known about. In one case I actually went to EEO and tried to file race based discrimination charges...The EEO specialist said that I clearly was discriminated against based on my race BUUUUTTTT that since I was not one of the "protected classes," I was forbidden from filing any EEO complaints. In her words, it is OK to discriminate based on race and sex as long as the person is white and male. I've walked into bars in NY, Miami, Philadelphia, etc and been told that they don't serve "my kind" and that I should leave before things "got ugly." I remember applying for a particular scholarship at the Univ of MD and being told when they returned my application that the scholarship was not for me because I was the "wrong color." As I progressed in my career, I moved into a number of management and leadership positions that included "hiring authority." Over the years, I would say that I have interviewed and selected over 200 individuals for positions. In at least 75% of the jobs, I received two selection lists from HR...a "diversity list" and a "best qualified" list. If I hired off the diversity list, no questions were asked about my selection process and no justification needed to be provided. If I selected off the best qualified list, I had to spend about a week (on average) justifying my selection, having my selection process reviewed and questioned and endure a "diversity review" of my work unit. On at least four separate occasions, my boss at the time specifically instructed me to select ONLY from the diversity list.

You've had it so hard...Maybe your experience has shown you that other people have had it way worse that you? Maybe?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

But Slippery Rock is doing great in the same environment, IUP should/could have many of those students

The money for the science building comes from a separate source and was allocated 10 years ago. Plus 10+ million in donations. Weyandt/Walsh were years beyond their expected lifetime already, and crap academic buildings probably have something to do with more students going to slippery rock

SRU isn't on the news in a negative light every other week, either. IUP has had a lot of violent, well-publicised crimes over the past several years. That adds up.

Now, I'm not saying crime doesn't happen everywhere, but IUP sure gets a lot of bad press from it everytime.

SRU is doing well. It added majors young kids actually want. Their Dukes of Hazard police force keeps things hush-hush.

IUP has an image problem in Western PA. IUP people don't like to admit it but most non-IUP peoole think this is a frat-run, 24-hour party. That image was appealing in the late 80s and 90s. It isn't any longer.

IUP also has a tremendously fast growing reputation of being in a racist town. Only half of African American students who come as freshmen return as sophomores. The Penn ran a very eye-opening article on this very topic. Comments on this topic among students in the Twitter world are rampant - and alarming. Two former (prominent) IUP football players discussed the topic -- including the very well-spoken and intelligent Walt Pegues.

I don't overly buy the old buildings theory. That campus is near pristine right now. When IUP thrived in the 80s and 90s the campus was full of run-down buildings and crappy dorms.

It's an image thing more than anything else. A re-branding and a fresh, massive marketing campaign would go a long way. Recruiting needs a huge overhaul.

The school should be easy to sell -- especially compared to other PASSHE schools. Yet, ... it's not right now.

[WarriorVoice]

Hahahahaha! High up in my ivory tower...that's funny! Whatever floor of the ivory tower I occupy, I have gotten there by hard work and inspite of race and sex based discrimination I have had to endure. I can count four jobs that I know of that I did not get hired for because of my skin color or sex...those are the ones I've known about. In one case I actually went to EEO and tried to file race based discrimination charges...The EEO specialist said that I clearly was discriminated against based on my race BUUUUTTTT that since I was not one of the "protected classes," I was forbidden from filing any EEO complaints. In her words, it is OK to discriminate based on race and sex as long as the person is white and male. I've walked into bars in NY, Miami, Philadelphia, etc and been told that they don't serve "my kind" and that I should leave before things "got ugly." I remember applying for a particular scholarship at the Univ of MD and being told when they returned my application that the scholarship was not for me because I was the "wrong color." As I progressed in my career, I moved into a number of management and leadership positions that included "hiring authority." Over the years, I would say that I have interviewed and selected over 200 individuals for positions. In at least 75% of the jobs, I received two selection lists from HR...a "diversity list" and a "best qualified" list. If I hired off the diversity list, no questions were asked about my selection process and no justification needed to be provided. If I selected off the best qualified list, I had to spend about a week (on average) justifying my selection, having my selection process reviewed and questioned and endure a "diversity review" of my work unit. On at least four separate occasions, my boss at the time specifically instructed me to select ONLY from the diversity list.

I doubt you would trade places with any of the people you refer to, so your life can't be all downtrodden as you might have us believe...

[boatcapt]

You've had it so hard...Maybe your experience has shown you that other people have had it way worse that you? Maybe?

My point which you seem to have conveniently avoided was that racism exists on ALL sides.

The narrative coming from your side is that white males CAN'T ever be discriminated against and that other races can never discriminate against them. And worse, ANY white who has the audacity to claim that they were discriminated against is a racist. NONE of those accusation is true but large swaths of the left repeat them as if they were some sort of religious chant. Guess they believe that if they repeat it long enough and loud enough, that will make it true.

Bottom-line, racism and sexism and discrimination based on them is wrong no matter the color of the perpitrator or the victim. And no mater what the reason, an institution that makes hiring, firing, promotion (etc.) decisions based on skin color or sex is guilty of institutional discrimination.