PASSHE Institutions Merging

[IUPNation]

The Memorial Field House would cost a fortune to renovate.

It's in bad shape. Aesthetically, it's a major eyesore. It desperately needs new windows, flooring, etc. The restrooms are antiques. It doesn't have central air.

To make it even somewhat modern on the inside, you're talking almost a total gut job. Millions and millions.

It's just old. It's the same today as it was in 1990. Hell, 1980.

That's a huge building, too. It's much larger than most realize.

It is used more than most think. Other than the hoops coaches, all the athletic offices are in MFH.

Joe has a presidential sweet at the KCAC. The non-football coaches have glorified broom closets at MFH.

They don't play intramurals there any longer. Joe practices there a lot (for some odd reason). The pool is adequate.

The racquetball courts are long dormant and converted to other uses.

It's a relic now but I personally still like it. That was the gym of my era. Lots of memories. That was a nasty venue for visiting basketball teams in the 90s and early 00s.

There's even a secret passage inside.

For you nostalgia types, Joe is playing his first two games this season at the MFH. He got bumped out of his cathedral for a state cheerleading competition. LOL ... can't make this ****!t up. I will enjoy it. Memory Lane. Most, however, will not.

The point is…Harrisburg forced IUP to fund raise the KCAC before they’d give their pittance donation. Didn’t IUP pay it off themselves?

Yet the Angelo Dome was gifted to the Mon Vslley…Clarion..a school that can barely make a case for its continued existence had their field houses gutted and renovated. Now we have more consolidated schools getting facilities renovated.

I want to know why IUP never gets this gravy train? Why was IUP forced to pony up for the KCAC that has proven beneficial to its community but the state pays to build or renovate white elephants?

Make it make sense…

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Gotta love IUP had to raise money for the KCAC. Everyone else gets a new arena paid for by Harrisburg like Mon Valley or renovated field houses like everyone else…but IUP gets 💩.

I guess our Field House isn’t worth renovating?

The Memorial Field House would cost a fortune to renovate.

It's in bad shape. Aesthetically, it's a major eyesore. It desperately needs new windows, flooring, etc. The restrooms are antiques. It doesn't have central air.

To make it even somewhat modern on the inside, you're talking almost a total gut job. Millions and millions.

It's just old. It's the same today as it was in 1990. Hell, 1980.

That's a huge building, too. It's much larger than most realize.

It is used more than most think. Other than the hoops coaches, all the athletic offices are in MFH.

Joe has a presidential sweet at the KCAC. The non-football coaches have glorified broom closets at MFH.

They don't play intramurals there any longer. Joe practices there a lot (for some odd reason). The pool is adequate.

The racquetball courts are long dormant and converted to other uses.

It's a relic now but I personally still like it. That was the gym of my era. Lots of memories. That was a nasty venue for visiting basketball teams in the 90s and early 00s.

There's even a secret passage inside.

For you nostalgia types, Joe is playing his first two games this season at the MFH. He got bumped out of his cathedral for a state cheerleading competition. LOL ... can't make this ****!t up. I will enjoy it. Memory Lane. Most, however, will not.

[iupgroundhog]

Gotta love IUP had to raise money for the KCAC. Everyone else gets a new arena paid for by Harrisburg like Mon Valley or renovated field houses like everyone else…but IUP gets 💩.

I guess our Field House isn’t worth renovating?

My sentiments exactly.

[IUPNation]

PASSHE Board of Governors met at Slippery Rock today. Some highlights from their meeting:

- Lots of money dedicated to demolition of unnecessary buildings on campuses. None specifically mentioned, but in some cases, construction work funds were diverted to demo work.
- Three projects renovating fieldhouses: $1.5M for Kutztown, $41.8M for Slippery Rock, and $45M for Edinboro

Everything else was budget approvals, budget & state appropriation forecasting, and formalities with academic program changes (mostly from F2F to online).

Gotta love IUP had to raise money for the KCAC. Everyone else gets a new arena paid for by Harrisburg like Mon Valley or renovated field houses like everyone else…but IUP gets 💩.

I guess our Field House isn’t worth renovating?

[Fightingscot82]

PASSHE Board of Governors met at Slippery Rock today. Some highlights from their meeting:

- Lots of money dedicated to demolition of unnecessary buildings on campuses. None specifically mentioned, but in some cases, construction work funds were diverted to demo work.
- Three projects renovating fieldhouses: $1.5M for Kutztown, $41.8M for Slippery Rock, and $45M for Edinboro

Everything else was budget approvals, budget & state appropriation forecasting, and formalities with academic program changes (mostly from F2F to online).

[Horror Child]

All I'm saying is that we're not alone when things get beyond repair. Look at Cheyney. Every small school that's closed has tried unsuccessfully for a state bailout. It's a lot easier to get emergency state support when you're an extension of the state government.

Hopefully the new PASSHE chancellor can fix this. The "integrations"/"partnerships"/"collaborations" certainly haven't addressed the issue.

[IUPNation]

Ah yes, the money tree with unending harvest.

What part of public education don’t you understand?

[Fightingscot82]

Ah yes, the money tree with unending harvest.

All I'm saying is that we're not alone when things get beyond repair. Look at Cheyney. Every small school that's closed has tried unsuccessfully for a state bailout. It's a lot easier to get emergency state support when you're an extension of the state government.

[Horror Child]

Yes. We have the backing of the state. The smaller, private independent schools who rely on tuition for nearly all revenue and coupon codes for financial aid are going to run out of gas. The elites will just nudge their acceptances to balance things pulling upward. Same for flagships and national/semi-national schools. This all hurts us but we've got the backing of the state. We'll be amongst the last standing in theory. That doesn't mean a campus or two will close, but until the system is insolvent, no major changes are coming.

Ah yes, the money tree with unending harvest.

[Bart]

Commonwealth: down 2.5%

Closer look at enrollment of 11,103 which has been steadily downward since merger in 2022.
Lock Haven lost 178 students since last year a 6.6% drop to 2,524
Mansfield has 97 fewer students at 1098 an 8% drop
Bloom remained stable at 7,207 students an increase of 1 student.

It's not going to get better.

[Fightingscot82]

Do you think the biggest losers going forward will be all these small private schools who can no longer discount their way to more students?

It seems like public universities are in a better position to ride out this demographic slow down and right size themselves.

Yes. We have the backing of the state. The smaller, private independent schools who rely on tuition for nearly all revenue and coupon codes for financial aid are going to run out of gas. The elites will just nudge their acceptances to balance things pulling upward. Same for flagships and national/semi-national schools. This all hurts us but we've got the backing of the state. We'll be amongst the last standing in theory. That doesn't mean a campus or two will close, but until the system is insolvent, no major changes are coming.

[IUPNation]

All they have to do is tell more kids they can attend the Oakland campus and they've balanced their budget. Same with Penn State and any other truly upper tier national university or flagship. Just like football recruiting, we're all fighting for the same regulars.

Do you think the biggest losers going forward will be all these small private schools who can no longer discount their way to more students?

It seems like public universities are in a better position to ride out this demographic slow down and right size themselves.

[Fightingscot82]

Pitt reported a jump of 1,300-plus students in Oakland this fall, according to data shared by the university on Wednesday. The current freshman class is the largest in school history, leading to the 4% enrollment growth from fall 2024.

All they have to do is tell more kids they can attend the Oakland campus and they've balanced their budget. Same with Penn State and any other truly upper tier national university or flagship. Just like football recruiting, we're all fighting for the same regulars.

[GregD]

Really promising news overall: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/ed...s/202510070064

Cheyney: up 38% (but still just 851 students)
East Stroudsburg: up 4.4%
Indiana: up 1.5%
Millersville: up 1.3%
Shippensburg: up 2.6%
Slippery Rock: up 2.75%
West Chester: up 1.2%

Commonwealth: down 2.5%
Kutztown: down 1.3%
Penn West: down 2.6%

Pitt reported a jump of 1,300-plus students in Oakland this fall, according to data shared by the university on Wednesday. The current freshman class is the largest in school history, leading to the 4% enrollment growth from fall 2024.

[Fightingscot82]

Really promising news overall: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/ed...s/202510070064

Cheyney: up 38% (but still just 851 students)
East Stroudsburg: up 4.4%
Indiana: up 1.5%
Millersville: up 1.3%
Shippensburg: up 2.6%
Slippery Rock: up 2.75%
West Chester: up 1.2%

Commonwealth: down 2.5%
Kutztown: down 1.3%
Penn West: down 2.6%