PASSHE Institutions Merging

[iupgroundhog]

Like him or not, but much better oversight & advocacy for PASSHE correlates with the current chancellor.

That's true. We can sit here and criticize his approach to individual schools, etc. but in dealing externally (i.e. government) he is a force. It's always an uphill battle, though.

[Predatory Primates]

Their football team gets year-round coverage from our area Harrisburg TV stations. My alma mater, located much closer to Harrisburg than Penn State, can't even get on the air or in the declining newspapers in our area. I acknowledge they're the big football story in the state, but it would be nice if our media realize they aren't the only football (and other sports) story.

Yeah. I hear you. It's a problem all over. I think it's the worst in states where the D1 teams are the biggest thing going. (AR, OK, AL)

[iupgroundhog]

I can't speak to that.

I think there's a lesson to be learned here. If you can't speak to that, you probably shouldn't. Not on the PSAC D2 board, anyway.

[Ship69]

But, who would pay for their lake house?

Their football team gets year-round coverage from our area Harrisburg TV stations. My alma mater, located much closer to Harrisburg than Penn State, can't even get on the air or in the declining newspapers in our area. I acknowledge they're the big football story in the state, but it would be nice if our media realize they aren't the only football (and other sports) story.

[Ship69]

Oh they do. They just don't understand it. Or only give a fig about the ones that can give them comp football tickets.

I do think this latest budget fight has knocked Pitt & Penn State down a bit in the eyes of the average PA legislators. They're finally realizing Pitt & Penn State get hundreds of millions annually with almost no accountability. Very little financial reporting to the public beyond what the average private school must report to the IRS. Then they go and raise tuition after getting a 7% increase. Penn State not making friends saying they have a $140 million budget shortfall but are building that $700 million stadium reno.

Like him or not, but much better oversight & advocacy for PASSHE correlates with the current chancellor.

My local state rep, a decent guy, is an ultra conservative whom I don't agree with much, but he's become very aware of this issue and told me he's inclined to support schools the state actually owns. I think more people are swinging over to this point of view.

As a former journalist, it pissed me off to see that Penn State planned to completely cut off financial support next year for The Daily Collegian, the student newspaper that has been around since 1887. An average of 160 students work for the newspaper and it costs the $160,000, probably about the price of a single full professor, if that.

Before I was aware of Penn State's weird "state-related" status, I always wondered why they were the only B1G school along with Northwestern (a private school) not to report their coaches' salaries.

[Predatory Primates]

Or the state can stop supporting schools they don’t own who have billion dollar plus endowments and big payouts from athletic conference revenue sharing…

But, who would pay for their lake house?

[IUPNation]

I can't speak to that. I don't know if the info I received included the private schools. Do ANY of those 3 schools receive state funding? The PSAC is not the PASSHE...

We are talking about Penn State and Pitt who get millions from the state and they are not owned by the state. They also get millions from their athletic conferences. Why does Penn State need 400 million a year from Harrisburg when they are about to spend 700 million on Beaver Stadium renovations?

Wouldn't you love at least a 7 million upgrade to The Denny courtesy of Harrisburg? You'd be lucky to get 7 dollars.

It's absurd that these two schools eat up so much public funding when they are NOT STATE OWNED PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES.

IUP and East Dennyburg should both be getting far more funding so they can lower tuition because that is what should be done at STATE OWNED PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES. They should be chaep and affordable so they are accessible to all of the people of Pennsylvania. Students at our schools should not have to take out outrageous loans that take years to pay back to attend a STATE OWNED PUBLIC UNIVERISTY.

You really should be mad at how Penn State and Pitt get money they doesn't deserve. Our schools are being short changed because of them.

Enough is enough...they have revenue sources that state system schools will never have.....

As for Seton Hill, LIT AF and The Lake Show...they are private Catholic Schools. They are own their own...like Penn State and Pitt should be...

[WarriorVoice]

Or the state can stop supporting schools they don’t own who have billion dollar plus endowments and big payouts from athletic conference revenue sharing…

I can't speak to that. I don't know if the info I received included the private schools. Do ANY of those 3 schools receive state funding? The PSAC is not the PASSHE...

[Fightingscot82]

It might help if the state gave a fig about public higher education.

Oh they do. They just don't understand it. Or only give a fig about the ones that can give them comp football tickets.

I do think this latest budget fight has knocked Pitt & Penn State down a bit in the eyes of the average PA legislators. They're finally realizing Pitt & Penn State get hundreds of millions annually with almost no accountability. Very little financial reporting to the public beyond what the average private school must report to the IRS. Then they go and raise tuition after getting a 7% increase. Penn State not making friends saying they have a $140 million budget shortfall but are building that $700 million stadium reno.

Like him or not, but much better oversight & advocacy for PASSHE correlates with the current chancellor.

[Ship69]

Right now, West Chester, Slippery Rock and ESU are the only schools who are financially meeting their obligations to the collective pot that runs the system. All of these others are lagging. Not a rosy picture of the future...

It might help if the state gave a fig about public higher education.

[IUPNation]

Right now, West Chester, Slippery Rock and ESU are the only schools who are financially meeting their obligations to the collective pot that runs the system. All of these others are lagging. Not a rosy picture of the future...

Or the state can stop supporting schools they don’t own who have billion dollar plus endowments and big payouts from athletic conference revenue sharing…

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Right now, West Chester, Slippery Rock and ESU are the only schools who are financially meeting their obligations to the collective pot that runs the system. All of these others are lagging. Not a rosy picture of the future...

It's only going to get worse. Too much dead weight.closing 4-5 schools would probably drastically help those left standing.

[WarriorVoice]

"Power rankings" of PASSHE campuses:(My opinions in bold)

1. West Chester - Enrollment down but still steady. Emptying their cash reserves so it doesn't keep getting stolen to cover losses elsewhere.(enrollment growth probably maxed out and will trend slowly downward - agree about the reserves)
2. Slippery Rock - Enrollment up 1.5%. Housing over capacity. Third-most cash reserves. Major renovation to Morrow Fieldhouse coming in 2025 that will be big.(it's still Slippery Rock to me)
3. Millersville - Enrollment up big for some reason. Largest increase in the system.( Ville has followed their quality model for many years, resulting in a higher power ranking)
4. Kutztown - Basically holding steady in a good way.(Geographically well situated)
5. Bloomsburg - would be #4 if not pulled down by having to manage two other campuses.(I doubt it. Bloom lost identity but they were going down and I think in the long run the merger helps Bloom)
6. Shippensburg - Enrollment slightly up. Holding steady but a big divide between Ship and the rest below.(interestingly, the area has grown recently and they have their engineering programs)
7. East Stroudsburg - Tons of town/gown challenges with student behavior. (Not important - I guess there isn't much else to say about ESU)
8. California - Penn West is dragging them down, otherwise they'd be higher. Similar challenge to IUP - a lot of folks assume things are great like its 2009.( I don't think PennWest is dragging them down any more than they were already being dragged down)
9. Lock Haven - Scuffling but the Commonwealth merger is helping. Town is taking hits too. Wrestling returning to supremacy.(LHU was positioned to do better pre-merger. What hits to the town are you talking about? I agree with the wrestling. LHU looking towards a 3rd straight MAC title and maybe a top 15 NCAA finish)
10. Mansfield - Would be #11 if not for the Commonwealth merger keeping them propped up. (What? Mansfield would be dead last no matter how you slice it. Mounties are propped up with or without the merger)
11. IUP - Enrollment just keeps dropping and the layoffs keep coming. 4 student-facing people let go this week. Most alumni have no clue what's going on. (We are hoping. There is the new science building and the foundations for the medical school. Plus, it is IUP. I think alumni know what is going on)
12. Cheyney - With West Chester carrying much of the back end management, they're financially sound. If they brought back athletics they'd be golden. (Cheyney finally came up with a viable model to move forward. In the future, athletics could increase their visibility. But it's academics first)
13. Edinboro - Somehow ended up the loser of the Penn West merger. Enrollment and athletics in freefall. Campus is a ghost town. At least the town is doing alright. (I truly am sorry for Boro but they were lost before the merger. There were no good options)
14. Clarion - You know how when you're emptying a tub the water starts moving faster around the drain right before its done? That's Clarion. (While endangered, I don't think Clarion is as endangered as Edinboro. I think CU has a geographic advantage and an advantage with key programs that Edinboro doesn't have. Still, it's obviously a dire situation)

Right now, West Chester, Slippery Rock and ESU are the only schools who are financially meeting their obligations to the collective pot that runs the system. All of these others are lagging. Not a rosy picture of the future...

[Fightingscot82]

Public universities in Pa. certainly have trouble selling themselves because their tuitions tend to be higher than publics in other states. PASSHE is aiming to hold tuitions for a fifth straight year, but they won't be able to do it forever without some additional help from the state.

They already did freeze tuition. The state budget negotiations have already included an increase to cover planned and expected cost increases this year.

[Ship69]

Greenstein is quoted in an article in the Chronicle of Higher Ed about "public regional universities" like PASSHE being unable to sell themselves, even the price value. For years they only had to process applications and enough people just showed up.

Public universities in Pa. certainly have trouble selling themselves because their tuitions tend to be higher than publics in other states. PASSHE is aiming to hold tuitions for a fifth straight year, but they won't be able to do it forever without some additional help from the state.