PASSHE Institutions Merging

[Fightingscot82]

One of the things that will most benefit Ship is the new school of engineering, which got in under the wire before all the pandemic and merge-related stress. It'll be a reasonably priced degree compared to the ones at private engineering school, and the school's proximity to engineering-heavy companies such as JLG lifts, Manitowoc cranes, and Volvo/Mack Trucks offer opportunities for internships and outlets for graduates. Combined with a reputable business school, I think it will be a potent combination going forward. Newly hired President Patterson is a dynamic leader who can read the lay of the land. I feel as confident as I can be given the current climate.

Still think the mergers would have been a better example for his article as they are more of an illustration of what can happen as things reach critical mass, but that's open to debate.

I agree with you. Plus Patterson understands PASSHE. They loved him at Mansfield.

For the article, I think the message is more about how universities can adjust for the new set of challenges and used Ship as an example. Focusing on the mergers would be more about schools that aren't set up to adjust to the new challenges. I wonder what his connection is - I've never read much from him about PASSHE.

[Ship69]

Well, I think Ship is a better example of the challenges of similar schools without using a drastic example like the mergers. Rural location, evolving mission, diminishing core constituency, strategic pivoting on academic programs. I wish he had mentioned the % of students who are NCAA athletes at Ship to illustrate his point. But the author is a nationally-known writer on higher ed so he at least knows what he's talking about.

One of the things that will most benefit Ship is the new school of engineering, which got in under the wire before all the pandemic and merge-related stress. It'll be a reasonably priced degree compared to the ones at private engineering school, and the school's proximity to engineering-heavy companies such as JLG lifts, Manitowoc cranes, and Volvo/Mack Trucks offer opportunities for internships and outlets for graduates. Combined with a reputable business school, I think it will be a potent combination going forward. Newly hired President Patterson is a dynamic leader who can read the lay of the land. I feel as confident as I can be given the current climate.

Still think the mergers would have been a better example for his article as they are more of an illustration of what can happen as things reach critical mass, but that's open to debate.

[Fightingscot82]

Interesting that he chose Ship for the subject of the article instead of one of the mergers, which I think would have better made his point. I have reason to believe the bleeding is slowing at Ship. We'll see. Perhaps when our legislative worthies are done trying to impeach the Philadelphia district attorney they can turn their efforts toward education. Not holding my breath on that one.

Well, I think Ship is a better example of the challenges of similar schools without using a drastic example like the mergers. Rural location, evolving mission, diminishing core constituency, strategic pivoting on academic programs. I wish he had mentioned the % of students who are NCAA athletes at Ship to illustrate his point. But the author is a nationally-known writer on higher ed so he at least knows what he's talking about.

[Ship69]

This article uses Shippensburg as its example for public regional university struggles going forward, but an important portion about the role of athletics:



https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23...ducation-crash

Interesting that he chose Ship for the subject of the article instead of one of the mergers, which I think would have better made his point. I have reason to believe the bleeding is slowing at Ship. We'll see. Perhaps when our legislative worthies are done trying to impeach the Philadelphia district attorney they can turn their efforts toward education. Not holding my breath on that one.

[Fightingscot82]

This article uses Shippensburg as its example for public regional university struggles going forward, but an important portion about the role of athletics:

At colleges that survive, as most of them will, the biggest effect of the enrollment cliff will be on how students experience higher learning. Administrators will be hustling to give them new reasons to turn down that $22-an-hour warehouse job. Sports will play a growing role. The biggest athletic schools in America, measured by the percentage of undergraduates who participate in a varsity sport, aren’t the Division I behemoths you watch play football on Saturday afternoons. They’re the Division II, Division III, and NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) schools that are most vulnerable to an enrollment shock. If you loved playing field hockey in high school, the chance to play for the national champions is a powerful draw.

https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23...ducation-crash

[Fightingscot82]

Can you explain what you mean?

Unfortunately more layoffs coming at all three schools. Maybe some elsewhere but more strategic. This was shared with me by someone in APSCUF leadership.

[iupgroundhog]

Integrations and IUP headed for a collision with the retrenchment iceberg.

Can you explain what you mean?

[Fightingscot82]

Looks like Walk On U is slipping too.

Integrations and IUP headed for a collision with the retrenchment iceberg.

[IUPNation]

Final fall enrollment ("headcount") released from PASSHE:

University	Fall 2013	Fall 2014	Fall 2015	Fall 2016	Fall 2017	Fall 2018	Fall 2019	Fall 2020	Fall 2021	Fall 2022
Cheyney	1,212	1,022	711	746	755	469	618	627	642	706
Commonwealth	18,357	17,667	16,760	16,074	15,011	13,986	13,514	13,391	12,468	12,093
Bloomsburg	10,127	9,998	9,777	9,658	9,287	8,924	8,689	8,436	7,745	0
Lock Haven	5,260	4,917	4,607	4,220	3,827	3,425	3,162	3,163	2,920	0
Mansfield	2,970	2,752	2,376	2,196	1,897	1,637	1,663	1,792	1,803	0
East Stroudsburg	6,778	6,820	6,828	6,830	6,742	6,425	6,214	5,842	5,136	5,152
Indiana	14,925	14,571	14,035	13,114	12,562	11,581	10,636	10,067	9,308	8,832
Kutztown	9,513	9,218	9,000	8,513	8,329	8,309	8,199	7,892	7,675	7,469
Millersville	8,279	8,047	7,988	7,927	7,748	7,781	7,817	7,495	7,213	6,821
PennWest	21,421	20,527	19,772	18,958	18,588	17,015	16,191	15,669	14,477	12,780
California	8,243	7,978	7,854	7,553	7,788	7,312	6,842	6,885	6,512	0
Clarion	6,080	5,712	5,368	5,224	5,225	4,869	4,703	4,465	3,922	0
Edinboro	7,098	6,837	6,550	6,181	5,575	4,834	4,646	4,319	4,043	0
Shippensburg	7,548	7,355	7,058	6,989	6,581	6,408	6,096	6,130	5,668	5,164
Slippery Rock	8,347	8,495	8,628	8,881	8,895	8,824	8,806	8,876	8,424	8,243
West Chester	15,845	16,086	16,606	17,006	17,336	17,552	17,691	17,719	17,640	17,296
System Total	112,225	109,808	107,386	105,038	102,547	98,350	95,782	93,708	88,651	84,556

No matter what they try to tell the media or alumni, the two integrated universities will no longer be reporting as individual campuses.

Looks like Walk On U is slipping too.

[Fightingscot82]

Final fall enrollment ("headcount") released from PASSHE:

University	Fall 2013	Fall 2014	Fall 2015	Fall 2016	Fall 2017	Fall 2018	Fall 2019	Fall 2020	Fall 2021	Fall 2022
Cheyney	1,212	1,022	711	746	755	469	618	627	642	706
Commonwealth	18,357	17,667	16,760	16,074	15,011	13,986	13,514	13,391	12,468	12,093
Bloomsburg	10,127	9,998	9,777	9,658	9,287	8,924	8,689	8,436	7,745	0
Lock Haven	5,260	4,917	4,607	4,220	3,827	3,425	3,162	3,163	2,920	0
Mansfield	2,970	2,752	2,376	2,196	1,897	1,637	1,663	1,792	1,803	0
East Stroudsburg	6,778	6,820	6,828	6,830	6,742	6,425	6,214	5,842	5,136	5,152
Indiana	14,925	14,571	14,035	13,114	12,562	11,581	10,636	10,067	9,308	8,832
Kutztown	9,513	9,218	9,000	8,513	8,329	8,309	8,199	7,892	7,675	7,469
Millersville	8,279	8,047	7,988	7,927	7,748	7,781	7,817	7,495	7,213	6,821
PennWest	21,421	20,527	19,772	18,958	18,588	17,015	16,191	15,669	14,477	12,780
California	8,243	7,978	7,854	7,553	7,788	7,312	6,842	6,885	6,512	0
Clarion	6,080	5,712	5,368	5,224	5,225	4,869	4,703	4,465	3,922	0
Edinboro	7,098	6,837	6,550	6,181	5,575	4,834	4,646	4,319	4,043	0
Shippensburg	7,548	7,355	7,058	6,989	6,581	6,408	6,096	6,130	5,668	5,164
Slippery Rock	8,347	8,495	8,628	8,881	8,895	8,824	8,806	8,876	8,424	8,243
West Chester	15,845	16,086	16,606	17,006	17,336	17,552	17,691	17,719	17,640	17,296
System Total	112,225	109,808	107,386	105,038	102,547	98,350	95,782	93,708	88,651	84,556

No matter what they try to tell the media or alumni, the two integrated universities will no longer be reporting as individual campuses.

[Fightingscot82]

The State With Too Many Campuses

https://www.chronicle.com/article/th...id=gen_sign_in

[IUPNation]

The State System is safe for another 4 years.

[Fightingscot82]

In the hypothetical where Cheyney is on stable enough footing to support an athletics department, I do think the CIAA fits best as a home for them. The appeal of being in an HBCU conference is real when it comes to fan support, and I especially think that being in the same conference as Lincoln would be appealing.

Bluefield State has expressed interest in joining the CIAA as well, so they could be a potential joining partner if the CIAA wants to keep an even number. I've also suspected that Coppin St, Delaware St, and/or UMES might be destined for D2 eventually, though so far they have been adamant about staying in D1. Either way, I think there will be chances for Cheyney to join the CIAA down the line.

I agree that the CIAA is probably the ideal conference for them. That guarantees a lot of play vs Lincoln (their true rival) and I imagine the travel is just as expensive as the PSAC. Adding Bluefield (and therefore maybe also WV State) could open up some recruiting opportunities for Cheyney on the other side of the state. Cheyney has no name recognition over here other than those of us with above average familiarity with PASSHE.

I imagine Coppin State could stay D1 - they don't have football so that basketball money probably helps a bit. But they're a similarly missioned HBCU (open admission). Delaware State could have long term trouble.

[EastStroud13]

In the hypothetical where Cheyney is on stable enough footing to support an athletics department, I do think the CIAA fits best as a home for them. The appeal of being in an HBCU conference is real when it comes to fan support, and I especially think that being in the same conference as Lincoln would be appealing.

Bluefield State has expressed interest in joining the CIAA as well, so they could be a potential joining partner if the CIAA wants to keep an even number. I've also suspected that Coppin St, Delaware St, and/or UMES might be destined for D2 eventually, though so far they have been adamant about staying in D1. Either way, I think there will be chances for Cheyney to join the CIAA down the line.

[iupgroundhog]

It depends. Like iupgroundhog just said, I don't think athletics fits into the vision Aaron Walton has for Cheyney. If I were running Cheyney, I would want to bring back athletics. I personally would want them back to NCAA D2 athletics because any athletic money is beneficial to the population they're focused on and athletic scholarships in PASSHE cost the university very little - just some costs to solicit or sponsor events. Ideally, the PSAC would be nice but if the CIAA would have them they would be a better fit since the CIAA is an all-HBCU conference.

I'd argue with Walton that you can have both NCAA athletics and an applied programs model that leans on corporate partnerships. They're not HBCUs or as small as Cheney, but there are many examples of applied focus universities sponsoring athletics: Robert Morris, NJIT, Stevens, etc. U Sciences and for a bit Philadelphia U. If anything, the corporate partnerships model can extend to include naming gifts for Cheyney athletic facilities. I'd have to think that given the location, Cheyney could make a killing on summer camps with upgraded facilities.

Cheyney is in a mode right now where they want to be able to say they are living up to expectations. This after decades of not living up to expectations.

I think they are on a good track right now and should stay the course. They don't want to be branching out into the things that everybody else does.