PASSHE Institutions Merging

[Fightingscot82]

Underscores how difficult the recruiting landscape is for high school kids - private schools now average more than a 50% discount on that sticker price: https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvan...ches-new-high/

If anyone's kid is looking at a private school, just know that they lie about how much it costs to attend, and they charge tuition like a car dealership sells cars. Everyone thinks they're getting a deal but really nobody does. "Scholarships" are automatic if you hit certain benchmarks - but even then they can afford to slice $15k off for rather average qualifications like a 1000 SAT and 3.0 GPA. That gets you jack squat at the schools who must award real dollars for scholarships.

[Fightingscot82]

Years ago PSU-Altoona was on the verge of adding football. A notorious name from the past was said to spearhead it.

The Harrisburg and Altoona campuses could both actually grow (and certainly elevate to D2 if they'd ever wanted to ... similar to Pitt-Johnstown). Unlike most of the branches, they actually 'somewhat' feel like college campuses.

An IUP assistant in men's basketball just left this week for the HC job at PSU-Behrend.

Behrend 100% feels like its own college campus if you overlook the Penn State branding. Its probably no more than 30% of students attend there in the old 2+2 model. They have housing for 2,000 students, are building a new rec center, and operate an office park on university land that requires cooperation with student internships and employment. It still sits in the middle of nowhere, even though there are now 2 gas stations and the Erie Brewing location (with Johns Wildwood from Edinboro doing food).

[Ship69]

Years ago PSU-Altoona was on the verge of adding football. A notorious name from the past was said to spearhead it.

The Harrisburg and Altoona campuses could both actually grow (and certainly elevate to D2 if they'd ever wanted to ... similar to Pitt-Johnstown). Unlike most of the branches, they actually 'somewhat' feel like college campuses.

An IUP assistant in men's basketball just left this week for the HC job at PSU-Behrend.

One of my grandsons got an engineering degree from Penn State Harrisburg, unfortunately before Ship had its engineering school up and running. At least he's working on his MBA at Ship.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Meanwhile Penn State Harrisburg announced not long ago that it is greatly expanding its sports program, adding more than a dozen sports for a full range. "Branch" campus indeed.

Years ago PSU-Altoona was on the verge of adding football. A notorious name from the past was said to spearhead it.

The Harrisburg and Altoona campuses could both actually grow (and certainly elevate to D2 if they'd ever wanted to ... similar to Pitt-Johnstown). Unlike most of the branches, they actually 'somewhat' feel like college campuses.

An IUP assistant in men's basketball just left this week for the HC job at PSU-Behrend.

[Fightingscot82]

Nor, for that matter, to offer athletic scholarships (ie. they're staying in D3 or USCAA unless State College says otherwise).

Yes. The directive from the UP mothership is either D3 sports or you join the Penn State operated junior college conference. They literally run an athletic conference of nothing but Penn State outlet store teams. Most functions at UP also have a position that focuses primarily on branch campus oversight.

[ctrabs74]

Harrisburg was upgraded to the same level of pseudo-autonomy as Behrend. Basically a 4-year residential university with Penn State branding. They started Greek Life about 10 years ago - only Altoona, Behrend, and Harrisburg are allowed to have Greek Life per the mothership. Still no permission for football anywhere.

Nor, for that matter, to offer athletic scholarships (ie. they're staying in D3 or USCAA unless State College says otherwise).

[Fightingscot82]

Meanwhile Penn State Harrisburg announced not long ago that it is greatly expanding its sports program, adding more than a dozen sports for a full range. "Branch" campus indeed.

Harrisburg was upgraded to the same level of pseudo-autonomy as Behrend. Basically a 4-year residential university with Penn State branding. They started Greek Life about 10 years ago - only Altoona, Behrend, and Harrisburg are allowed to have Greek Life per the mothership. Still no permission for football anywhere.

[Ship69]

And, how many of those 1,600 are athletes? I'd guess a nice percentage.

I'd surely think when these kids (athletes and non-athletes) are visiting other schools, said schools are using the 'triad' against them.

I haven't been to Edinboro in a long time. Cal and Clarion have both made tremendous campus improvements. However, it obviously appears not to be paying off. It does make one wonder why Clarion just did that $80m (roughly) renovation to Tippin Gymnasium with the school in such financial crisis. If Clarion closes, that's going to be the nicest YMCA gym in Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile Penn State Harrisburg announced not long ago that it is greatly expanding its sports program, adding more than a dozen sports for a full range. "Branch" campus indeed.

[Fightingscot82]

When IUP played at Clarion this winter in hoops I walked the campus before the game. Total ghost town. That used to be a wild little town.

My buddy is a Slum Lord there. Four of his five properties have been empty the past 3 years. I always personally liked Clarion but I like the mountain vibe.

If only these kids knew how good the fishing is in the Clarion River. Lol

Edinboro's town is doing alright. They're a small town suburb for Erie plus they have the vacation homes on the lake that in the summer make it like a mini Conneaut Lake.

Unfortunately unless there's some employee accountability (and nobody in the system is set up for that) I don't see this experiment lasting another 5 years. Commonwealth is probably another 5 years beyond that. I don't think the system can afford to have 50% of the campuses under the Cheyney subsidization model.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Tippin was $50M and 100% paid for by the state. Edinboro has had lots of facility improvements and is probably the nicest piece of land of the three. All three campuses have been described to me as Pittsburgh Mills. So dead you have no idea how its operating. Its bad. They can't even fake vibrancy.

When IUP played at Clarion this winter in hoops I walked the campus before the game. Total ghost town. That used to be a wild little town.

My buddy is a Slum Lord there. Four of his five properties have been empty the past 3 years. I always personally liked Clarion but I like the mountain vibe.

If only these kids knew how good the fishing is in the Clarion River. Lol

[Fightingscot82]

And, how many of those 1,600 are athletes? I'd guess a nice percentage.

I'd surely think when these kids (athletes and non-athletes) are visiting other schools, said schools are using the 'triad' against them.

I haven't been to Edinboro in a long time. Cal and Clarion have both made tremendous campus improvements. However, it obviously appears not to be paying off. It does make one wonder why Clarion just did that $80m (roughly) renovation to Tippin Gymnasium with the school in such financial crisis. If Clarion closes, that's going to be the nicest YMCA gym in Pennsylvania.

Tippin was $50M and 100% paid for by the state. Edinboro has had lots of facility improvements and is probably the nicest piece of land of the three. All three campuses have been described to me as Pittsburgh Mills. So dead you have no idea how its operating. Its bad. They can't even fake vibrancy.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Rumors swirling that PASSHE is predicting roughly 1,600 total true freshmen for Penn West in Fall 2023. Total. Between the three campuses. To put this into perspective, in 2013 Edinboro's freshmen class was 1,191. In 2019, the last pre-covid freshman class, Edinboro had 699 - so even that x3 would be 2100. Again, its not a spending problem that can be remedied by cuts & consolidations. They're not able to find & convince new students to attend (or stay). Plus they're still recruiting kids who were in high school during Covid and remembered how terrible online learning is - so why the hell would they attend a school where 75% of your freshmen classes are online?

And, how many of those 1,600 are athletes? I'd guess a nice percentage.

I'd surely think when these kids (athletes and non-athletes) are visiting other schools, said schools are using the 'triad' against them.

I haven't been to Edinboro in a long time. Cal and Clarion have both made tremendous campus improvements. However, it obviously appears not to be paying off. It does make one wonder why Clarion just did that $80m (roughly) renovation to Tippin Gymnasium with the school in such financial crisis. If Clarion closes, that's going to be the nicest YMCA gym in Pennsylvania.

[Fightingscot82]

There is starting to be a degree of worry at other PASSHE schools that if Penn West continues to slip the system will try to bail it out at the expense of some of the system's other schools.

Legally it has to. Its what the system has been doing for Cheyney for the last 10-15 years. But several other schools aren't far behind. Everyone but Slippery Rock and West Chester are using up their reserves to balance the budgets, which is what that's for but year after year you start wearing down that cushion.

[Fightingscot82]

1) The state actually supported state schools to a great extent back then. 2) The 1970s are now about 50 years in the rearview mirror. Time to get moving.

True, although until the early 2000s the majority of alumni were teachers. Any wealth was through family or someone successful leaving education. But even then, the alumni remembered being able to work 10 hours a week to pay their tuition bill and didn't see the point in donating.

[Ship69]

Rumors swirling that PASSHE is predicting roughly 1,600 total true freshmen for Penn West in Fall 2023. Total. Between the three campuses. To put this into perspective, in 2013 Edinboro's freshmen class was 1,191. In 2019, the last pre-covid freshman class, Edinboro had 699 - so even that x3 would be 2100. Again, its not a spending problem that can be remedied by cuts & consolidations. They're not able to find & convince new students to attend (or stay). Plus they're still recruiting kids who were in high school during Covid and remembered how terrible online learning is - so why the hell would they attend a school where 75% of your freshmen classes are online?

There is starting to be a degree of worry at other PASSHE schools that if Penn West continues to slip the system will try to bail it out at the expense of some of the system's other schools.