PASSHE Institutions Merging

[Horror Child]

West Chester attempting to poach an interim president from another PASSHE institution... yeah, that kinda shows where the power is in PASSHE at the moment.

Did you even read the article? She's had a 27-year career at West Chester, most recently as the provost. She was effectively on loan to PennWest. West Chester formed a search committee less than two months after the current president announced his retirement, whereas PennWest has done nothing towards identifying a permanent president even though the interim is only committed through June 30, 2024.

Please elaborate how this is poaching.

[SecretlySavage]

Did you even read the article? She's had a 27-year career at West Chester, most recently as the provost. She was effectively on loan to PennWest. West Chester formed a search committee less than two months after the current president announced his retirement, whereas PennWest has done nothing towards identifying a permanent president even though the interim is only committed through June 30, 2024.

Please elaborate how this is poaching.

Its not poaching, its more of a loaner president who is supposed to get the school back on track. The problem is that I don't think they've done a good job of that. I know they cut inquiry classes at Clarion even though it was statistically helping to retain students. Professors brought this up and met with leadership, but they seemingly told the professors to f off and not stick their noses in PASSHE business. I think its ridiculous that PennWest doesn't have their own president committed to helping the school.

[Fightingscot82]

PennWest trustees met in Edinboro on Friday. The faculty union president from Edinboro ripped them a new one (watch it - its on YouTube). There is no plan for transition, which is ludicrous. I think the problem is that they have no real president. They have no real provost (VP of academics). Most other executive level people either aren't qualified or don't want it. Makes me worried there is some sort of secret plan that's not yet announced.

[iupgroundhog]

PennWest trustees met in Edinboro on Friday. The faculty union president from Edinboro ripped them a new one (watch it - its on YouTube). There is no plan for transition, which is ludicrous. I think the problem is that they have no real president. They have no real provost (VP of academics). Most other executive level people either aren't qualified or don't want it. Makes me worried there is some sort of secret plan that's not yet announced.

Also, IMHO, they have no real unified school It's just an association of 3 former failing schools. What you are describing is directionlessness with no goals. The new entity has to figure out who it is and what it is.

PennWest should ultimately be split up as feeder schools to SRU and IUP. Maybe even get Ship to join in. Create a Western PA/SW PA system that is efficient and has a chance at actually working.

Commonwealth was always destined to work better because it meshes with the NE/NC region of PA much better.

[Fightingscot82]

Also, IMHO, they have no real unified school It's just an association of 3 former failing schools. What you are describing is directionlessness with no goals. The new entity has to figure out who it is and what it is.

PennWest should ultimately be split up as feeder schools to SRU and IUP. Maybe even get Ship to join in. Create a Western PA/SW PA system that is efficient and has a chance at actually working.

Commonwealth was always destined to work better because it meshes with the NE/NC region of PA much better.

They say there's a plan but its taking too long. I know they all have jobs to do but this was rushed from the start. The Edinboro faculty union president's argument is that if they rush into the process as usual they'll get the same results: a president that leaves too soon. He argues that they need to finalize the plan and show success to sell. There are very, very few people truly qualified to run a university like this and some stakeholders are going to have to accept that its probably not the traditional track of someone who had a career as a professor then chair then dean then provost.

Wholesale changes like what you describe would require additional layoffs that will be fought til the end by the unions. It will be ugly and I don't think the legislature will go for it.

[Ship69]

They say there's a plan but its taking too long. I know they all have jobs to do but this was rushed from the start. The Edinboro faculty union president's argument is that if they rush into the process as usual they'll get the same results: a president that leaves too soon. He argues that they need to finalize the plan and show success to sell. There are very, very few people truly qualified to run a university like this and some stakeholders are going to have to accept that its probably not the traditional track of someone who had a career as a professor then chair then dean then provost.

Wholesale changes like what you describe would require additional layoffs that will be fought til the end by the unions. It will be ugly and I don't think the legislature will go for it.

In the interest of PASSHE and those of you who are alumni of the PennWest schools, I hope they can make it, but yeah, it sounds as if they need a cohesive vision. With some good leadership we seem to have stopped the bleeding for now at Ship, but the situation is certainly not as robust as we'd like and I don't think the schools caught in the middle of all this can afford a drain on the PASSHE system much longer.

[Fightingscot82]

In the interest of PASSHE and those of you who are alumni of the PennWest schools, I hope they can make it, but yeah, it sounds as if they need a cohesive vision. With some good leadership we seem to have stopped the bleeding for now at Ship, but the situation is certainly not as robust as we'd like and I don't think the schools caught in the middle of all this can afford a drain on the PASSHE system much longer.

I do think that 5 straight years of frozen tuition helps quite a bit. The state funding increases have eaten up most of the annual expense increases and inflation. The privates that were chipping away at our target population can't discount much further. The average discount on private college tuition in Pennsylvania is 51% off the sticker price.

[Ship69]

I do think that 5 straight years of frozen tuition helps quite a bit. The state funding increases have eaten up most of the annual expense increases and inflation. The privates that were chipping away at our target population can't discount much further. The average discount on private college tuition in Pennsylvania is 51% off the sticker price.

Keeping the tuition down certainly hasn't hurt. I heard at a meeting last year that given the inflation we've had the freezes had made PASSHE schools roughly 13 percent cheaper to attend than five years ago, and that was before another freeze was announced this year.

[Fightingscot82]

https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvan...on-beforehand/

Even the state courts say you can't just dump faculty to consolidate.

[Horror Child]

https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvan...on-beforehand/

Even the state courts say you can't just dump faculty to consolidate.

PASSHE is a jobs program.

[Bart]

"Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania (CU) has received its first-ever transformational gift. The $5 million gift from Ed and Julie Breiner, both 1977 graduates of the CU legacy institution Bloomsburg University, will support nursing education at all CU locations—Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Mansfield, and Clearfield."
https://www.bloomu.edu/news/commonwe...d%20Clearfield.

It was generous of them to include all the schools. I hope this isn't a trend where donations get spread around.

[Ship69]

"Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania (CU) has received its first-ever transformational gift. The $5 million gift from Ed and Julie Breiner, both 1977 graduates of the CU legacy institution Bloomsburg University, will support nursing education at all CU locations—Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Mansfield, and Clearfield."
https://www.bloomu.edu/news/commonwe...d%20Clearfield.

It was generous of them to include all the schools. I hope this isn't a trend where donations get spread around.

"CU legacy institution," eh? That is a generous gift, but I think you're right in that it might be more effective going to one campus. It loses impact spread among several institutions.

[iupgroundhog]

"Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania (CU) has received its first-ever transformational gift. The $5 million gift from Ed and Julie Breiner, both 1977 graduates of the CU legacy institution Bloomsburg University, will support nursing education at all CU locations—Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Mansfield, and Clearfield."
https://www.bloomu.edu/news/commonwe...d%20Clearfield.

It was generous of them to include all the schools. I hope this isn't a trend where donations get spread around.

LHU just got a $5 million gift just for wrestling. And just for Lock Haven.

Edit: Oops, my bad. It's only $500k. But it does all stay in the program.

https://www.golhu.com/sports/wrestling

Bowes' brother, Bill Bowes, was the HC of the University of New Hampshire football team for 27 years and is a member of the College Football HOF.

[Horror Child]

"Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania (CU) has received its first-ever transformational gift. The $5 million gift from Ed and Julie Breiner, both 1977 graduates of the CU legacy institution Bloomsburg University, will support nursing education at all CU locations—Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Mansfield, and Clearfield."
https://www.bloomu.edu/news/commonwe...d%20Clearfield.

It was generous of them to include all the schools. I hope this isn't a trend where donations get spread around.

What do you mean "spread around"? Commonwealth University is one school with multiple campuses. ;)

[Fightingscot82]

What do you mean "spread around"? Commonwealth University is one school with multiple campuses. ;)

I think he means sharing. The six consolidated campuses retained their separate foundations. Its still possible to designate a gift for nursing at Lock Haven but you'll ultimately be sold on having it benefit all three campuses.