PASSHE Institutions Merging

[Fightingscot82]

The building is very lab heavy, including research facilities for faculty. Kopchick has provided money for student research as well as connections to great places for students to do internships- I suspect the idea is to go after biomedical sciences, a build some similar to Geisinger Commonwealth in the east. The problem is always finding enough students that can pass calc I , physics and genetics- administrators hate stem programs because the number of students that can do these programs is limited. The trick is finding something for the students that are capable, but aren’t good enough for med school or grad schools. The environmental engineering program is doing ok from what I’m told, but it takes 5 to 6 years to get a new novelty program like cannabis science or Fermentation engineering going and paying for itself

If that's the plan, it sounds good. You're right about STEM. Biggest obstacle is the number of kids coming in with great high school grades who can't do the same subject at the college level with college style instruction. IUP needs to find money for faculty research. The feds don't give out money to regionals and the university generally doesn't have it laying around. IUP currently ranks #391 nationally in research spending. Unfortunately, 16 and 17 year olds doing career exploration in school probably aren't going to be doing research on cannabis or fermentation science LOL

[ironmaniup]

There could be more there as some have said, but I can't find anything that would be unique to IUP from a facility perspective. Mostly just parroting of flowery marketing-speak. At the very least, the building will be new and impressive. Its huge. Unless there are some research-specific spaces or unspecified technology that is only found at R1 schools, then I'm not sold on it being the factor some believe it to be.

You're right about PASSHE. Since IUP has codified immunity from mergers, PASSHE needs it to reverse course. Otherwise they're going to experience what Clarion, Edinboro, and Mansfield have been living the last few years: program, service, and staffing cuts to save money but only make the experience worse (and in turn lose more students). Humboldt State becoming Cal Poly Humboldt will be interesting to watch. In five years they've gone from losing so much enrollment they had to cut football to now not having enough dorms and leasing entire hotels. Its a clear STEM focus - but you can still study humanities and liberal arts. IUP doesn't have that bigger name to attach itself to, but if they are going down the STEM focus path, it will serve them well. I think that could have been a better path years ago - each school got a narrow specialty with its strongest or most noteworthy department/school and built around that while each school offers the humanities/liberal arts basics to serve geographic & cost needs of its region (english, history/social sciences, psychology and education).

The building is very lab heavy, including research facilities for faculty. Kopchick has provided money for student research as well as connections to great places for students to do internships- I suspect the idea is to go after biomedical sciences, a build some similar to Geisinger Commonwealth in the east. The problem is always finding enough students that can pass calc I , physics and genetics- administrators hate stem programs because the number of students that can do these programs is limited. The trick is finding something for the students that are capable, but aren’t good enough for med school or grad schools. The environmental engineering program is doing ok from what I’m told, but it takes 5 to 6 years to get a new novelty program like cannabis science or Fermentation engineering going and paying for itself

[boatcapt]

I only balk at it because its more of a facility catch-up than something that sets IUP apart. Also, this generation generally doesn't value facilities the way previous ones did. I imagine its sorely needed but not unique. Many regional universities are building or expanding science buildings.

What I think would change IUP's slide is one or two truly nationally significant programs. Not strong. Not good. Not under the radar. Something that puts them on a list of a dozen schools with a specific program. Penn State Behrend has a few of these (actuarial science, plastics engineering) that convinces students from many states to attend a Penn State branch, along a rural road in a depressed community, with D3 sports. Cost & location don't really outweigh the initial angst that they're attending IUP instead of Pitt and Penn State (really the existential conflict of every regional university in PA). They need to somehow hire a next president who comes from the student life side of the house to invest in the student campus experience beyond facilities.

I think you could say the same about most struggling schools.

[Fightingscot82]

There's also some sort of cannabis related degree tracks at CPH, so that might also be a factor.

LOL the whole community studies cannabis. I can't imagine what their athlete drug testing process was like.

[ctrabs74]

There could be more there as some have said, but I can't find anything that would be unique to IUP from a facility perspective. Mostly just parroting of flowery marketing-speak. At the very least, the building will be new and impressive. Its huge. Unless there are some research-specific spaces or unspecified technology that is only found at R1 schools, then I'm not sold on it being the factor some believe it to be.

You're right about PASSHE. Since IUP has codified immunity from mergers, PASSHE needs it to reverse course. Otherwise they're going to experience what Clarion, Edinboro, and Mansfield have been living the last few years: program, service, and staffing cuts to save money but only make the experience worse (and in turn lose more students). Humboldt State becoming Cal Poly Humboldt will be interesting to watch. In five years they've gone from losing so much enrollment they had to cut football to now not having enough dorms and leasing entire hotels. Its a clear STEM focus - but you can still study humanities and liberal arts. IUP doesn't have that bigger name to attach itself to, but if they are going down the STEM focus path, it will serve them well. I think that could have been a better path years ago - each school got a narrow specialty with its strongest or most noteworthy department/school and built around that while each school offers the humanities/liberal arts basics to serve geographic & cost needs of its region (english, history/social sciences, psychology and education).

There's also some sort of cannabis related degree tracks at CPH, so that might also be a factor.

[Fightingscot82]

I think it's much more than a facility catch-up. I think it represents the new STEM focus. It's not the building itself, it's the technology inside the building and the accessibility to that technology for everyday undergraduate and graduate students that should move the needle on student recruitment. The opportunities for students to be involved in significant research is also going to gain in importance and, hence, marketability.

IUP will not be able to rebound on its own. It will take the assistance of PASSHE leadership. From what I've seen, PASSHE has shown commitment to develop IUP as a STEM-focused university, and also encourage growth in the graduate school, recruiting from other PASSHE institutions.

Finally, there is so much underutilization of the capacity of the campus right now it is in PASSHE's interest to do what it can to stimulate growth at IUP.

There could be more there as some have said, but I can't find anything that would be unique to IUP from a facility perspective. Mostly just parroting of flowery marketing-speak. At the very least, the building will be new and impressive. Its huge. Unless there are some research-specific spaces or unspecified technology that is only found at R1 schools, then I'm not sold on it being the factor some believe it to be.

You're right about PASSHE. Since IUP has codified immunity from mergers, PASSHE needs it to reverse course. Otherwise they're going to experience what Clarion, Edinboro, and Mansfield have been living the last few years: program, service, and staffing cuts to save money but only make the experience worse (and in turn lose more students). Humboldt State becoming Cal Poly Humboldt will be interesting to watch. In five years they've gone from losing so much enrollment they had to cut football to now not having enough dorms and leasing entire hotels. Its a clear STEM focus - but you can still study humanities and liberal arts. IUP doesn't have that bigger name to attach itself to, but if they are going down the STEM focus path, it will serve them well. I think that could have been a better path years ago - each school got a narrow specialty with its strongest or most noteworthy department/school and built around that while each school offers the humanities/liberal arts basics to serve geographic & cost needs of its region (english, history/social sciences, psychology and education).

[iupgroundhog]

I only balk at it because its more of a facility catch-up than something that sets IUP apart. Also, this generation generally doesn't value facilities the way previous ones did. I imagine its sorely needed but not unique. Many regional universities are building or expanding science buildings.

What I think would change IUP's slide is one or two truly nationally significant programs. Not strong. Not good. Not under the radar. Something that puts them on a list of a dozen schools with a specific program. Penn State Behrend has a few of these (actuarial science, plastics engineering) that convinces students from many states to attend a Penn State branch, along a rural road in a depressed community, with D3 sports. Cost & location don't really outweigh the initial angst that they're attending IUP instead of Pitt and Penn State (really the existential conflict of every regional university in PA). They need to somehow hire a next president who comes from the student life side of the house to invest in the student campus experience beyond facilities.

I think it's much more than a facility catch-up. I think it represents the new STEM focus. It's not the building itself, it's the technology inside the building and the accessibility to that technology for everyday undergraduate and graduate students that should move the needle on student recruitment. The opportunities for students to be involved in significant research is also going to gain in importance and, hence, marketability.

IUP will not be able to rebound on its own. It will take the assistance of PASSHE leadership. From what I've seen, PASSHE has shown commitment to develop IUP as a STEM-focused university, and also encourage growth in the graduate school, recruiting from other PASSHE institutions.

Finally, there is so much underutilization of the capacity of the campus right now it is in PASSHE's interest to do what it can to stimulate growth at IUP.

[iupgroundhog]

After a TRUE rebrand and refocus, a state college in California with DII sports is experiencing such an enrollment spike that they've run out of housing. Crazy how having schools lean into their strengths makes them...stronger???

https://www.ijpr.org/education/2022-...gher-ed-slumps

Well, becoming a part of Cal Poly is not quite the same as gaining membership in Penn West.

[Fightingscot82]

It’s why I think with the new science building at IUP that you’ll see IUP bounce back..everyone on here says no but I have been under the impression Sutton Hall was playing the long game.

I only balk at it because its more of a facility catch-up than something that sets IUP apart. Also, this generation generally doesn't value facilities the way previous ones did. I imagine its sorely needed but not unique. Many regional universities are building or expanding science buildings.

What I think would change IUP's slide is one or two truly nationally significant programs. Not strong. Not good. Not under the radar. Something that puts them on a list of a dozen schools with a specific program. Penn State Behrend has a few of these (actuarial science, plastics engineering) that convinces students from many states to attend a Penn State branch, along a rural road in a depressed community, with D3 sports. Cost & location don't really outweigh the initial angst that they're attending IUP instead of Pitt and Penn State (really the existential conflict of every regional university in PA). They need to somehow hire a next president who comes from the student life side of the house to invest in the student campus experience beyond facilities.

[IUPNation]

After a TRUE rebrand and refocus, a state college in California with DII sports is experiencing such an enrollment spike that they've run out of housing. Crazy how having schools lean into their strengths makes them...stronger???

https://www.ijpr.org/education/2022-...gher-ed-slumps

It’s why I think with the new science building at IUP that you’ll see IUP bounce back..everyone on here says no but I have been under the impression Sutton Hall was playing the long game.

[Fightingscot82]

After a TRUE rebrand and refocus, a state college in California with DII sports is experiencing such an enrollment spike that they've run out of housing. Crazy how having schools lean into their strengths makes them...stronger???

https://www.ijpr.org/education/2022-...gher-ed-slumps

[Ship69]

Do you know what happens in a nice pond full of bass if you never take any out for 10 years?

You end up with a pond full of starving, skinny, 10" bass.

Sounds familiar.

Except the fish have been taken out of the many Pa. high schools, and they haven't been restocked.

[ctrabs74]

It wasn’t one when it closed. Up until recently Paoli was the only trauma center in Chester County. Now Chester County Is one too I. Believe …

CCH is not a trauma center as of yet.

[Fightingscot82]

Lol no ... Just fishing season is within sight. Getting antsy. It's on the mind.

I finally bought a 'nice' fishing kayak.

Pedal drive?

[IUPNation]

Brandywine? When I lived there, it was the #1 trauma center for the area.

It wasn’t one when it closed. Up until recently Paoli was the only trauma center in Chester County. Now Chester County Is one too I. Believe …