PASSHE Institutions Merging

[Fightingscot82]

Two generations going to college to study education then graduating with the following results:

A) Find a teaching job (local or afar), not make a lot of money, deal with student & parent BS plus read & hear people upset over teacher pay & calendar for 35 years.

B) Trouble finding a teaching job, pursue new career without any education or advanced training, but education degree debt.

Plus education is harder to get a degree in now. You must have I believe a 3.0 after 60 credits to advance and I believe maintain that GPA in order to get certified. My option after graduation with a BS in Education was to substitute around Pittsburgh until finding a job or moving somewhere far away and hope to move back. After a couple months of searching I chose grad school with a Plan B.

PASSHE used to be the only option to study education in PA. Then most colleges & universities began offering it. PASSHE's edge was history, most had an on campus lab school, and price. Our schools don't market that teacher training heritage very well, most lab schools have closed due to cost, and we lost our pricing advantage.

[Ship69]

Not sure, although present indications are that we aren't getting enough new teachers even with 14 schools training them. At Ship the most popular majors are business, psychology, etc., now rather then education. I look for growth at the new engineering school as well. I think what will happen is that you'll have more specialization by campus and students who want some programs will either take them at the campuses that offer them or online. Schools that want to offer new disciplines are probably going to have to make a great case to the PASSHE board and the state. It'll be interesting to see what shakes out.

[complaint_hopeful]

I think you'll see so much sharing of classes among all passhe schools in the next 3-5 years that you'll basically be able to take any degree at any school. And I'm not just talking Triads. They were Phase 1.

Gone will be the days of School A offers this program. School B this one. Etc. I think that's the plan. And you reduce faculty and staff in the process.

[IUPNation]

I certainly won't disagree with this post. At Ship, we still have an on-campus elementary lab school and have just opened a new engineering building.

[Ship69]

I certainly won't disagree with this post. At Ship, we still have an on-campus elementary lab school and have just opened a new engineering building.

[IUPNation]

They might want to train teachers because there is a growing national shortage of them. Training teachers and teaching STEM subjects at the same time is not an impossible mission.

[IUPNation]

Those Soviet Bloc dorms were so fun, though.

Hot as pi$$ year-round. But, man do I have fond memories of playing basketball under the lights at Esch until 3am and sneaking 30-packs in laundry baskets.

Different era, I suppose.

[complaint_hopeful]

They might want to train teachers because there is a growing national shortage of them. Training teachers and teaching STEM subjects at the same time is not an impossible mission.

Absolutely can do both.

[complaint_hopeful]

The enrollment issues are mainly a function of cost rising to the point that most consumers don't see it as a good choice. They'd rather pay more and go to a different school.

Some other strategies may marginally help...but it's mainly cost.

[Ship69]

They might want to train teachers because there is a growing national shortage of them. Training teachers and teaching STEM subjects at the same time is not an impossible mission.

[complaint_hopeful]

Some of these schools bring in enrollment management consultants...and that's generally the advice - target STEM and I agree you need quality facilities/equipment for that.

[IUPNation]

I don't think buildings matter to students like they did 15 years ago. Many campuses have renovated buildings and new buildings...and tanking enrollment. I'm fairly sure that other schools have new buildings coming too as passhe has a refresh plan.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Those Soviet Bloc dorms were so fun, though.

Hot as pi$$ year-round. But, man do I have fond memories of playing basketball under the lights at Esch until 3am and sneaking 30-packs in laundry baskets.

Different era, I suppose.

[complaint_hopeful]

I don't think buildings matter to students like they did 15 years ago. Many campuses have renovated buildings and new buildings...and tanking enrollment. I'm fairly sure that other schools have new buildings coming too as passhe has a refresh plan.

[IUPNation]

It's so ironic that an IUP alum (Pulitzer Prize winner Susan Snyder) writes in the Inky that West Chester is the biggest and the best (most successful).

When I attended IUP in the late 70's/early 80's IUP was in a league of its own among the PA state schools. It was the biggest and the most competitive with the most academic programs. There was no comparison. IUP was unique in PA.

So, yeah, as someone who loves IUP, I am a little jealous of WCU. I admit it. I know WCU, to a certain extent. I formerly lived just outside of the borough and I used to use the WCU Library to do research.

What I disagree with in this article is that WCU administration and faculty had a lot to do with the surge they've experienced. From what I can see, they more or less just fell into the success. In the same way as the demise of the western and northern schools, it is primarily the result of demographics. In the case of WCU, it's demographics and cost. The folks there at WCU are just the lucky beneficiaries. Frankly, I don't think WCU institutionally did anything to produce the results. Their academic development has always been behind most of the other state schools. Not implementing a "residential revival" is being cited as a genius move now but I'll bet 10-15 years ago somebody at WCU was saying ' Hey, we have to keep up with these other schools that are building these fancy residences for students.' The housing movement was seen as progressive but WCU chose the status quo. That, apparently, keeps the costs down and plays a role in their recent growth. But I think the administration there was just lucky.