Originally posted by Fightingscot82
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My opinions:
1. This thing is getting rammed through. Willing to wager that the vote is unanimous. The citizens of PA have almost no power over these schools and almost no influence over their support.
2. A combination of the pre-covid "sustainability plans" and greater state support would probably have been enough.
3. I appreciate the idea to synergize academic programs. That should be a system-wide opportunity to take courses at other system schools when possible. Otherwise its not really a system, to paraphrase the Chancellor several years ago. I also appreciate the intentional effort to push professional skill credentials/certificates/boot camps...same with pushing online bachelors degrees for adults with some college. These folks have always gone the night school/correspondence/online route.
4. I don't believe Greenstein has some sort of agenda, but the charade of this plan appears to overshadow the actual cost savings. Its like a company saying that a new mission statement and branding changes the company culture. Things look and sound different but the savings are negligible - and at what cost? Will support wane when Lock Haven becomes Northeastern PA University? Schools can't be closed without legislative approval - but everything is on the table to be deemed unnecessary or cost-prohibitive. "Clarion University" may not be able to be closed but in theory "Western PA University" can decide to phase out its Clarion campus the same way Edinboro closed its outreach center in Millcreek.
The report on the West Triad has significantly less data yet shows that there's actually very minimal cost savings when the plan is fully realized. WHAT THE ACTUAL F*CK?
5. None of this is successful unless the cost savings over Penn State & Pitt outlets and PA privates. Enrollment is virtually the same as ~year 2000 levels but with $200MM less state funding. That's a lot of friggin' money that is now shifted to students. Plus its not like the cost of doing business stayed the same over 20 years.
1. This thing is getting rammed through. Willing to wager that the vote is unanimous. The citizens of PA have almost no power over these schools and almost no influence over their support.
2. A combination of the pre-covid "sustainability plans" and greater state support would probably have been enough.
3. I appreciate the idea to synergize academic programs. That should be a system-wide opportunity to take courses at other system schools when possible. Otherwise its not really a system, to paraphrase the Chancellor several years ago. I also appreciate the intentional effort to push professional skill credentials/certificates/boot camps...same with pushing online bachelors degrees for adults with some college. These folks have always gone the night school/correspondence/online route.
4. I don't believe Greenstein has some sort of agenda, but the charade of this plan appears to overshadow the actual cost savings. Its like a company saying that a new mission statement and branding changes the company culture. Things look and sound different but the savings are negligible - and at what cost? Will support wane when Lock Haven becomes Northeastern PA University? Schools can't be closed without legislative approval - but everything is on the table to be deemed unnecessary or cost-prohibitive. "Clarion University" may not be able to be closed but in theory "Western PA University" can decide to phase out its Clarion campus the same way Edinboro closed its outreach center in Millcreek.
The report on the West Triad has significantly less data yet shows that there's actually very minimal cost savings when the plan is fully realized. WHAT THE ACTUAL F*CK?
5. None of this is successful unless the cost savings over Penn State & Pitt outlets and PA privates. Enrollment is virtually the same as ~year 2000 levels but with $200MM less state funding. That's a lot of friggin' money that is now shifted to students. Plus its not like the cost of doing business stayed the same over 20 years.
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