PASSHE Institutions Merging

[Fightingscot82]

The moment we have been waiting for is this Wednesday. It's a national article so most of it is stuff we already are familiar with. It's funny how this whole big thing is so focused on just one guy.

https://www.chronicle.com/article/a-...blic-higher-ed

At least the article mentioned the encroachment from Pitt and Penn State campuses and the 30% state funding decline since 2000.

FWIW, the marketing firm hired to assist with the western triad will share their name and marketing suggestions on May 18. Unsure if that's public or not.

[iupgroundhog]

The moment we have been waiting for is this Wednesday. It's a national article so most of it is stuff we already are familiar with. It's funny how this whole big thing is so focused on just one guy.

https://www.chronicle.com/article/a-...blic-higher-ed

[Fightingscot82]

Interesting because they raised 80 million for the new science building.

Huge chunk of that campaign was for the science building. That endowment figure may not include any big gifts in the last year either.

PASSHE endowments are rather piecemeal too. Most of it is held by the Foundation. Possible some other endowed funds are held by the Alumni Associations. These are totaled together when reporting endowment funds.

[IUPNation]

Interesting because they raised 80 million for the new science building.

The Foundation for IUP lists that they control 250 million in real estate assets..which is separate from the cash endowment...

[iupgroundhog]

Former LHU president in the running for a new gig.

https://www.lockhaven.com/news/local...ss-university/

I guess he doesn't like being Senior Advisor to the Chancellor for Integration Strategy.

[iupgroundhog]

Interesting because they raised 80 million for the new science building.

[IUPNation]

Poor leadership and declining number of students, just like every other PASSHE school...except West Chester.

[boatcapt]

Poor leadership and declining number of students, just like every other PASSHE school...except West Chester.

[IUPNation]

According to the enrolement numbers provided in the article, IUP has it's own issues to address. I also note that their endowment level is among the lowest in the PASSHE system.

[IUPNation]

I don't see any gain for Temple in that scenario. They're nowhere near the levels of Pitt and Penn State in terms of financial strength nor are they into the whole branch campus thing. I also don't see a gain for Penn State. Edinboro is 30 miles from one of the only two Penn State outlet stores that are doing well and in the same county. Cal is very close to Penn State Fayette. But Clarion is fairly isolated from other schools. They're about 30 minutes from Penn State DuBois but there's no real benefit there.

Temple has a campus in Ambler, Montgomery County and space in a Center City in a office building in Penn Center...or it used to...

[Fightingscot82]

Former LHU president in the running for a new gig.

https://www.lockhaven.com/news/local...ss-university/

One of the other finalists, Dione Somerville, is the former VP of Student Affairs at Bloomsburg. She was a finalist at Edinboro during their last search.

[Bart]

Former LHU president in the running for a new gig.

https://www.lockhaven.com/news/local...ss-university/

[boatcapt]

That's a shocking number if true but you also have to think about sample. Possibly for the wealthiest schools out there but for former state teachers colleges (about 1/3 of all publics) the endowments tend to be MUCH smaller and more restricted. Old Man Smith and his wife pinched pennies and donated $50k to Northwest McState for the Old Man Smith Family Scholarship.

I was surprised by the number as well. I learned a few surprising things about the whole endowment process when I was setting up my dad and brothers. Bottom line is you need to be VERY specific about how your money is managed and spent and also specific about what happens if your money is not spent.

I'm not saying the PASSHE schools in question should use their endowments to pay for general operations, im saying that a school like Temple or PS could use a portion of their unrestricted endowment, AND the millions of $'s PA gives them every year to purchase these schools.

Do I think it will happen? No. Would the 6 PASSHE schools be in a better position to survive in some form if it did? Yes.

[Fightingscot82]

Difference between can't and don't. A school such as Temple in this discussion can use unrestricted endowments for whatever they want, be it general operation or to fund the losses of an asset the obtain (like, say 3 former PASSHE schools). They may chose not to do any of that and just reinvest the $.

I read on line that it is estimated that 55% of college endowments are unrestricted.

That's a shocking number if true but you also have to think about sample. Possibly for the wealthiest schools out there but for former state teachers colleges (about 1/3 of all publics) the endowments tend to be MUCH smaller and more restricted. Old Man Smith and his wife pinched pennies and donated $50k to Northwest McState for the Old Man Smith Family Scholarship.

[boatcapt]

Its very rare that schools use unrestricted endowment to pay for general operating needs. Most unrestricted endowments unless part of the gift agreement are still used as scholarship dollars just at the school's discretion. In fact, the only examples of using unrestricted endowment to stave off budget deficits have been the small privates trying to avoid closure. Nobody in PASSHE is there. Plus PASSHE school endowments are "owned" and operated by legally separate 501c3 non-profits with their own boards and staffs. The state can't confiscate those funds. Its actually a big sticking point of the integrations, particularly because some schools' foundations have employees doing work on behalf of the university. I imagine those employees will be converted to "new university" employees.

Difference between can't and don't. A school such as Temple in this discussion can use unrestricted endowments for whatever they want, be it general operation or to fund the losses of an asset the obtain (like, say 3 former PASSHE schools). They may chose not to do any of that and just reinvest the $.

I read on line that it is estimated that 55% of college endowments are unrestricted.