PASSHE Institutions Merging

[Bart]

I like Keystone University. Or Keystone State.

That said, it will take a long time to build a brand.

There is already a Keystone College in Pa. They better pick something soon, because they want to present a name in April.

Listening to a commentator on a podcast, he said it is all an experiment based on the Gates Foundation theory of Fail Fast. He added that the Gates Foundation spent billions of dollars on educational innovations with no results, and that is where our leader cut his teeth. The chancellor said at the hearings that Cheyney is a model, go small to grow.

[complaint_hopeful]

Do you think sports are on the Chancellor's radar?

I admit I'm not too informed on the sports aspect. However, I do know one of the guiding principles of the NCAA is to ensure fairness in terms of competition. There seem to be a lot of conflicts with the current plan. For example, athletes could be like interchangeable parts. Let's say Bloom is in need of a TE for next season in football and LHU has a really good TE. Can LH's player just switch teams? Ok, probably not but who knows. Can he "transfer" without really transferring? Just become a Bloom student and continue to take the same classes at LH but just online? I'm just thinking out loud. I don't know the answers.

I think so. The thing is, he's not designing this. He's letting the schools and consultants.

I know the sports committees don't want to lose sports and are fighting hard to keep them.

You make good points. How about this? There's 1 budget. So what if they decide to load a team with scholarships. Like say Cal at football. Then say they load Edinboro up with basketball scholarships?

[iupgroundhog]

It just sounds hacked together. 2 names because they want to try to make everyone happy. How do you communicate this to prospective students? We're this name for accredidation...but this is really our name. But we have 1 budget.

I feel like the ncaa will sniff this out and not allow it for sports...but I don't know. Ive heard the ncaa replied favorably.

I feel like a lot of employees will jump ship too.

Do you think sports are on the Chancellor's radar?

I admit I'm not too informed on the sports aspect. However, I do know one of the guiding principles of the NCAA is to ensure fairness in terms of competition. There seem to be a lot of conflicts with the current plan. For example, athletes could be like interchangeable parts. Let's say Bloom is in need of a TE for next season in football and LHU has a really good TE. Can LH's player just switch teams? Ok, probably not but who knows. Can he "transfer" without really transferring? Just become a Bloom student and continue to take the same classes at LH but just online? I'm just thinking out loud. I don't know the answers.

[complaint_hopeful]

From the Raging Chicken:

"So, while the @statesytem cries crisis, it has hired the Ohio-based "branding and marketing agency" Ologie, to develop "an 'Integrated U' name and messaging strategy" for the universities being forced to merge."

"It is telling that once again, the @statesystemseems to believe that public relations is the pathway to integration, leaving piles of unanswered questions about the impact on students, faculty, staff, and community members."

"Notably, the names of the communities that host these universities are erased in the new names, with the exception of the corporate sounding "Bloomsburg University Group." Those communities stand to face the most significant, negative economic impacts of the merger."

"For example, will accrediting bodies such as the NCAA or bodies associated with specific academic programs allow for more than one accredited program per academic program or sport?"

"Survey claims "the new entity name will be used for accreditation purposes only, honoring a commitment to retaining each institution's name, logo, mascot, and identity." However, it's not clear what this means for accreditations for sports/academic programs at each university."

"The company is surveying selective students, employees, alumni, donors, "university leadership," Board of Trustee members, high school students, and "others" about what name will "honor the individual names, legacies, and identities of each university."

It just sounds hacked together. 2 names because they want to try to make everyone happy. How do you communicate this to prospective students? We're this name for accredidation...but this is really our name. But we have 1 budget.

I feel like the ncaa will sniff this out and not allow it for sports...but I don't know. Ive heard the ncaa replied favorably.

I feel like a lot of employees will jump ship too.

[complaint_hopeful]

Agree

Don't become another directional school.

I like Keystone University. Or Keystone State.

That said, it will take a long time to build a brand.

[complaint_hopeful]

Seems like the faculty union is digging their heels in for a battle:

http://www.apscuf.org/apscuf-leaders...ors-testimony/

[IUPbigINDIANS]

BUGPA is a throw away. Besides sounding contrived, can't imagine anyone from the other two schools will vote for that...talk about "loosing your identity!" Northeast University of PA sounds terribly "generic" so probably a non-starter as well. The best of 3 really bad choices is Commonwealth University of PA. I would imagine the voting will be close between Commonwealth and None of the Above!

Agree

Don't become another directional school.

[complaint_hopeful]

BUGPA is a throw away. Besides sounding contrived, can't imagine anyone from the other two schools will vote for that...talk about "loosing your identity!" Northeast University of PA sounds terribly "generic" so probably a non-starter as well. The best of 3 really bad choices is Commonwealth University of PA. I would imagine the voting will be close between Commonwealth and None of the Above!

Oh I think it's worse than a throw away. These campuses have fear that they're going to lose their identity and be taken over by 1 school. That name is going to incite anger I'd imagine. I can't believe it was suggested. Those names are all bad.

Too many consultants in this all with no ties to communities. Millions and millions of costs.

[Bart]

From the Raging Chicken:

"So, while the @statesytem cries crisis, it has hired the Ohio-based "branding and marketing agency" Ologie, to develop "an 'Integrated U' name and messaging strategy" for the universities being forced to merge."

"It is telling that once again, the @statesystemseems to believe that public relations is the pathway to integration, leaving piles of unanswered questions about the impact on students, faculty, staff, and community members."

"Notably, the names of the communities that host these universities are erased in the new names, with the exception of the corporate sounding "Bloomsburg University Group." Those communities stand to face the most significant, negative economic impacts of the merger."

"For example, will accrediting bodies such as the NCAA or bodies associated with specific academic programs allow for more than one accredited program per academic program or sport?"

"Survey claims "the new entity name will be used for accreditation purposes only, honoring a commitment to retaining each institution's name, logo, mascot, and identity." However, it's not clear what this means for accreditations for sports/academic programs at each university."

"The company is surveying selective students, employees, alumni, donors, "university leadership," Board of Trustee members, high school students, and "others" about what name will "honor the individual names, legacies, and identities of each university."

[boatcapt]

Ok, I think we can rule out BUG-U, although they could have an interesting mascot. And how many Northeast Universities are there? Always room for 1 more.

Commonwealth of PA - not to be confused with Commonwealth of VA. Of course, "commonwealth" does seem apropos for the integrations.

BUGPA is a throw away. Besides sounding contrived, can't imagine anyone from the other two schools will vote for that...talk about "loosing your identity!" Northeast University of PA sounds terribly "generic" so probably a non-starter as well. The best of 3 really bad choices is Commonwealth University of PA. I would imagine the voting will be close between Commonwealth and None of the Above!

[Bart]

Ok, I think we can rule out BUG-U, although they could have an interesting mascot. And how many Northeast Universities are there? Always room for 1 more.

Commonwealth of PA - not to be confused with Commonwealth of VA. Of course, "commonwealth" does seem apropos for the integrations.

I will vote for anything with Bloomsburg in the name, including Bloomsburg College of Street Knowledge. Go vote.

[iupgroundhog]

The survey for name change in the east is on.

"The survey offers respondents three name choices for the new merged universities: - Bloomsburg University Group of Pennsylvania - Northeast University of Pennsylvania - Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania The survey wants to know which name makes respondents feel proud."

Ok, I think we can rule out BUG-U, although they could have an interesting mascot. And how many Northeast Universities are there? Always room for 1 more.

Commonwealth of PA - not to be confused with Commonwealth of VA. Of course, "commonwealth" does seem apropos for the integrations.

[boatcapt]

Yes that course was reversed. There will be an overarching name change with each campus retaining its identity. So XYZ - Edinboro, XYZ - Clarion, etc. I assume the same is the case for the eastern triad.

I wasn't aware that had changed. So each current school will become a campus of the new entities, whatever they are called. For example State University of Western Pennsylvania - Edinboro or SUWPA Edinboro. Wonder if they could "flip the script" a little and do somthing like Edinboro State University of Western PA and refer to themselves unofficially as Edinboro State?

[Bart]

The survey for name change in the east is on.

"The survey offers respondents three name choices for the new merged universities: - Bloomsburg University Group of Pennsylvania - Northeast University of Pennsylvania - Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania The survey wants to know which name makes respondents feel proud."

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Anything other than some form of Western Pennsylvania University and Eastern Pennsylvania University is pointless. Very few schools go through wholesale name changes. The most recent is probably Tri-State University in Indiana becoming Trine University in 2008. In PA, probably Beaver College becoming Arcadia in 2001. A new name that doesn't sound like a large public university will only exacerbate the problem.

Of course Tri-State got so much money gifted they changed the name of the school. Excellent academic school.

Angola, Indiana. Quite a little town.