PASSHE Institutions Merging

[iupgroundhog]

It's a great question. My heart wants A in hope that they turn around but B is the logical choice.

Several PASSHE schools were already in recovery mode heading into the spring before Covid hit. Edinboro was on track for its largest and highest achieving freshman class in several years only to lose almost 10% when they announced they were doing an online fall semester. I'd love to know where those students went.

Yeah, but this is the realization of what we've been talking about for the last several years. Now people are sorry it's happening.

The recent positive numbers at Edinboro also apply to LHU. But who knows if it is the beginning of a longer-term trend?

Plus, COVID has changed everything. Is there any doubt that future state appropriations will be lower than the already declining ones? The system is better served by making changes now in advance of the aftermath of this pandemic.

None of this is good. It won't be the way it was. Unfortunately.

[Fightingscot82]

Here's a question. If you had the choice between:

A. Your college stays the same with sinking enrollment and all the other problems, and a very real chance of completely closing in 5 years BUT they keep their name and full slate of athletics, OR

B. They merge with two other schools which increases dramatically the chance that there will be a functioning college in its current town BUT they have to sacrifice their name and most if not all athletics.

Which do you choose??

It's a great question. My heart wants A in hope that they turn around but B is the logical choice.

Several PASSHE schools were already in recovery mode heading into the spring before Covid hit. Edinboro was on track for its largest and highest achieving freshman class in several years only to lose almost 10% when they announced they were doing an online fall semester. I'd love to know where those students went.

[Fightingscot82]

Yea...And not every Trump supporter is a racist...and not every cop is out to executing blacks...and not every conservative white male is a homophobe...etc... But if you watch certain national cable news outlets and Social Media "influencers," you might be inclined to reach a different conclusion.

If you only ingest news talk and not news reporting, you're only ingesting somebody else's opinion. And VERY little news reporting is being ingested. Newspaper readership is plummeting. National news reporting broadcasts are suffering huge ratings declines. But news talk is a HUGE money maker. They make ratings by generating viewership - not for winning awards on accuracy or fairness. We got rid of cable almost 10 years ago and I'm better for it. We watch local news in the morning and CBS This Morning a little after. They do a pretty good job of reporting and along with some analysis. But its not one person spouting off opinion with a guest who confirms the host's bias.

The narrative that the media is the enemy of the people is dangerous. It means that a lot of people won't trust the truth even when its presented to them. If things don't settle down, we're headed for crisis.

[boatcapt]

I marched with my daughter in a very peaceful protest...Not every protest has violence attached to it...the BLM people there were very thankful for the protection provided by local police...

Yea...And not every Trump supporter is a racist...and not every cop is out to executing blacks...and not every conservative white male is a homophobe...etc... But if you watch certain national cable news outlets and Social Media "influencers," you might be inclined to reach a different conclusion.

[WarriorVoice]

Yea...reality...Like how MSNBC and CNN continue to insist that the protests are peaceful? Or maybe how BLM insists that cops are targeting unarmed blacks for execution??

I marched with my daughter in a very peaceful protest...Not every protest has violence attached to it...the BLM people there were very thankful for the protection provided by local police...

[boatcapt]

Here's a question. If you had the choice between:

A. Your college stays the same with sinking enrollment and all the other problems, and a very real chance of completely closing in 5 years BUT they keep their name and full slate of athletics, OR

B. They merge with two other schools which increases dramatically the chance that there will be a functioning college in its current town BUT they have to sacrifice their name and most if not all athletics.

Which do you choose??

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I've been thinking a lot about the plans. If the idea is to have one university with multiple campuses, there are a few models. One is Southern Illinois University - with two campuses in Carbondale in Edwardsville. Carbondale is the typical former normal school located in a rural town. Edwardsville is a newer branch (started in 1950s) located on the perimeter of the St Louis metro. Technically, SIU Edwardsville is a branch of SIU Carbondale.

Georgia recently consolidated schools in 2018. Georgia Southern merged with Armstrong State. Georgia Southern is large and located in Stateboro about an hour outside Savannah, where Armstrong is located. Armstrong is a former junior college so a good portion of its enrollment is adult and/or part-time. The merger was designed to save costs, so several academic programs were merged and Georgia cut the Armstrong State athletic department. The now "Georgia Southern - Armstrong Campus" has lost its identity. Its enrollment is down 20% since the merger, which actually was increasing before. Its a very limited sample, but the potential to do more harm than good is clear. People don't want to attend a branch campus, and while our schools' academic reputations aren't exactly stellar, they are familiar to the target audience.

Twenty years ago IUP had its branch campus in Kittanning. Essentially, if you couldn't get in to IUP main campus entering your freshman year (or if they were at capacity), they would offer to start you there for a year. If it worked out, you'd then move to Indiana. I actually had several friends that went to Cal and Clarion rather than spend the year in Kittanning. So, I certainly agree with you there is a bad stigma toward a 'branch campus'.

Granted, that was back when we had, albeit low, academic standards for admission -- but, still some standards (unlike today).

[Fightingscot82]

I've been thinking a lot about the plans. If the idea is to have one university with multiple campuses, there are a few models. One is Southern Illinois University - with two campuses in Carbondale in Edwardsville. Carbondale is the typical former normal school located in a rural town. Edwardsville is a newer branch (started in 1950s) located on the perimeter of the St Louis metro. Technically, SIU Edwardsville is a branch of SIU Carbondale.

Georgia recently consolidated schools in 2018. Georgia Southern merged with Armstrong State. Georgia Southern is large and located in Stateboro about an hour outside Savannah, where Armstrong is located. Armstrong is a former junior college so a good portion of its enrollment is adult and/or part-time. The merger was designed to save costs, so several academic programs were merged and Georgia cut the Armstrong State athletic department. The now "Georgia Southern - Armstrong Campus" has lost its identity. Its enrollment is down 20% since the merger, which actually was increasing before. Its a very limited sample, but the potential to do more harm than good is clear. People don't want to attend a branch campus, and while our schools' academic reputations aren't exactly stellar, they are familiar to the target audience.

[Fightingscot82]

You missed the one from their president. One hundred jobs lost, including 47 faculty, and the possibility of being a branch campus, yet everyone is going to wait and see. LHU also was closing their branch campus. These schools should stand alone, however, they look in the end.

https://www.lockhaven.com/opinion/co...lhus-heritage/

So this bothers me: is this still a proposal or is this happening? The LHU president says it's just a proposal, but on Saturday I was told by an Edinboro trustee that it's a full on merger with a probable name change.

[boatcapt]

Or like how Fox News reimagines The reality of the news...

Yea...reality...Like how MSNBC and CNN continue to insist that the protests are peaceful? Or maybe how BLM insists that cops are targeting unarmed blacks for execution??

[Bart]

I disagree. No matter how it affects our allegiances and a structure we've grown accustomed to for literally our whole lives, this is the right path. It's painful but, as the prez says, LHU can't justify a staffing level designed for a school of 5400 when there are now only 3000 students.

Pignatelli, the LHU prez, is a dynamic, forward-looking guy. While the pressure is from PASSHE leadership Pignatelli appears to be running with it. He would be my odds-on favorite to head up the 3 school system.

Now the LH locals are up in arms because it will be a drain on the local economy and culture. Meanwhile, they replaced one of the most pro-education state reps (Mike Hanna) with a Trump-supporting, gun rights loving, religious zealot (Stephanie Borowicz) who can't say a meaningful word in Harrisburg to defend the local interests. Sad.

If they have to cut jobs and programs, I guess so be it. Eat or be eaten as Darwin probably would have said. Another said:

"If scale is your argument, wouldn't the proper scale be getting the whole PASSHE system on the same back end for online programming and sharing services at the system office?" he said.
The new legislation giving officials more freedom to reconfigure the system excludes PASSHE's two biggest institutions, West Chester University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. To Koricich, that opens the door to the system "stripping" its less-resourced universities and preserving the wealthier ones. It's a common financial dynamic in higher ed, in which powerful institutions are protected and regional colleges are punished as an outcome of efforts to downsize.
https://www.educationdive.com/news/p...knowns/585775/

Cheyney has survived on a bare bones for years. It will be tough to accept any changes, as the old saying goes: you can't teach an old dog to live tied to a chain.

[iupgroundhog]

You missed the one from their president. One hundred jobs lost, including 47 faculty, and the possibility of being a branch campus, yet everyone is going to wait and see. LHU also was closing their branch campus. These schools should stand alone, however, they look in the end.

https://www.lockhaven.com/opinion/co...lhus-heritage/

I disagree. No matter how it affects our allegiances and a structure we've grown accustomed to for literally our whole lives, this is the right path. It's painful but, as the prez says, LHU can't justify a staffing level designed for a school of 5400 when there are now only 3000 students.

Pignatelli, the LHU prez, is a dynamic, forward-looking guy. While the pressure is from PASSHE leadership Pignatelli appears to be running with it. He would be my odds-on favorite to head up the 3 school system.

Now the LH locals are up in arms because it will be a drain on the local economy and culture. Meanwhile, they replaced one of the most pro-education state reps (Mike Hanna) with a Trump-supporting, gun rights loving, religious zealot (Stephanie Borowicz) who can't say a meaningful word in Harrisburg to defend the local interests. Sad.

[Bart]

You missed the one from their president. One hundred jobs lost, including 47 faculty, and the possibility of being a branch campus, yet everyone is going to wait and see. LHU also was closing their branch campus. These schools should stand alone, however, they look in the end.

https://www.lockhaven.com/opinion/co...lhus-heritage/

[iupgroundhog]

Reactions from LH.

https://www.lockhaven.com/opinion/ed...u-integration/
https://www.lockhaven.com/news/local...-to-speak-out/

[IUPNation]

Maybe Pa could "Reimagine" the state schools similar to some west coast cities doing their own reimagining of police dep'ts.

Or like how Fox News reimagines The reality of the news...