PASSHE - our alma maters

[EastStroud13]

This is a very good and timely discussion on a lot of levels. Personally, I have a high school senior interested in mechanical engineering/ aerospace engineering so the PASSHE schools are out of the question. I have been on at least a dozen college campuses over the last two years taking tours and talking to college professors and personnel. I have been at Ivies (Princeton, Penn and Cornell), Land Grant schools (PSU, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech), and small schools (Florida Tech, Drexel, Lehigh, Grove City, Messiah College).

Somewhat off-topic but a word of caution as a Drexel alum, if a student is looking for a small school experience, that is not what Drexel offers. Their enrollment is more in line with Georgia Tech than Lehigh. It's definitely a unique experience and is great for the right student, but they have to know what they're looking for. If they get blindsided and the experience is not what they expected, it can be very easy to fall behind with the quick quarter system they have.

[IUPBand8588]

This is a very good and timely discussion on a lot of levels. Personally, I have a high school senior interested in mechanical engineering/ aerospace engineering so the PASSHE schools are out of the question. I have been on at least a dozen college campuses over the last two years taking tours and talking to college professors and personnel. I have been at Ivies (Princeton, Penn and Cornell), Land Grant schools (PSU, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech), and small schools (Florida Tech, Drexel, Lehigh, Grove City, Messiah College).

Here are some observations.... the PASSHE schools have way nicer residential options and facilities than any of the schools I mentioned previously, yet they are losing enrollment- so modern housing options does not necessarily attract students. Virginia Tech had way more students attend than expected and they now have a housing shortage. Their on campus housing has mostly cinder block walls with no air conditioning yet students attend because of the reputation and programming. The same can be said about the ivies I visited- subpar housing compared to Ship or IUP.

My coworker's son was accepted to IUP and was planning to attend, but WVU offered a mountaineer scholarship for out of state students to mitigate out of state costs. His son choose WVU at the last minute because of the better name on the degree.

Don't blame the Republicans. A few folks have talked about personnel costs and prevailing wage. I work on a lot of projects on college campuses and prevailing wage is a large driver of increasing costs and also a democratic issue. I don't want to get into a political debate- there is always plenty of blame to go around. I think a larger issue is that members of the Legislature want to promote PSU branches versus PASSHE schools.

Here is a potential solution as a parent soon paying for tuition and other costs. The PASSHE schools should do what other states do and agree to reduce the cost of out of state tuition to the cost of a student's in state flagship university if that student meets certain academic criteria. WVU and Maine do this quite effectively and this could increase a market for potential students.

[shipfbfan12]

My daughter who is a senior this year is choosing between one of my alma maters (Shippensburg) and a few schools in Virginia & Maryland (Norfolk State, Virginia Wesleyan, Virginia State & Morgan State) because she's attending HS in Delaware no matter what school she chooses we will be stuck for 2 years paying the Out of State tuition rate although Shippensburg is offering her a $7k tuition break by declaring a science major. Even with the rise in tutition (I went to Ship/Cheyney from 2001-2007 at 14K living on campus, to her tuition and fees being $27k, its still a heck of a bargain compared to say Penn State in State College where we would be paying almost $50k per year)

[Horror Child]

10/15 Pa. state system stepping up financial aid to recruit, retain college students
10/16 Pennsylvania state universities move toward more shared services, cost savings
10/17 Pa. state university leaders agree to seek $100 million more to redesign the system

[Fightingscot82]

Re: PASSHE - our alma maters

The schools are merging into one identity. So, you can now take courses offered by system schools other than the one you attend. How many courses? Will you soon be able to be enrolled in Kutztown and earn a degree from Shippensburg?

I think soon there will be no more bragging about going to one school over another. It will be one big monolith with 14 different physical locations. School pride will be nonexistent, eventually. Just sayin'.

My understanding is that if you can't take it at your current school (not offered or it's full) you will be able to take the same course or its equivalent at another system school.

[Horror Child]

Re: PASSHE - our alma maters

Good news out of Harrisburg: https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/0...-21-years.html

Three positive signs:

1) Things are changing. Nothing big and visible but the "redesign" will be great and hopefully avoid any closures or mergers.

2) The Chancellor is making HUGE progress with the faculty union. They're ahead on negotiating a new contract that seems fair to both sides (from what I've heard).

3) Cheyney seems to be turning a corner. Enrollment is still down but their admissions profile is up significantly. It helps when you lose half your students but increase the honors enrollment.

That should be the result when a wise kid, like the one in this article, gets free tuition funded by the state taxpayers.

$4M in money from Pa. to make college free for more Cheyney students

[Horror Child]

Re: PASSHE - our alma maters

The schools are merging into one identity. So, you can now take courses offered by system schools other than the one you attend. How many courses? Will you soon be able to be enrolled in Kutztown and earn a degree from Shippensburg?

I think soon there will be no more bragging about going to one school over another. It will be one big monolith with 14 different physical locations. School pride will be nonexistent, eventually. Just sayin'.

The backup of the system!?!?! What does that mean?

[IUPfootball]

Re: PASSHE - our alma maters

REPUBLICAN POLITICS FOREVER... Democrats know nothing about anything!

[iupgroundhog]

Re: PASSHE - our alma maters

Good news out of Harrisburg: https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/0...-21-years.html

Three positive signs:
1) Things are changing. Nothing big and visible but the "redesign" will be great and hopefully avoid any closures or mergers.
2) The Chancellor is making HUGE progress with the faculty union. They're ahead on negotiating a new contract that seems fair to both sides (from what I've heard).
3) Cheyney seems to be turning a corner. Enrollment is still down but their admissions profile is up significantly. It helps when you lose half your students but increase the honors enrollment.

The schools are merging into one identity. So, you can now take courses offered by system schools other than the one you attend. How many courses? Will you soon be able to be enrolled in Kutztown and earn a degree from Shippensburg?

I think soon there will be no more bragging about going to one school over another. It will be one big monolith with 14 different physical locations. School pride will be nonexistent, eventually. Just sayin'.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: PASSHE - our alma maters

Good news out of Harrisburg: https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/0...-21-years.html

Three positive signs:

1) Things are changing. Nothing big and visible but the "redesign" will be great and hopefully avoid any closures or mergers.

2) The Chancellor is making HUGE progress with the faculty union. They're ahead on negotiating a new contract that seems fair to both sides (from what I've heard).

3) Cheyney seems to be turning a corner. Enrollment is still down but their admissions profile is up significantly. It helps when you lose half your students but increase the honors enrollment.

[CALUPA69]

Re: PASSHE - our alma maters

Related to this thread was the announcement today that two HC jobs at CALU have opened up and it makes me feel like a significant contraction in the sports offered will be one of the canary in the coal mine indicators that the times are tough and getting tougher. ED DENNY, HC of WOMEN'S SWIMMING for 17 years has apparently resigned, though that hasn't been announced by SI yet. He has run a very nice competitive program that never had the overall strength of say a WCU , but still regularly produced good, and in one case, MELISSA GATES, a great swimmer. This may just be retirement since he is 60, but if swimming goes the way of tennis from the very elite in the country to totally lame, I'd just as soon shut it down. Which won't happen because these sports are needed to balance off scholarships against football. Coincidentally the other position posted was HC of WOMEN'S TENNIS. The collapse of this sport has been stunning. Under PABLO MONTANA, the team was 228-72 , winning PSAC on a regular basis, and competing against the best from across the country at the national tournament. In the three years since he left the record is 9-24 and again I'd say please end the embarrassment. This will be the 4th coach in 4 years which is awful. This season's HC and VOLUNTEER ASST never bothered to post their picture. Truly sad days.

[iupgroundhog]

Re: PASSHE - our alma maters

This sounds optimistic at Cheyney

https://www.phillytrib.com/news/loca...32357ba8e.html

sounds optimistic. But lodged in the middle of the article is the sentence above. So, you need to have skepticism regarding any Cheyney-related material published by The Philadelphia Tribune. In fact, if you put all the other quotes in the article ahead of what the President said the headline changes to something more doubtful. My guess is they will not balance the budget and they will ask for leniency...again.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: PASSHE - our alma maters

This sounds optimistic at Cheyney

https://www.phillytrib.com/news/loca...32357ba8e.html

[Fightingscot82]

Re: PASSHE - our alma maters

Voluntary retirement plan could help cash-strapped Pa. state university system

This is a good thing. Edinboro had to cut a degree program because every full time faculty member was full professor making $120k with a declining number of students. The department had a $250,000 annual deficit based on their faculty salaries alone before considering benefits and other expenses. The real kicker is that ten years ago the state paid $5M for a new building specifically designed for that one major.

[Horror Child]

Re: PASSHE - our alma maters

Voluntary retirement plan could help cash-strapped Pa. state university system