Pennsylvania Western University

[EastStroud13]

Whatever !?! Neither will be rolling off my tongue...CAL U FOREVER

Fine, but that wasn't really the question, was it?

[EdinboroFB]

I like the idea since it means Edinboro will get an AD and an SID in the process.

[EdinboroFB]

Pee Dubs

[IUPbigINDIANS]

What about PWU-Cal vs. PCU-Cal? Because that's most likely what it'd turn into. Personally, I think PCU rolls off the tongue much more naturally.

PCU ... great mid-90s college film.

You don't wear the shirt of the band ... to the concert.

[boatcapt]

What about PWU-Cal vs. PCU-Cal? Because that's most likely what it'd turn into. Personally, I think PCU rolls off the tongue much more naturally.

PWUC or PCUC?

[boatcapt]

Sounds like the Central Planning Committee & 5yr plan Used by the Communist Party in the USSR. How'd that work out?

Worked so good we're trying to implement the same system here! wink, wink!!

[boatcapt]

Looks like there will be three equal local ADs each reporting to the local senior finance administrator.

Has that been reported publicly or is it something heard on campus?

[Fightingscot82]

Has that been reported publicly or is it something heard on campus?

That's my best assumption looking at the organizational chart for the new university as presented in the approved integration plan. Athletics fall under the Finance & Administration division.

[boatcapt]

That's my best assumption looking at the organizational chart for the new university as presented in the approved integration plan. Athletics fall under the Finance & Administration division.

Its amazing how much is still TBD in this plan! You'd think they would at least have the structural wire charts in order. Sometimes it seems like they started planning yesterday!!!

[boatcapt]

PCU ... great mid-90s college film.

You don't wear the shirt of the band ... to the concert.

Opens up a bunch of new post season awards for players...A player can now be All-PWU, All-PSAC West, and All-PSAC without even leaving the conference!!!!. Heck, if all three campuses have full and overlaping athletic teams, they can have a PWU championship and the athletic departments can have a PWU "President's Cup" to identify the best athletic program of the three campuses.

[Fightingscot82]

Its amazing how much is still TBD in this plan! You'd think they would at least have the structural wire charts in order. Sometimes it seems like they started planning yesterday!!!

The org structure was approved as part of the integration plan. The VPs for each administrative division have all been selected and they recently announced the academic deans. Beyond there they're still determining how and where to house the non-academic functions. Nobody is focusing their full attention on the consolidation/integration, so its on top of their everyday job. That takes time.

[complaint_hopeful]

Its amazing how much is still TBD in this plan! You'd think they would at least have the structural wire charts in order. Sometimes it seems like they started planning yesterday!!!

The 'Integration Plans' were more Business Plans with high level overviews. They weren't detailed implementation instructions. That kind of stuff is being worked out as it goes.

It is a massive project making 3 Universities that have done things differently for 150+ years into 1.

[Fightingscot82]

The 'Integration Plans' were more Business Plans with high level overviews. They weren't detailed implementation instructions. That kind of stuff is being worked out as it goes.

It is a massive project making 3 Universities that have done things differently for 150+ years into 1.

I'd add that there is also no clear example of this being done. The more recent local mergers are private schools (no public documents) and in Georgia and Texas but those were outright merge & close.

[complaint_hopeful]

I'd add that there is also no clear example of this being done. The more recent local mergers are private schools (no public documents) and in Georgia and Texas but those were outright merge & close.

Yes. I think there is a big public misconception too that the Chancellor has designed every aspect of this. And while he is involved, it's mainly the current employees...hundreds and hundreds of them doing this along with consultants. And the employees work hard and want this to succeed...but as was mentioned, they're working their normal jobs too. And the employees largely don't have experience building something from the ground up.

I feel like this is going to be a several year process to get things running smoothly.

[ctrabs74]

I'd add that there is also no clear example of this being done. The more recent local mergers are private schools (no public documents) and in Georgia and Texas but those were outright merge & close.

I mentioned the merger of two state colleges in Vermont into a single university (though they maintained their separate athletics programs). Here are a few articles from 2017 regarding the initial merger of Johnson State College and Lyndon State College into Northern Vermont University:

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/OffMessa...son-and-lyndon

https://www.vpr.org/vpr-news/2017-09...ont-university

Here is a 2019 post-merger progress report:

https://www.northernvermont.edu/site...rt_2.20.19.pdf

Now, NVU would be consolidated with Castleton University (formerly Castleton State College) and Vermont Technical College into Vermont State University by 2023:

https://vtdigger.org/2021/09/21/cast...te-university/

https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/...ch/5810772001/

https://www.vsc.edu/transformation/

https://www.vsc.edu/wp-content/uploa...-Update-14.pdf

https://www.castleton.edu/alumni-giv...ification-faq/

This is what the Vermont State Colleges System chancellor said re: future of athletics programs at Castleton, NVU-Johnson and NVU-Lyndon in the next to last link:

We intend to maintain the in demand Athletic program options on your campus after unification. We understand the critical importance athletics play as part of the student experience and in recruiting students to our universities. We are doing some significant analysis and planning as part of transformation to ensure students have access to a wide array of programs with the coaching, facilities, and support that are needed to make them successful. We are not able to make guarantees about specific sports at this time, but we will have more details to offer in the coming months. As has been the case for many years, athletic programs are added and removed at all VSC institutions in large part based on student interest, recruitment potential, and participation. While individual programs might eventually change at some campuses, we are also looking at adding additional options at those same campuses that align with student interest and facilities.

If the Penn West merger follows the same pattern as what's happening in Vermont, then I would suspect that Cal, Clarion and Edinboro will retain their independent athletic programs (same with Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield if/when the Eastern merger occurs). The point of this entire post is that there is precedent to allow separate NCAA programs at different campuses within the same university under a single accreditation (at least that's how I'm reading how the NVU merger played out).