Officials look at future of education
Chancellor: Mergers might strengthen Pa. university system
The chancellor of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education on Thursday recommended that the board of governors explore the idea of integrating California and Clarion universities to focus on online education; combining academic programs at Edinboro and Slippery Rock universities; and placing emphasis at Lock Haven and Mansfield for adults seeking non-degree-earning educational pursuits.
During a more than three-hour meeting, Chancellor Daniel Greenstein said there will continue to be on-campus instruction at the universities under consideration but believes studying potential mergers is the best way to address continually increasing costs in a system with declining enrollment.
“We cannot cut our way out of this situation,” he said during the online meeting of the board. “We have to find a way to grow.”
His recommendation was put to a vote and passed unanimously.
Under Mr. Greenstein’s recommendation, the study of the possible integration — part of the system’s redesign — will occur over the next year, with the possibility of implementation in fall 2022. Without working to integrate the proposed universities, he said, he does not believe the State System can meet the needs of its students, as well as the mission of serving the public with a quality affordable education.
“The stakes are that high, and time is not our friend,” Mr. Greenstein said.
Enrollment across the system has decreased by 19% from 2011 to 2019, and tuition has continued to increase, in part, Mr. Greenstein said, because of a lack of funding from the state.
Pennsylvania ranks 47th in the nation for per-student funding from the state.
In the 2009-10 academic year, he said, tuition in the system was about the same as the national average. By 2017-18, it was more than $6,000 higher — and on par with state-related universities.
Cynthia Shapira, chairwoman of the board, said the recommendation to integrate the various universities is not being forced on them and instead was suggested with input from each school.
“This is nothing being imposed in a hierarchical structure,” she said. “It’s really building from the universities up.”
Clarion University President Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson said during the meeting the integration will focus on expanding online education to meet the needs of adult students. But, she continued, there is no intention to eliminate traditional in-person education on campus, which will remain intact.
“It’s not one or the other,” she said. “It’s not going totally online.”
Geraldine M. Jones, the president at California, echoed those sentiments.
“This will strengthen both of our institutions.”
She noted that California has been offering online education for 10 years.
In the case of the possible integration of Slippery Rock and Edinboro, system spokesman David Pidgeon said in a media call it would mean a unified leadership team and single academic programming, faculty and staff.
Slippery Rock, he said, is in a solid and strong position, while Edinboro is not.
Integrating them, Mr. Pidgeon said, creates the potential for a “pretty compelling competitor in that market.” And because of the proximity of the two schools — just an hour apart — that grouping makes sense, he said.
Mr. Greenstein emphasized, though, that all of these discussions are in the early phases and that input from communities, students, faculty and staff is essential.
He said the process will be data driven and that it’s possible as the analysis continues that ideas for integration could shift.
“The specific shape and structure it will take — that is what the next couple of months will help us define,” Mr. Pidgeon said.
In addition, Mr. Pidgeon said it is premature to answer questions like what university would be the issuing authority for a degree after integration.
But he emphasized that the integration analysis will take into consideration the importance of each individual university’s identity.
Closing any individual university, Mr. Pidgeon said, is not an option for the state system.
“That’s in the hands of the state Legislature,” he said. But also, “closure is terrible public policy.”
If one university were to close, he noted, the rest of the State System would be required to pick up its debt load.
Instead, integration and looking at these issues in a bold and different way is essential — otherwise the system’s reserves, about $700 million, would be drawn down by a third in just a couple of years.
“It’s a really creative way that’s never been explored before by the State System,” he said.