OT: Commomwealth Campus Closures

[Pitchfork Rebel]

Twelve of Nineteen are on the chopping block.

Good thing they blew $700M on Beaver Stadium.

https://www.centredaily.com/news/local/education/penn-state/article300952294.html

Penn State offers buyouts amid budget cuts

The university has initiated a “voluntary separation incentive program” for some employees at its Commonwealth Campuses across Pennsylvania.

www.spotlightpa.org

 

[mhlarch]

Is it blowing money to invest in a money making cash cow? A program that makes money, supports other sports, and brings in millions of dollars to the local economy.

Or we can continue to spend that money on a failing branch campus system that is not sustainable because of falling enrollment.

It pains me to see branch campuses on the chopping block that help support the smaller communities they are located in. I hate to see that PSU DuBois (which has an excellent wildlife management tech program) and Mount Alto (which has an excellent Forestry tech program) might go by the wayside, but the current system is not sustainable. I just hope programs like those can be folded into another branch campus, but based on the need for those to be close to certain landscapes for study in a living outdoor classroom, that will be a challenge. Sad to see, but probably necessary.

 

[El-Jefe]

Penn State needs to dramatically change its cost structure.

PSU is far more expensive than community colleges for the first 2 years of non-major classes. And some border schools in other states are actually cheaper -- a PA resident will pay nearly $3k/yr less tuition at Youngstown State than at PSU.

Also, several Ivies now discount or even waive tuition depending on parents' income.

Spanier completely ignored PSU cost during his tenure because it was the good times for colleges, and now that's come back to bite PSU. UP can get away with it due to degree prestige and job recruiting. Other campuses not so much.

 

[Pitchfork Rebel]

Is it blowing money to invest in a money making cash cow? A program that makes money, supports other sports, and brings in millions of dollars to the local economy.

Or we can continue to spend that money on a failing branch campus system that is not sustainable because of falling enrollment.

It pains me to see branch campuses on the chopping block that help support the smaller communities they are located in. I hate to see that PSU DuBois (which has an excellent wildlife management tech program) and Mount Alto (which has an excellent Forestry tech program) might go by the wayside, but the current system is not sustainable. I just hope programs like those can be folded into another branch campus, but based on the need for those to be close to certain landscapes for study in a living outdoor classroom, that will be a challenge. Sad to see, but probably necessary.

The purpose of a university is to teach and educate, not to run a professional sports cartel.

 

[nerfstate]

The purpose of a university is to teach and educate, not to run a professional sports cartel.

You sure?

 

[El-Jefe]

The purpose of a university is to teach and educate, not to run a professional sports cartel.

The purpose of every professional organization is to make money. Otherwise they go out of business.

A university chooses to make money by teaching and educating, among other activities.

 

[dicemen99]

Twelve of Nineteen are on the chopping block.

Good thing they blew $700M on Beaver Stadium.

https://www.centredaily.com/news/local/education/penn-state/article300952294.html

Penn State offers buyouts amid budget cuts

The university has initiated a “voluntary separation incentive program” for some employees at its Commonwealth Campuses across Pennsylvania.

www.spotlightpa.org

If the 700M allows them to bump average ticket prices by $50 per seat they'll make it back in less than 3 years (actually probably less given depending on how they acquire the money and many other factors involved in maintaining infrastructure, but just using rough numbers).

I'd expect the University isn't "blowing" any money in this case.

 

[amattaro]

Having just about completed The Closing of the American Mind per our good friend @Pitchfork Rebel (https://pennstate.forums.rivals.com/threads/ot-various-ot-topics.354349/post-6853780) I am here for the philosophical debate over the purpose of the university!

 

[El-Jefe]

If the 700M allows them to bump average ticket prices by $50 per seat they'll make it back in less than 3 years (actually probably less given depending on how they acquire the money and many other factors involved in maintaining infrastructure, but just using rough numbers).

I'd expect the University isn't "blowing" any money in this case.

Not to mention how much PSU will jack up parking.

Plus fundraising events there, and the fundraising associated with PSU Football that benefits both athletics and academics.

And maybe, just maybe, Beaver Stadium will host more than 1 concert every 7 years.

 

[Pitchfork Rebel]

Having just about completed The Closing of the American Mind per our good friend @Pitchfork Rebel (https://pennstate.forums.rivals.com/threads/ot-various-ot-topics.354349/post-6853780) I am here for the philosophical debate over the purpose of the university!

Bloom wrote that in like 1987? as a cautionary tale.

It was used as a blueprint.

 

[voltz99]

Twelve of Nineteen are on the chopping block.

Good thing they blew $700M on Beaver Stadium.

https://www.centredaily.com/news/local/education/penn-state/article300952294.html

Penn State offers buyouts amid budget cuts

The university has initiated a “voluntary separation incentive program” for some employees at its Commonwealth Campuses across Pennsylvania.

www.spotlightpa.org

One has NOTHING to do with the other dipchit. Football is self sufficient. Football actually supports 20+ other sports.

PS. Michigan has 2 branch campuses. Temple 2, Rutgers 2, Ohio State 5. PSU has 23. PSU should probably cut 18.

You are probably a prof. Maybe you should have done a better job. PSU has about 6 campuses with less than 400 students each.

 

[voltz99]

Penn State needs to dramatically change its cost structure.

PSU is far more expensive than community colleges for the first 2 years of non-major classes. And some border schools in other states are actually cheaper -- a PA resident will pay nearly $3k/yr less tuition at Youngstown State than at PSU.

Also, several Ivies now discount or even waive tuition depending on parents' income.

Spanier completely ignored PSU cost during his tenure because it was the good times for colleges, and now that's come back to bite PSU. UP can get away with it due to degree prestige and job recruiting. Other campuses not so much.

Closing campuses will help reduce cost structure. PSU is the only school in the B10 with over 10 campuses. Michigan has 2. OSU has 5. Rutgers has 3.

Who in their right mind thinks it is cost effective to have a campus, food service, dorms, athletic dept and education for 300 students?

 

[voltz99]

The purpose of a university is to teach and educate, not to run a professional sports cartel.

They can do that without the 6 branch campuses that have less than 400 students each.

Maybe the profs who lose their jobs should put up their own money and buy the campuses.

 

[El-Jefe]

Closing campuses will help reduce cost structure. PSU is the only school in the B10 with over 10 campuses. Michigan has 2. OSU has 5. Rutgers has 3.

Who in their right mind thinks it is cost effective to have a campus, food service, dorms, athletic dept and education for 300 students?

Regardless of the campuses, the Commonwealth Campus bureaucracy itself is a cost that should be evaluated. At the least, it both drives admin cost and drags out decisions.

 

[82bordeaux]

The purpose of a university is to teach and educate, AND to run an AMATEUR sports DYNASTY.

FIFY

 

[matter7172]

I hadn't realized they had separate campuses in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton. Could probably tighten that up a little.

 

[mhlarch]

I hadn't realized they had separate campuses in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton. Could probably tighten that up a little.

Excellent point! No need to have 3 branch campuses so close together.

 

[mhs103]

Excellent point! No need to have 3 branch campuses so close together.

PA has 10 state owned universities. PSU has 19 branch campuses. Pitt has 4 branches. Plus PA has 15 community colleges with 80 campuses. Pa has an aging population and a low birth rate. Demand for a post high school education by PA high school grads falls far short of supply. Something's gotta give. Close branch campuses or attract more out of state and foreign students?

 

[a_mshaffer]

One has NOTHING to do with the other dipchit. Football is self sufficient. Football actually supports 20+ other sports.

PS. Michigan has 2 branch campuses. Temple 2, Rutgers 2, Ohio State 5. PSU has 23. PSU should probably cut 18.

You are probably a prof. Maybe you should have done a better job. PSU has about 6 campuses with less than 400 students each.

I wonder, and am too lazy to look up, exactly what expenses hit the fball program. wondering if property, assets are allocated to the university and not the fball pgm... there are a lot of little things that could add up that could be blended into the school expenses. Gotta remember, nothing lies like a spreasheet

 

[amattaro]

Bloom wrote that in like 1987? as a cautionary tale.

It was used as a blueprint.

On cautionary tales, recommend reading this. https://www.amazon.com/Technological-Slavery-Theodore-John-Kaczynski/dp/1944228039

 

[PSU Mike]

If the 700M allows them to bump average ticket prices by $50 per seat they'll make it back in less than 3 years (actually probably less given depending on how they acquire the money and many other factors involved in maintaining infrastructure, but just using rough numbers).

I'd expect the University isn't "blowing" any money in this case.

Help me with that math. Setting aside a bit for students … 50x95000x7x3=99,750,000.

 

[Creek Side]

On cautionary tales, recommend reading this. https://www.amazon.com/Technological-Slavery-Theodore-John-Kaczynski/dp/1944228039

There are similarities between the book author and your new profile pic. 🧐 🤔

 

[Pitchfork Rebel]

I hadn't realized they had separate campuses in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton. Could probably tighten that up a little.

I attended Hazleton and took a summer class in Scranton. Scranton isn't very big. Hazleton I think was a gift. They went nuts adding housing a while back. The campus is situated on top of small mountain and there's a nice windy road to get up in the winter-and the weather there can be treacherous due to elevation. You really wouldn't want to commute from Scranton to Hazleton in January.

The year I left, one of the other kids finishing up there before headed to Main got T-shirts made up "Nuke Hazleton".

Some of my best teachers were at Hazleton: The late Nick Skimbo taught Managerial Accounting and Larry Biachi taught Econ.

At University Park, I had a PhD candidate teaching Intermediate Accounting. I think her name was Roxanne Johnson and she announced to us on the first day that she was only teaching the course because it was a doctoral requirement. I asked her in class why, if par value was an obsolete concept, why was it still used. She asked me to see her after class-where she told me I asked disturbing questions and if I wanted to know that, I should be a Finance Major. Fortunately for her, she was dealing with stupid undergrad me. This me old, mean and intolerant of that sort of evasion would have cleaned her clock for not having admitted she didn't know the answer.

I think this is her, ended up at the UIniversity of Scranton, where I went for an MBA. (Never crossed paths there)

Apparently she's still has "the touch".

Roxanne Johnson at University of Scranton | Rate My Professors

Roxanne Johnson is a professor in the Accounting department at University of Scranton - see what their students are saying about them or leave a rating yourself.

www.ratemyprofessors.com

 

[SWPA]

PA has 10 state owned universities. PSU has 19 branch campuses. Pitt has 4 branches. Plus PA has 15 community colleges with 80 campuses. Pa has an aging population and a low birth rate. Demand for a post high school education by PA high school grads falls far short of supply. Something's gotta give. Close branch campuses or attract more out of state and foreign students?

I'm doing my part.

 

[mcpat]

It’s simply not the same pool of money.

 

[Flying_Tiger]

I hadn't realized they had separate campuses in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton. Could probably tighten that up a little.

I'm hearing all three are going to be closed.

 

[tullfan68]

I know how important Professors are but I think many are paid way to much,or do we have an Indiana Jones?

 

[tullfan68]

only 3 would not be bad but really even one is too many!

 

[BigFella235]

As a PSU DuBois grad, it’s sad to hear that they may be closing the campus. I was recruited there to wrestle and I chose it because of the small school feel. I was ~2hrs from home so I didn’t know many people outside of my teammates, but I could still drive home on a weekend if I wanted to. I can tell you from personal experience that they have great OT, engineering and wildlife programs. The wildlife programs are probably what they’re most known for. One of my old roommates is a wildlife program grad and he recently finished up his PhD at Texas A&M. Sports wise they currently have an excellent baseball program and the basketball team won its conference for the first time in many years. Im not sure who is the AD these days, but when I was there it was former Clarion wrestling head coach Ken Nellis and he ran a tight ship.

 

[86PSUPaul]

I'm hearing all three are going to be closed.

Wow, I would think they would keep one of the three open.