Reasons to build the barren museum.
- Thread starter BobPSU92
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I sure am glad that my children are past the age of picking schools.
I never though I would reach the place where I agreed with fair that, other than for some sports teams, nothing about the University matters to me much any more, but here I am.
PSU is an overpriced school. Most majors, you can get academic equality cheaper elsewhere. It has also become a permanent, living monument to sloppy, corrupt governance marked by self-dealing and secrecy.
I cannot say I would recommend this Penn State to any young person I cared about.
I never though I would reach the place where I agreed with fair that, other than for some sports teams, nothing about the University matters to me much any more, but here I am.
PSU is an overpriced school. Most majors, you can get academic equality cheaper elsewhere. It has also become a permanent, living monument to sloppy, corrupt governance marked by self-dealing and secrecy.
I cannot say I would recommend this Penn State to any young person I cared about.
Two of my kids are PSU grads- I very much doubt any of my grandchildren will be, so far the only one to be old enough is going elsewhere
There could be a History of French Onion Dip wing in the new museum. It would probably be the first of its kind and would therefore generate great notoriety for Penn State.
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While I agree with your thought process, the cynic in me would suggest that Penn State’s governance is likely closer to the rule than the exception. That said, the academic slide they’re experiencing (or at least the perception of, based on public rankings, etc) needs to reverse course if they are to justify their price tag.
After what we've seen, I have a hard time believing many quality organizations are run as poorly or are as corrupt on the Board level as is Penn State. It truly is shameful.
You pretty much echo my thoughts. It's as if, over the past 5-10 years someone lifted a beautiful blanket and a bunch of roaches crawled out. What I have yet to determine is if the "corruption" you mention is something new or has always been there under the blanket. I fear the latter.
If the goal is a total of cost of attendance of $70k a year, they have some work to do -- they have to borrow a lot more money and build a bunch more gold-plated buildings. So why not $80 million for a new art museum? Why not a $50 million Trump-style president's mansion with gold leaf and polished marble interior? And why not demolish Jordan Center, which was a very poor design, and build a new basketball arena with a retractable roof. That should be good for $300 or $400 million. And probably time to knock down Pattee and replace it with something that will say to prospective students and their parents: This is the MOST EXPENSIVE publicly-supported university in the country and we are determined to stay No. 1.
Because their art collection won’t fit in the Palmer museum. I know this doesn’t matter to most of the posters on this board, who have no appreciation for fine art and probably have never set foot in a world class museum of art. Live the way you want to, it’s your loss. Btw, I heard Costco has a sale on Bud Light.
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For me it all began with this idea from administration that Penn State was some sort of elite school.
The phrase "most of us wouldnt get into PSU today" was uttered several times by admin during my meetings.
I liked Penn State because it provided a meritocracy for me where I could prove myself after an acceptable but not elite HS journey.
The elitist attitude by admin does not match what i viewed as the greatest attribute for PSU.
LdN
What do you think University Park is? Field of Dreams??? Build it and they will come...
So, do you drink more expensive beer to make others see how High society you are or because you truly enjoy the taste? At the end of the day no matter what the price tag, it all basically gets you the same amount of drunk.
Assuming no intended sarcasm, that’s not the point. At a time of massive student debt and sky-high tuition for a public school, this museum is a luxury that can wait. I also make the argument that 31 sports teams are a luxury also, and should be cut back, significantly.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
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It’s not the be all end all, but US News has PSU the ranked 59the best university in America yet ranked 131st for best value. Folks there have some work to do and it’s more than a new football cafeteria and museum.
Sadly, Penn State doesn’t feel like the same place to me. Add to that it’s one of the most expensive public schools and I’m not sure I could recommend it to my kids with a clear conscience. Not unless they were going for a major Penn State is known for and a degree from there carries more weight...
Well said. My daughter ‘s tuition to University of Arkansas medical school was about 1/2 The instate undergrad tuition at State.
WHen you have too much stuff, you get rid of stuff, not triple the size of your building for your stuff. Palmer averages less than 100 visitors per day. How can you justify $80 million for a new building that'll just be a storage building?
If this boondoggle is built, they won't visit a world class art museum at Penn State either.
By the way, I have been to the Louvre and the MMA.
Because the new one will probably average 110?
I agree they could always donate their excess art to a larger museum and could politely refuse to accept future art donations. "Thank you for your generosity Mr. Jones, but Penn State wants to focus it's energy and capital on it's primary mission of educating students. "
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The art collections of most major museums don't fit in their available exhibition space which is why pieces are rotated in an out (and why some are seldom or never put on exhibition). If you believe that what PSU proposes to build will be "world class" or will draw the attendance that was put forth, then you are delusional. But why should your outlook be different for this project than for anything else that PSU does?
Most people have never set foot in a world class museum of art because they don’t care...which is why PSU shouldn’t waste their money.
Higher education is full of rats (based on accounts I’ve heard from friends/relatives in the field). It could be argued that large institutions that dabble in public funds are breeding grounds for corruption. Again, you’re correct that it’s shameful, but I would suspect it’s been that way long before this particular shit hit the fan (even the Dear Old State from our time there) and will continue into the future.
Along these lines, I am trying to figure out how renovating Lasch and Holuba could possibly cost $69 million. I guess the Trenton effect of doing things has hit PSU.
Whose art collection won't fit? And most world class Museums ROTATE their collections anyway.
As a BFA graduate I have a pretty good appreciation and understanding of the fine arts and I've yet to see a reason for this new museum and the parking line by Barron was bullshit.
JMO but you are seriously short selling some of the members of this board.
Most people at all schools don’t care about art museums...sorry to disappoint you.
Granted, this message board of philistines is the last place one would expect support for an art museum.
But the fact is PSU probably can't afford this while tuition is so high. The rural location also argues against spending so much. Current attendance is only 35,000 a year even though its free but the consultants they hired say the new museum will attract 400,000, or about half that of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Yeah, right, that's believeable.
(9 million of PA's 13 million population live near Phillie and Pburg which have world class art museums, no doubt better than PSU will ever have.)
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Maybe this is what we need to keep pitt on the football schedule.
The spelling of the president's name is wonderfully appropriate...well done!*crickets*
The spelling of the president's name is wonderfully appropriate...well done!
So, off topic, but....
Daughter graduated today. 'Barren' was there to shake hands and talk pretentiously. He is pretty short, which I did not realize. My guess is 5'7? Hard to tell from a distance in the Auditorium.
Daughter texted me as things were getting underway and said 'ah! I have to shake Pres Barron's hand'. Guess she has heard me rant a time or three about him and the BOT. Some B&I Bot stuff was there to read happy words and smile at Barren.
Otoh, I really enjoyed the talk and presence of the A&A Dean. She was a great representative for PSU. She also retires in a few weeks.
They can load some pieces of art on the bus when they travel to Pitt and bring some back. Oh wait, someone will forget to keep track of what is leaving the museum...hahaha
I expect that this will be an unpopular opinion but I imagine Joe would have strongly supported investing in a world class museum for the Centre Region. The man appreciated the value of a well-rounded, liberal arts education and spearheaded the fundraising for the library- the Paterno Wing would cost $50M in today’s dollars.
In the abstract few would oppose the construction of a museum. Issue becomes whether it should be high on PSU's priority list when there are so many competing needs for dollars.
If a wealthy alumnus or group of alumni want to cough up the bucks for construction and continuing operation, Barron can knock himself out (though there would be little noticeable difference in his behavior when conscious). Short of that, it's not the most enlightened decision.
I am sure he would of too. The difference is he would have gone about it in a much more financially responsible way.
We don't need a bigger art museum, we need a more distinctive art museum. Why would an art aficionado travel to State College to visit Palmer when they can more easily visit great museums in Phiily or Pittsburgh? They wouldn't, unless the Palmer was known for something that museums in Philly, the Burgh and NYC didn't offer. Perhaps a particular style or type of art, perhaps art from certain period, perhaps the best collection of art from native Pennsylvanians, for example -- I'm not qualified to define what that distinctiveness should be -- but bigger doesn't imply better. Obviously, we can operate a fine university without an on-campus art museum, so if we're going to have one, how does it contribute to Penn State's reputation? What distinctive niche can Palmer occupy?
Agree. That is why President Barron is working hard on his painting. The display of his oeuvre could very well be what distinguishes the recently proposed "University Art Museum" from all others. Who else will have a collection of Barron's?
It looks like only about 1/3 of the cost of the Paterno Library was covered by donations, so I’d welcome your insights on how the rest was financed. I have no idea but would guess it was bonds and tuition dollars.
