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LHU, Mansfield alliance would bring pain, but also gain

While we are very sad to see the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education launch a study into essentially unifying Lock Haven and Mansfield Universities under one budget, one president, one faculty and a combined array of programs of study, it is not surprising. Not in the current environment brought on by the pandemic. And surely, with high school graduation rates to again slump in coming years, a refocus was necessary anyway amid constricted funding after a decade of declining student population pretty much across all 14 state-run universities. If ultimately the schools are ...

‘In order to form a more perfect union’

Independence Day should not be celebrated without recognizing that for much of our history as a nation, many of our fellow Americans have wondered what there was for them to celebrate. During nearly a century after independence, millions of African-Americans remained enslaved, after all. Native Americans were slaughtered as if they weren’t even human beings. Even in the memories of some, Americans of Japanese ancestry were discriminated against. Still today, many of our fellow citizens of the United States wonder whether “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” ...

Commitment to our values

This Independence Day weekend, we Americans celebrate and renew our commitment to the values set forth in 1776 by leaders who felt it was important to explain why our ancestors no longer wanted to live under British rule. Why? Read the preamble to the Declaration of Independence. It is a clear explanation of Americans’ insistence on the rights of individuals: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness ...” ...

Have a joyous and safe July 4 holiday

Fireworks are part of the Fourth of July. They are more available than ever in most areas. And this year, for obvious reasons, even some people who did not buy and set off their own pyrotechnics in the past may be tempted to use them to blow off some steam. Just so no one blows off a couple of fingers or puts out an eye. Virtually all types of fireworks can be purchased and used by consumers, even if they have to cut a corner or two of the law. Because so many communities have canceled Independence Day pyrotechnics shows this year, it will be tempting for many people to ...

We all need answers … and solutions

For many of us, COVID-19 may seem like a bad dream even though it is far from stamped out in our country. One aspect of recovery — placing blame — is well along. But recriminations that were common during the height of the epidemic are trailing off. That should not happen. Learning what went wrong — more particularly, who all was asleep at the switch during the pandemic’s early days — needs to continue. We have known for some time that the World Health Organization failed, and so has our own federal government as it tip-toes around the critical need of ramping up ...

Meanwhile … at the museums

It will take some time for us all to get used to the “new normal” after the COVID-19 epidemic. One aspect of our lives that should not change — but could — is the variety of museums that educate and entertain us. Throughout the world, most museums had to close during the height of the pandemic. Financial pressure means that nearly 13% of them may never reopen, UNESCO and the International Council of Museums estimate. The most likely victims are the small, specialized, local museums in many of their communities. Without the big endowments and donor bases enjoyed by ...