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Below are selected excerpts from the "Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education Northeast Proposed Implementation Plan Report Draft -- April 20, 2021."
-- A single faculty providing instruction in a single academic program array that leverages program, faculty, and facilities strengths at participating campuses and in which the majority of credentials, majors, minors, and areas of concentration are available to all students at each of the partner campuses through a combination of face-to-face and remote instruction.
-- Significantly expanded opportunities for adult students seeking to re-skill and up-skill through nondegree credentialing courses. Credentialing programs developed in close consultation with regional employers to ensure they have the skilled workforces they need as well as opportunities to re-skill and up-skill current employees.
-- A process to select a new name, which will be determined in Summer 2021. Within the naming convention for the integrated university, we expect to incorporate the current location name for each partner institution and continue to leverage it in traditional ways, including with student recruitment, alumni and donor relations, branding, marketing, etc.
-- Our shared and single-minded goal in integrating is to capture economies of scale and leverage our individual and collective strengths while increasing educational access and measures of success for all students, investing in new markets, and securing our mission of educational opportunity for our region far into the future – doing more together than any one institution could do alone. Based on the proposed implementation plan, we expect the Northeast integration to result in the creation of a student-focused, sustainable, totally integrated university that benefits the Commonwealth and honors the identities of the three integrating universities, but is one university.
-- With the Board's approval, the integration will embark on implementing the recommendations herein. Planning was conducted by more than 589 students, faculty, and staff through their participation in 16 working groups and 135 subgroups -- each looking at a specific aspect of integration (e.g., leadership and governance, academic program array, student financial aid, technology integration).
-- While this implementation planning report focuses on the Priority One recommendations for Phase 1 implementation, note that each of the working groups also identified Priority Two recommendations for implementation after the integrated university enrolls its first cohort of students in August 2022.
-- A declining demographic and increasing competition from in-state and out-of-state institutions of higher education, compounded by stagnant state support and consequent increases in tuition, led to significant enrollment declines. Enrollment declines, in turn, resulted in unsustainable financial positions of several universities, including Lock Haven and Mansfield, and by extension, of the System as a whole. Most concerning is the disproportionate negative impact on the enrollment of lower- and middle-income families, whom it is our particular mission as a public university to serve.
ACADEMIC PROGRAM HUBS
These are academic programs where the vast majority of the enrollment and supporting faculty happen to be located at one or two of our institutions. Keeping our guiding principle of expanding educational opportunity and maximizing access in mind, we intend these areas to function as the primary (but not necessarily exclusive) instructional delivery hubs for their academic programs across the integrated institution. We recognize, certainly, that in some cases restrictions and limitations due to program-specific facilities or the nature of instruction will limit a program's capacity to be fully accessible across all three campuses.
-- NURSING HUB LOCATIONS: BLOOMSBURG FOR GRADUATE NURSING PROGRAMS; LOCK HAVEN AND MANSFIELD FOR THE ASN
As a primary enrollment driver, the BSN will be offered at all three campuses with pathways to the MSN graduate programs based at Bloomsburg and offered in a hybrid format. The ASN will be offered at both Lock Haven and Mansfield. Organizationally, Nursing will require elevation to a School of Nursing due to size and also need an Associate Dean as a nurse administrator
-- PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT HUB LOCATION: LOCK HAVEN
Lock Haven has the only Physician Assistant program across the integrating universities. Didactic instruction is delivered virtually and may be accessible to students across all three campuses. It is envisioned that clinical sites will be expanded beyond the current catchment area to include service areas around Mansfield and Bloomsburg. Expansion of the Pre-PA Health Sciences programs to include Mansfield (currently available at Lock Haven and Bloomsburg) will be necessary as will adjustments to increase priority admission to students from the integrated university.
-- EXERCISE SCIENCE, SPORT PSYCHOLOGY, AND HEALTH/PHYSICAL EDUCATION HUB LOCATIONS: LOCK HAVEN AND BLOOMSBURG FOR BS EXERCISE SCIENCE, BLOOMSBURG FOR MS EXERCISE SCIENCE, LOCK HAVEN FOR MS SPORT PSYCHOLOGY AND HEALTH/PHYSICAL EDUCATION BSEd
Access to the menu of programs in this broad area will be limited to students at Lock Haven and Bloomsburg because of infrastructure constraints.
-- CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING HUB LOCATION: LOCK HAVEN
SHARED PROGRAMS
SUPPORTING THE ARRAY
-- EDUCATOR PREPARATION A majority of the education programs can be shared across the array via distance education for some program areas. Pennsylvania has shortages in most areas of educator preparation with strong needs in science education. Content area courses for small degree programs overlap with the disciplinary major and provide support for enrollments in those programs.
-- HEALTH SCIENCES
-- HUMANITIES
-- INTER/MULTIDISCIPLINARY PROGRAMS
-- STEM
-- SOCIAL SCIENCES
-- VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
Existing Programs in Need of Further Discussion
Most of the following programs are likely to be continued in the array, but need further discussion. Concerns vary, including the viability of the degree based on current enrollments and cost, the ability to share curriculum across campuses, and the resources/enrollments needed to offer proposed concentrations under a major. These concerns have been shared with our sub-subgroups for feedback:
Programs In Need of Further Discussion
-- Anthropology (BA)
-- Art History (BA)
-- Art Studio (BA)
-- Athletic Training (MS)
-- Biology (BA)
-- Business Education (MEd)
-- Chemical Technology (AS)
-- Chemistry (BA)
-- Computer Information Systems (AS)
-- Educational Leadership (MEd)
-- Educator Professional Development (MEd)
-- Effective Teaching (MAT)
-- Environmental Technology (AAS)
-- Environmental Geoscience (AS)
-- Exercise Science (MS)
-- Geography and Geographic Information System (AS)
-- Healthcare Management (MHS)
-- Healthcare Professions (AAS)
-- History
-- Mathematics (BS)
-- Philosophy (BA)
-- Physics (BA/BS)
-- Public Health (MSN)
-- Public Health Education (AAS)
-- Public Health Education and Promotion (BS)
-- Substance Use and Behavior Disorder Counseling (AS)
-- Theatre (BA)