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LOCK HAVEN -- While trustees of Lock Haven University do not have any vote in the proposed integration of LHU, Mansfield and Bloomsburg universities, The Express nonethless recently asked each trustee a set of questions to gauge their thoughts on the ongoing process.
Faced with declining enrollments, stagnant state funds vs. increasing payroll and operating costs, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education set out two years ago to right-size those schools with enrollment under 10,000 by mandating, among other things, a balanced budget.
The result has been and continues to be multiple furloughs of faculty and staff across most of the system.
Officials say COVID-19 has accelerated the right-sizing, including the mandate of integrating LHU, Mansfield and Bloomsburg in eastern and central Pennsylvania, and California, Clarion and Edinboro universities in the west, due to enrollment declines and reimbursement of fees to students as campuses closed and went to remote learning.
Since peaking at 119,513 in 2010, PASSHE enrollment declined to 95,494 in the fall of 2019. West Chester has the largest student count at 17,690 and added 3,210 students since 2010. Slippery Rock has seen enrollment remain essentially flat in the same period. But all other state system schools have lost at least 10 percent.
Cheyney saw the worst decline at 61 percent. Mansfield, Edinboro, Lock Haven saw 40 percent declines; Clarion fell 36 percent and Indiana's enrollment dropped 32 percent.
The student census also dropped 27 percent at both California and Shippensburg and 23 percent at Kutztown. East Stroudsburg, Bloomsburg and Millersville had the smallest (though still significant) student enrollment drops at 16, 14 and 10 percent, respectively, between 2010 and the fall of 2019.
Enter Act 50 of 2020. This act by the General Assembly allows PASSHE's Board of Governors to "create, expand, consolidate, transfer or affiliate a university, except for a university with a Fall 2019 headcount enrollment greater than 10,000 students. The Board is not authorized to close a university."
Further, Board of Governors can "undertake the creation, expansion, consolidation, transfer or affiliation of State System universities," but said the board must "develop policies and procedures" for the process.
It also states the PASSHE chancellor is "directed to develop reports and recommendations prior to Board action to create, expand, consolidate, transfer or affiliate any university. After the reports and recommendations are provided to the Board, the chancellor is responsible for developing an implementation plan for final approval. This policy will set forth the detail of the review process and the implementation plan. Per statute, this policy does not apply to West Chester and Indiana, both of which had a Fall 2019 headcount enrollment greater than 10,000 students."
The Board of Governors meets this Wednesday in Harrisburg to receive the integration plans.
Receipt of the consolidation proposals -- which culminate months of meetings by multiple task forces established by PASSHE -- triggers a 60-day public comment period before the board is scheduled to act on integration in July.
LHU trustees include: Daniel Elby, chairman; Mary Coploff, vice chair; Mike Hanna Jr., secretary; Margery Brown Dosey; Krystjan Callahan; John Gower; James Gregory; Albert Jones; Angela Smith; Mark Stern and Mia Swales.
First, the LHU administration was asked: Will LHU trustees get a vote on the integration plan?
LHU interim president Dr. Bashar Hanna provided this answer: "Act 50 provides for approval of any integration action by the Board of Governors. Trustees have been an integral part of the development of the plans through working groups and information sharing workshops and other communication."
The following are the remaining questions posed to the trustees, along with answers compiled by Chairman Elby from the responses received:
Q. Knowing LHU's financial situation and enrollment challenges, what is your opinion about integrating LHU with Mansfield and Bloomsburg?
A. This move is logical to assure a sustainable future for the region's universities, and addresses financial and enrollment challenges. It is important to move in a direction that benefits the students and communities in our region. With integration there will be more educational and networking opportunities accessible to students at all three institutions. This makes for stronger bonds and community within individual and integrated institutions.
Q. Do you see integration as inevitable?
A. This action is necessary to achieve sustainability and is a standard business model. Some concerns have arisen about the timeframe of the integration process as well as establishing a clear picture of affordability for students. Sometimes the only way to go up and get through, is to go through. We may have to crawl before we can walk and get back on our feet, but this is the way to sustainability.
Q. What programs-opportunities and aspects of current student life would you insist on within an integrated LHU?
A. It is important to maintain and offer appropriate athletic and student life opportunities to provide a rich campus experience. It is equally important to have the flexibility to assess the workforce and labor needs and offer a diverse curriculum across the three universities to address those needs, including liberal arts programs. Courses should be offered both physically and remotely to allow all students access.
Q. What would you tell students, alumni, faculty, staff and LHU supporters about LHU's future as this process proceeds?
A. Change is part of progress and we are on the threshold of change. Whichever way we proceed, we need to concentrate on what is best for LHU and best for our community. This is a great opportunity to survive, grow, and get even better. Change is hard, but we must come together and tackle this action together. We can only be successful if everyone moves forward in a unified manner for the greater good of our students. As an institution, divided we will only graze on the land of The Haven -- together we can fly as the bald eagles that we are proud to be.