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We oppose the integration of Lock Haven University with two of its sister schools.
But we support a strategic right sizing of Lock Haven University to strengthen its footing so to become more aggressive and successful in how it nurtures and serves young people and adults looking to learn, experience and build a career and a better life for themselves and their families.
How painful this process of "integration" undertaken by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education has been as alumni, staff, faculty, students and the community reel over the prospect of LHU becoming a sister/branch/satellite campus of the larger Bloomsburg University, just as Mansfield would become under a set of proposals preliminarily accepted by the PASSHE Board of Governors.
The Board of Governors meets July 14 and 15, when we expect a vote to formally move forward with integration as a recommendation from the PASSHE administration seeking to strengthen all of the 14 state-run universities' sustainability.
We are pragmatic, but we cannot, in good conscience, advocate for any extreme consolidation of our beloved university -- a school that is such a huge part of the social, economic and cultural fabric of Lock Haven.
Lock Haven University brings promise to our community – and to our region.
THIS IS THE MOMENT, folks, when we all -- especially our elected leaders who control the strings of education funding and policy in our state -- need to understand Lock Haven University's true value … true role in helping and working to provide a good, affordable education to our young people so they can go out into the world to grow and give back to their chosen communities.
Let's be clear, LHU is generally on sound financial footing.
Its challenges are a handful of under-enrolled programs that require a right-sizing its faculty-to-student ratio, and it has put off (deferred) high-cost maintenance and demolition of buildings. It has too much space.
Yes, we're frustrated at LHU's cumulative 6-year graduation rate of just 51%. Faculty need to step up to seriously help fix that; they are part of the problem and certainly part of the solution.
The 2nd year student retention rate for 2019 was 73.2% -- meaning the percentage of those who left was 26.8%.
The decline in student enrollment since 2018 was 7.6%. Not all that bad considering high school graduation rates.
COVID-19 has certainly played a part, accelerating the situation in the past year.
But these numbers and the lives behind them are precisely the reason we must provide stronger investment -- not less incentive and investment -- in educational opportunities at Lock Haven and all schools in rural areas that are underserved.
LHU has become the school of choice for young people who have big dreams about their future but little means to afford college.
They can't afford big D1 schools.
They can't afford expensive private colleges.
Their parents typically don't have the financial means to pay for their education.
These kids -- and we know many of them -- tend to need to work part-time while attending college, meaning they may be just one lost paycheck away from withdrawing.
They're one life-changing event from quitting.
They end up having to pay for all or most of college themselves with loans and grants.
We cannot let them down.
Chancellor Daniel Greenstein and his team are between a rock and a hardplace. Stagnant state funding that doesn't nearly keep pace with rising costs vs. union contracts that are simply too expensive are the rock and hardplace. Greenstein has been criticized for his harsh words about the need to integrate. We know he wants to make sure people are aware of the reality and that his goal is to find a path toward sustainability and regrowth even as high school graduation rates flip-flop over the next five years or so. We respect that. We respect that he's working to convince our state Legislature that PASSHE is worth more investment of taxpayer dollars so the 14 schools can continue to be a place where kids want to learn and grow.
Ah, the state Legislature. Our General Assembly over the past decade has not leaned toward stronger financial support of higher education in Pennsylvania. Our current local lawmakers have weighed in on the issue, but have been mostly quiet … publicly anyway … about what is happening.
"The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth," states the Education Clause in the Pennsylvania Constitution.
What does that mean when it comes to dollars and sense? (No, we didn't misspell that.)
What price do you place on a fledgling young adult trying to find their way out of high school, learn new skills and make a living without tons of debt?
And so here we are.
Just over 150 years since Lock Haven State Teachers College was founded on a hill overlooking the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in Lock Haven and this beloved, esteemed, treasured and respected institution is facing a crisis, partly of its own making.
LHU has tremendously important programs of study, folks.
Health care in the way of physician assistants, nurses and fledgling doctors.
Mental health counselors.
Teachers. Ah… yes, teachers -- sadly one of the most undervalued professions of our times.
Business executives and entrepreneurs.
These are just a few.
As it stands, roughly eight or so programs comprise over three-quarters of LHU's enrollment.
They need strengthened and so do the courses that offer critical thinking skills.
They need to expand because, God knows we need more health-care workers, teachers and business leaders … and more.
Today, the PASSHE Board of Governors will hold a workshop, among other things, to review an economic impact report on integration developed by the Chancellor's Office. We hope that impact shows the least amount of job cuts as possible and finds needed cost reduction through attrition. It's no secret that most of LHU's faculty do not live in Clinton County. But we're certain most of the university staff -- support and otherwise -- do. Cutting these people who take care of campus, help administer and support programs and student life -- will more adversely impact the local economy and community life.
Emma Whitford of Insidehighered.com wrote an article in May entitled, "Pennsylvania consolidation plans spark confusion, criticism."
Here is some of what she said:
"Critics of the plan have noted that it offers few details on how many PASSHE employees will lose their jobs as a result of consolidation. The Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts helped fill that information gap when researchers published a detailed look at the economic impact of planned employment reductions across the PASSHE system. The report examines the consequences of consolidating six institutions and redesigning the entire system, an effort that will reduce employment at all 14 PASSHE institutions.
"Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield could lose a combined 369 positions by 2023, the report shows. Mansfield will bear the brunt of those cuts and is expected to lose 101 employees, which amounts to 33 percent of total employment at the university. Bloomsburg, which employed 1,033 people in 2019, could lose 154 positions before 2023, amounting to 15 percent of total university employment. Lock Haven is looking at a 23 percent employment reduction, which includes 114 positions.
"California, Clarion and Edinboro (the other cluster proposed for integration) may lose a combined 502 positions before 2023. Edinboro will lose the largest proportion of employees of any PASSHE institution, with 37 percent of positions earmarked for elimination, the report states. California will lose 141 employees, or 19 percent of its workforce, by 2023, while Clarion will lose 125 employees, or 22 percent.
"In total, the public university system plans to eliminate 1,531 jobs, including 809 faculty positions, by 2023 as part of its systemwide redesign process. Cheyney University, Slippery Rock University and West Chester University could see small employment increases, the report said.
"The systemwide eliminations would amount to a 13.9 percent decline in employment and a 16 percent reduction in faculty positions across all 14 universities. Employment loss could have serious consequences for the rural communities where the six institutions tagged for consolidation are located. The PERI report compared the likely job losses to a plant closure. "The planned employment losses at the PASSHE universities is on a scale similar to a plant closure or shift elimination," the report said. "The effects on the host communities will therefore be comparable to the ongoing experiences in Pennsylvania with factory closures and job destruction."
"The counties surrounding the six affected universities have high poverty rates compared with the rest of the state, the PERI report shows. For example, Lock Haven employs people from Clinton, Centre and Lycoming Counties, which have a poverty rate of 16.7 percent. The counties surrounding Edinboro -- Erie and Crawford Counties -- have a poverty rate of 15.7 percent. By comparison, counties that are not home to or near a PASSHE institution have an average poverty rate of 11.1 percent. The statewide poverty rate was 12 percent in 2019."
This is a very emotional argument. And regardless of the outcome, the fate of LHU and schools like it depend on the support of those who care about it. With that continued support, we're confident "The Haven" will continue its work of putting people on a path toward empowerment.