State System of Higher Education Chancellor Frank Brogan told the Board of Governors yesterday that the state-owned universities’ operations are “unsustainable”, and said all options will be considered to ensure survival, including merging or closing struggling universities.
Enrollment has fallen by close to 15,000 students across the system since 2010. At IUP, it fell by 2,273 students, and of the fourteen universities, only Slippery Rock and West Chester gained in enrollment this year.
In his State of the System address, Brogan said “We cannot just tinker around the edges; we’ve got to be brave enough to explore every option as we move forward.” Board of Governors Chairwoman Cynthia Shapira said that even with two straight years of funding increases from the state, the universities are receiving $60 million a year less from the commonwealth than it was before 2008.
State government leaders reacted positively, including House Appropriations Committee Chairman Stan Saylor, who said it might be that universities would have to be “re-purposed” rather than closed. Governor Tom Wolf’s spokesman said the governor supports a “strategic re-visioning” of State System operations.” Faculty union leader Kenneth Mash was more cautious, saying APSCUF needs to be a part of the review process.
The Board of Governors yesterday approved IUP’s new Master of Science in athletic training degree program, which will be offered beginning in summer 2018.
