PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A plan to merge six of Pennsylvania’s state-owned universities into two is drawing fire from a statewide policy think tank. The critique comes the day before the state plans to move a key step forward on the merger.
The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center (PBPC) said the university merger plan being considered by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) will be disastrous to the communities surrounding those state schools.
The plan would integrate Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield universities into one entity in the northeastern part of the state. It would do the same with California University of Pennsylvania, Clarion University and Edinboro University in the state's western area.
“Cuts are very large by the standards of these communities, and these communities are not well positioned to re-orient their economies," said researcher Michael Ash with the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at UMass-Amherst. He co-authored the PBPC report.
Related
The PASSHE Board of Governors will discuss the proposal Wednesday during a special session. If they approve the plan, Pennsylvania citizens can make public comments about the proposal before a final vote in July.
Ash said the merger will eliminate 20% to 25% of all jobs in those college towns.
He also said a college education is needed now, more than ever.
The job eliminations are set to include 1,532 full time positions. The PBPC said large cuts in staffing, both of faculty and of professional and classified staff in good unionized jobs, constitute the core of the restructuring.
Related
The cuts, amounting to 14% of overall PASSHE employment, are equal to a large plant closing that results in mass layoffs.
“These will be the largest employment losses experienced in these counties in more than a decade," said Ash.
He said PASSHE schools have the ability to transform people’s lives from low-income to middle class.
“This is a time when we need more investment in higher education," said Ash. "It is very difficult to make a go of it in today’s economy without a college degree."
Related
He said that in many cases, a college education “nearly pays for itself in terms of the increased tax revenue from people who have had the benefit of a higher education. And there the advantages are myriad in every dimension, from health to paying higher taxes to, frankly, life satisfaction.”
He suggested the state use some of the federal stimulus to help PASSHE keep all state-owned universities open.
“It is a misguided strategy when the nation is on the cusp of a major reinvestment in more affordable higher education, which could increase enrollments and economic renewal in the regions of PASSHE universities," Ash added.