The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) was created to provide accessible high quality university education “at the lowest possible cost to the students” of the Commonwealth. Yet the system has suffered ongoing defunding, with cuts totalling more than 30% in just over ten years resulting in PA dropping to 48th in the nation in public support for higher education. Our students have paid the price due to this negligence.
As noted by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), decreases in state funding lead to declining enrollment and graduation rates for students, particularly for students of color and those from low income backgrounds. Additionally, PASSHE’s decline in state funding has forced students to make up the difference, with nearly two-thirds of PA college students graduating with debt. The average student borrower in the Commonwealth leaves college with over $38,500 in student loan debt, third highest in the nation. Student loan debt disproportionately impacts women and students of color.
Yet instead of fighting for more funding to support our students, the System’s Chief Executive, Chancellor Dan Greenstein, is pushing for drastic cuts to programs, services, faculty and staff, and, most dramatically, a consolidation of six of our 14 historic universities. This plan, however, does nothing to address the real problem – lack of funding from the State. The Chancellor’s own estimates project these consolidations will result in “savings” of merely .002% of the PASSHE annual budget.
This failure is coupled with numerous severe consequences to the consolidation plan including:
- 1,531 jobs lost at PASSHE schools, including 809 faculty and over 600 staff, according to a study done by the Political Economy Research Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Economic devastation for the communities these universities serve
- Students forced to rely on online learning and to travel further to access/complete degrees
What’s more, this plan has been rushed and lacking in transparency, with timelines for the redesign being cut short, merger plans being retracted and changed, and “public” comments being hidden from view of the public. Still unclear in the consolidation plan is whether the schools under threat of merger will 1) be able to retain their individual athletic programs, 2) be protected from future cuts and closures, and 3) require students to take numerous online courses to complete their programs without concern for technological accessibility.
In short: there are grave substantive concerns with the consolidation effort, any of which provides reasons to oppose moving forward. While some faculty would be satisfied with simply slowing the process down to be more thorough and others oppose the concept more broadly, the simple fact is that the Chancellor is forcing a yes/no vote that will impact all 14 of the Universities now and into the future.
While West Chester University is not part of the consolidation plan, it is imperative we understand the impact this will have on our sister schools and the system as a whole. By introducing a “solution” that only extends the last decade’s framework of cuts, the consolidation plan simply kicks the can down the road. It is only a matter of time before West Chester University and other PASSHE schools suffer the same fate.
The consolidation is proposed as a “last ditch effort” to save the system, yet we suggest additional opportunities exist to better serve the 14 Universities, their communities, future students, and alumni:
- A fully funded state system of higher education, which will boost enrollment, lower debt, and move PA from the bottom 10% of states in support of higher ed
- Enactment of the Nelly Bly Scholarship, which would help at least 44,000 students afford college in PASSHE schools
- Better and more transparent utilization of Federal stimulus money
This consolidation plan will only serve to disadvantage students and communities throughout the Commonwealth. The undersigned therefore agree that the consolidation plan must be stopped and the Chancellor and PASSHE Board of Governors should work instead to support the state system and restore funding.
We, the undersigned members of the West Chester University community, demand that the PASSHE Board of Governors vote NO on the consolidation plan and instead push for funding for PASSHE that will provide all PA residents with the opportunity to obtain an affordable and high quality education in line with its historic mission to serve the Commonwealth.
Casey Bohrman, Associate Professor, Graduate Social Work
Dana Morrison, Assistant Professor, Educational Foundations and Policy Studies
Jason Wozniak, Assistant Professor, Educational Foundations and Policy Studies
Tabassum Ruby, Associate Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies
Jackie Hodes, Full Professor, Educational Foundations and Policy Studies
Deanna Gabe, Instructor, Educational Foundations and Policy Studies
Meg Panichelli, Assistant Professor, Undergraduate Social Work
Joan Woolfrey, Full Professor, Philosophy/ Women and Gender Studies
Dean Johnson, Full Professor, Philosophy/ Peace and Conflict Studies
Seth Kahn, Full Professor, English
Mark Rimple, Full Professor, Music Theory, Composition and History
Curry Malott, Associate Professor, Educational Foundations and Policy Studies
Erin Hurt, Full Professor, English
Kathleen Riley, Associate Professor, Literacy
Margaret Ervin, Full Professor, English
Michael Boyle, Full Professor, Communication and Media
Martha Donkor, Full Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies
Megan Corbin, Associate Professor, Languages and Cultures
Stacie Metz, Full Professor, Health
Nadine Bean, Professor Emerita, Graduate Social Work
Lisa Konigsberg, Assistant Professor, English
Roxane Petit-Rasselle, Assistant Professor, Languages and Cultures
Emily Aguilo-Perez, Assistant Professor, English
Jacqueline M. Zalewski, Full Professor, Anthropology and Sociology
Lana Iskandarani, Instructor, Languages and Cultures
Larry Udell, Associate Professor, Philosophy
Michael Malcolm, Associate Professor, Economics & Finance
Iliana Pagán-Teitelbaum, Associate, Languages and Cultures
Thomas Elmer, Instructor, Marketing
Lisa Millhous, Associate Professor, Communication and Media Studies
Deborah Dartnell, Instructor, Psychology
Travis Ingersoll, Associate Professor, Undergraduate Social Work
Megan Schraedley, Assistant Professor, Communication and Media Studies
Meg Niiler, Assistant Professor, Languages and Cultures
Lauri Hyers, Full Professor, Psychology
Ana Sanchez, Assistant Professor, Languages and Cultures
Adam Silverman, Full Professor, Music Theory, History and Composition
Page Buck, Full Professor, Graduate Social Work
David I. Backer, Associate Professor, Educational Foundations and Policy Studies
Peter L. Glidden, Professor, Mathematics
Maxine Gesualdi, Associate Professor, Communication and Media Studies
Lisa C. Huebner, Full Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies
Justin Sprague, Assistant Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies
Karen Schwarz, Full Professor, Earth and Space Sciences
Benjamin Brumley, Instructor, Educational Foundations and Policy Studies
Stacy Esch, Assistant Professor, English
Christina Chiarelli-Helminiak, Associate Professor, Graduate Social Work
Ashley Patriarca, Associate Professor, English
Jamie Woodlief, Assistant Professor, English
Vicki McGinley, Full Professor, Special Education
Hannah Ashley, Full Professor, English
Kuhio Walters, Associate Professor, English
Ben Kuebrich, Associate Professor, English
Christy Hicks, Associate Professor, Special Education
Kim Doan, Full Professor, Special Education
Tim R. Dougherty, Associate Professor, English
Dawn R. Patterson, Associate Professor, Special Education
Katie Solic, Associate Professor, Literacy
Doug Morris, Assistant Professor, Educational Foundations and Policy Studies
Julie Wiest, Full Professor, Anthropology and Sociology
Joshua Raclaw, Associate Professor, English
John Elmore, Full Professor, Educational Foundations and Policy Studies
Beatrice Adera, Associate Professor, Special Education
Colleen Commisso, Assistant Professor, Special Education
Jeff McLaughlin, Associate Professor, Educational Foundations and Policy Studies
Pamela Walsh, Alumna & Instructor, Kinesiology
Edward J. Lordan, Full Professor, Communication and Media Studies
Lori Klein, Instructor, Nutrition and Kinesiology
Adam Rainear, Assistant Professor, Communication and Media Studies
James McLaughlin, Full Professor, Mathematics
John Craig, Associate Professor, Educational Development Services
Jason Phillips, Full Professor, Marketing
Adam Gumble, Instructor, Music Education and Therapy
Mary Buckelew, Full Professor, English
Kristin Kondrlik, Assistant Professor, English
Elizabeth Munz, Associate Professor, Communication and Media Studies
Yvette Garner, Instructor, Biology
Peter Loedel, Full Professor, Political Science
Jacqueline Alnes, Assistant Professor, English
Cristóbal Cardemil-Krause, Associate Professor, Languages and Cultures
Mia Ocean, Assistant Professor, Graduate Social Work
Jelena Colovic-Markovic, Associate Professor, Languages and Cultures
Merry G. Perry, Associate Professor, English
Emily Bullock, Full Professor, Vocal and Keyboard
Eric Sweet, Assistant Professor, Biology
David Thomas, Assistant Professor, Educational Development Services
Andre Perkoski, Instructor, Mathematics
Melissa Cichowicz, Associate Professor, Chemistry
Cecilia Chien, Full Professor, History
Charlie DelMarcelle, Associate Professor, Theatre and Dance
Matt Snyder, Full Professor, Counselor Education
Kevin Laskey, Instructor, Music Theory, History and Composition
Angela Norkiewicz, Instructor, Accounting
Liam Oliver Lair, Assistant Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies
Andrew Sargent, Full Professor, English
Deborah Dartnell, Instructor, Psychology
Tim Sestrick, Associate Professor, University Libraries
Sharon DeJoy, Associate Professor, Health
Clifford Johnston, Full Professor, Mathematics
Julian Onderdonk, Full Professor, Music History
Marc Jacoby, Full Professor, Music Education
Richard M. Busch, Full Professor, Earth and Space Sciences
John Kinslow, Full Professor, University College and Exploratory Studies
Metello Mugnai, Associate Professor, Languages and Cultures
Jordan Stokes, Assistant Professor, Music Theory, History, and Composition
Naijian Zhang, Full Professor, Counselor Education
Orhan Kara, Full Professor, Economics and Finance
Megan A. Infanti Mraz, Full Professor, Nursing
Neil Curtis, Associate Professor, Sports Medicine
John Kinslow, Full Professor, University College & Exploratory Studies
Cassie Striblen, Associate Professor, Philosophy
Ann Hiloski-Fowler, Instructor, Music History, Theory, and Composition
John Hess, Instructor, Economics and Finance
Mitch Goldfarb, Instructor, Kinesiology
William H. Sawyer, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Physics and Engineering
Denise Wallack, Instructor, Biology
Lesley Siegel, Assistant Professor, Special Education
Paul Morgan, Full Professor, Educational Foundations and Policy Studies
MaryEllen Troy, Instructor, Chemistry
Sherri Craig, Assistant Professor, English
Gabrielle A. Halko, Associate Professor, English
Kyle P. Vealey, Associate Professor, English
Rodney Mader, Full Professor, English
Randall Cream, Associate Professor, English
Cheryl Wanko, Full Professor, English
Erin McCourt, Instructor, English
Amy Anderson, Associate Professor, English
Eleanor Shevlin, Full Professor, English
Rachel Banner, Associate Professor, English
Yanira Rodriguez, Assistant Professor, English