At their meeting yesterday, the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) unanimously voted in favor of moving forward with plans to consolidate six state-owned universities into two.
With the approval, three universities in the western region – California, Clarion and Edinboro – will merge into one entity; while three others in the northern region – Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield – will merge into the other.
According to a news release, the two integrations should take approximately two years, and part of that process will be developing appropriate curriculum and finalizing plans with the NCAA to ensure the security of athletics on each campus.
In a statement, state system chancellor Dan Greenstein told students that their pursuit of completing their degree and major will go “without disruption.” Meanwhile, faculty and staff members within the state system are generally opposed to the consolidation, citing issues of cutting into the workforce.
In her own statement, president of the faculty union, known as APSCUF, Jamie Martin said that important concerns have been brought up by APSCUF and that the union had hoped for improvements that “did not involve such fundamental changes to our universities.”
Martin also said that the vote was just one step and it does not complete the consolidation process, and that there is still a lot to be determined with many questions left to be answered. She said APSCUF will do all it can to make sure students and members across the state system will be heard.
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