A PASCU Chapter at Each PASSHE University - Part 14

Lessons Learned

 
The last two blog posts projected who the likely winners and losers might have been if the status quo had been changed to permit one or more State-Owned universities to become State-Related.  Listed below is a summary of the likely winners and likely losers under the West Chester Proposal:
 

Winners - Had the West Chester University Proposal Succeeded

·         The Pennsylvania Taxpayers who would have received $100 million from West Chester University to reimburse the State for its investments in land and building over the years.

·         West Chester University’s Majority Financial Stakeholders (West Chester students, parents and private donors, primarily West Chester alumni).

·         A small number of individuals on the West Chester University Council of Trustees.

·         A small percentage of West Chester University managers.

·         A small percentage of West Chester University faculty members.

·         Many members of the West Chester University Foundation Board.

·         Some members of the West Chester University Alumni Association Board.

 Losers - Had the West Chester University Proposal Succeeded

·         Virtually all of Pennsylvania’s elected officials in the executive and legislative branches.

·         The Majority Financial Stakeholders (students, parents and donors, primarily alumni) at the thirteen PASSHE universities that would have been “left behind.”

·         All four of Pennsylvania’s State-Related Universities.

·         Virtually every member of the PASSHE Board of Governors.

·         Most of the members of the Council of Trustees at West Chester University, and all members of the Councils of Trustees at the thirteen PASSHE universities left behind.

·         A few members on the Foundation Board at West Chester University, but virtually all members of the Foundation Boards at the thirteen PASSHE universities left behind.

·         Some of the members of the Alumni Association Board at West Chester University, and all members of the Alumni Association Boards at the thirteen PASSHE universities left behind.

·         Virtually every employee in the Office of the Chancellor.

·         Most of the employees at West Chester University, and virtually all of the employees at the thirteen PASSHE universities left behind.

·         All eight of PASSHE’s employee unions, representing 90% of PASSHE’s 12,500 employees.

A Legislative Tally

 
Aside from a one-time financial payment to the State of $100 million, amounting to only 3.3% of Pennsylvania’s $30 billion annual budget, the only other winners under the West Chester Proposal were many, but not all, of the individuals closely associated with West Chester University itself.
 
However, the losers under the West Chester Proposal included: a) Virtually every elected official in Pennsylvania’s executive and legislative branches; b) all thirteen of the PASSHE universities left behind together with the many individuals closely associated with them; c) all four of the State-Related Universities together with the many individuals closely associated with them; d) all eight of the employee unions representing the vast majority of PASSHE’s employees;  and e)PASSHE’s 12,500 employees, the vast majority of whom are associated not with West Chester University but with the thirteen PASSHE universities left behind under the West Chester Proposal.
 
From this simple listing alone it is very clear that, even if all of West Chester University’s legislative delegation had been in favor of the West Chester Proposal—itself a very generous estimate since West Chester’s various employee unions were strongly opposed to it—the combination of the legislative delegations from the thirteen PASSHE universities left behind, plus the very powerful delegations from the four State-Related Universities would simply overwhelm whatever number of Pennsylvania legislators may have been in favor of the West Chester Proposal.
 
The small number of “winners” under the West Chester Proposal (with its correspondingly small number of positive legislative votes), combined with the huge number of “losers” (with its similarly huge number of negative legislative votes), preordained the demise of the West Chester Proposal.

The legislative calculus in this case was stacked totally against the West Chester Proposal despite the fact that both the University itself, as well as West Chester’s Majority Financial Stakeholders, would have benefitted greatly had it been permitted to secede from PASSHE and  become State-Related. 
 
Despite its merits—and there were many—the West Chester Proposal was destined to fail. 
 

The Merits of the West Chester Proposal

The fact that a successful West Chester Proposal would have had so few winners and so many losers may say more about the onerous status quo from which West Chester University was desperately trying to escape, than it does about any alternative explanation.  

One way to think about this is to recall that whenever a status quo is changed to suddenly embrace an alternative future, the winners and losers typically, but not always, switch places.

That West Chester and its Majority Stakeholders would be huge winners under the West Chester Proposal suggests that West Chester currently sees itself a huge loser under the status quo!
 
Why else would West Chester supporters launch a legislative battle with such low odds of success?

Similarly, the large number of losers under the West Chester Proposal suggests that many, but not all, of those groups are large winners under the status quo.  For example, on the above list of ten groups that may see themselves as losers under the West Chester Proposal, every group except one—West Chester’s Majority Stakeholders—see themselves as winners under the status quo.

One group prominently listed as a loser under the West Chester Proposal—the thirteen PASSHE Universities left behind, together with their Majority Financial Stakeholders—ironically see themselves as losers under both the West Chester Proposal and under the status quo! 

The only way to understand that apparent contradiction is to recognize that, given the opportunity all fourteen PASSHE universities would love to escape the onerous status quo that West Chester’s supporters had shown the courage and determination to secede from, to gain a much better future.        

To be continued.