Words Versus Deeds
We began last week’s blog post with the heading “Words and
Deeds” as applied to the world of politics.
But when it comes to politics, generally speaking, a more apt heading might
be “Words Versus Deeds.”In the case of the gentrification of the fourteen PASSHE universities by the PASSHE Board of Governors since 2002, there is evidence that the BOG’s public statements are often contradicted by their deeds.
The 14 PASSHE
universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney,
Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield,
Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester.
Contradictions
Act 188¹ Versus the BOG’s Strategic Plan²
The statutory purpose of the fourteen PASSHE universities—according to Act 188 of 1982, the law that created them and legally controls them to this day—is to provide “high quality education at the lowest possible cost to the students.” (Emphasis added.)
PASSHE’s current “Strategic Plan 2020: Rising to the
Challenge” was adopted by the Board of Governors in January of 2014, and prominently
displays the following statement of Vision:
“The Pennsylvania State System of
Higher Education [PASSHE] seeks to be among the nation’s leading systems
of public universities recognized for (1) excellence, relevance, and value in
education; and (2) responsiveness to regional, state, and national needs
through its programs, service, scholarship, and research.” (Emphasis added.)
According to Act 188, a PASSHE education should be about the
students; but according to PASSHE’s Strategic Plan—as approved by the
Board of Governors—a PASSHE education is about the system.
It is difficult to imagine a contradiction more blatant than
this one: Act 188—the enabling
legislation that created the PASSHE system of fourteen universities—also
created the PASSHE Board of Governors!
Despite being Act 188’s creation, the BOG issued a strategic
plan that places the PASSHE system above the students, in arrogant defiance of
the law that created both the system and the Board of Governors.
BOG’s Public Statements on Students Versus BOG’s Gentrification
Policy on Students
A review of PASSHE news releases and newspaper articles in
which PASSHE officials are quoted reveals that high PASSHE officials—in
particular the Chancellor and the Chair of the Board of Governors—are very reluctant
to acknowledge the Act 188 statutory purpose of the 14 PASSHE universities,
which is to provide “High quality education at the lowest possible cost to the
students.”
If the Chancellor or Chair of the PASSHE Board of Governors ever
publicly uttered the words “High quality education at the lowest possible cost
to the students” regarding PASSHE’s statutory purpose, it is a fact that somehow
those words never found their way into any printed record that I could find!
Act 188’s statutory purpose, as well as the best interests
of the students cited there, has been missing from the BOG’s public statements for
years. That same purpose as well as the students’
best interests have also been missing from the BOG’s contradictory policy choices
and actions since 2002.
Perhaps the Board of Governors reasoned that as long as they
never publicly acknowledged Act 188’s statutory purpose or the best interests
of the students cited there, no one would notice when they adopted policies and
took actions that violated both Act 188 and the best interests of PASSHE
students.
In a parallel way, the word “student” so prominently
featured in Act 188’s statutory purpose, does not appear at all in the Vision
statement proclaimed by the Board of Governors’ current strategic plan!
The Words
During my 20 years as a PASSHE university president and the
four years since, the Chair of the Board of Governors rarely issued a written statement
describing the Board’s relationship to the PASSHE students.
In fact I could find only one document
of that type, and it appeared in a 2012 PASSHE News Release³ entitled “PASSHE Board of Governors Chair sends open letter to California
University of Pennsylvania.” That letter
contains, in part, the following statement over the signature of BOG Chair
Guido M. Pichini:
“Students, please know that your
interests always come first in every decision we make and every action we take.
There is no more important responsibility for us as a Board than to help ensure
that you have an outstanding educational experience that leads to your ultimate
success.”
Words Versus Deeds
Words: “Students, please know that your interests always come first in every decision we make and every action we take.”
Deeds: The BOG’s gentrification policy helps only about
one-third of PASSHE students (those from more- affluent families) and harms the
other two-thirds of PASSHE students (those from less-affluent families). One third of PASSHE students get unneeded
State subsidies, and two thirds of PASSHE students receive one of two evil outcomes:
1) crushing student-loan debt, if they are lucky; and 2) no opportunity for a
college education whatsoever if their family is unable to meet PASSHE’s bottom
line cost of attendance.
Words: “…to help ensure that you have an outstanding educational experience…”
Deeds: Ironically, as shown in earlier blog posts, the
BOG’s “low-tuition-for-all” policy has been the cause of the steady erosion in
the quality of a PASSHE educational experience since 2002.
In addition to causing that steady decline in quality, that very same BOG policy is causing the rapid gentrification of the fourteen PASSHE universities.
In summary, the evidence shows that a large chasm exists between Board of Governors’ statements with their pretty words regarding PASSHE students, and the ugly outcomes actually being delivered by the Board of Governors to the vast majority of PASSHE students.
To be continued.
¹ https://www.keepandshare.com/doc/6772880/act188-pdf-405k.
No comments:
Post a Comment