Photo Courtesy: http://www.passhe.edu/inside/PA/logo/Pages/default.aspx
2/28/2020
By: Megan Talley
SHIPPENSBURG - The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education's redesign plan has been in the works since Fall of 2016. Earlier this month, all faculty and staff were send new directives as part of Phase 2, which sent waves of concern throughout Shippensburg University.
With PASSHE needing to cut their budget to juggle the challenge of declining enrollment, it meant temporary (adjunct) professors could lose their jobs and class sizes can increase. Faculty expressed these issues can lead to cut programs, lack of sections for popular classes, and lack of student to professor relationships.
Chancellor Dan Greenstein opened the floor Thursday morning in Old Main Chapel to listen to concerns placed from these new directives. Faculty expressed disdain, panic, and concern over this plan in how it'll effect the future students of this university.
Greenstein wants to make it clear that the students have always been top priority, and that at this time, they need to take action for a deficit that's affected them for far too long. He said, "But I'm going back to the student, we have a problem. It's not a forever problem. It's clear that the across the board kind of spread it around, and I'm not being critical past administrations. But a non strategic approach is exhausting your reserves and that's not good for years [to come]."
In response, President Carter said, "We have got to be able to invest in the future of our university and our students, that is my commitment. And my other commitment is to do that with you as we continue to do it."
PASSHE hopes to finish this phase of the budget later this year, and to have it complete by 2021.