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Edinboro APSCUF Chapter President Dr. Sam Claster and Edinboro Professor Emeritus Dr. Mary Jo Campbell were among today’s panelists at a Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus policy committee hearing about university consolidation. Click here to watch hearing footage. APSCUF live-tweeted the hearing, and the collated tweets are below.

The hearing comprised four panels:

Panel 1: 

• Dr. Sam Claster, chapter president of Edinboro APSCUF
• Lydia Laythe, Washington Township councilperson and Edinboro University alum
• Dr. Mary Jo Campbell, chapter president of Edinboro APSCURF and professor emeritus

Panel 2: 

• Ross Brumagin, president of AFSCME Local 2329, Edinboro University high-voltage electrician
• Shane Clark, director of AFSCME District Council 85

Panel 3: 

• Chancellor Dan Greenstein
• Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, president of Clarion University and interim president of Edinboro University

Panel 4:

• Kyle Hurysz, Edinboro University council of trustees (student)
• Majd Al Halaby, Edinboro University student-government president

APSCUF President Dr. Jamie Martin and State System students were among today’s panelists at a Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus policy committee hearing about university consolidation. Click here to watch hearing footage. APSCUF live-tweeted the hearing, and the collated tweets are below.

The hearing comprised three panels:

Panel 1: PASSHE Redesign & Students

• Dr. Jamie Martin, president of APSCUF
• Cameron O’Neill, junior at Bloomsburg University
• Justina Arena, junior at California University

Panel 2: PASSHE Redesign & Workers

• Ross Brumagin, President AFSCME Local 2329, Edinboro University High Voltage Electrician
• Shawn O’Dell, President AFSCME Local 2360, Lock Haven University Clerk Typist 3
• Dr. Marc Stier, Director, Pennsylvania Budget & Policy Center

Panel 3: PASSHE Leadership & University President

• Chancellor Dan Greenstein
• Aaron Walton, president of Cheyney University
• Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, president of Clarion University and interim president of Edinboro University
• Mia Swales, student trustee and graduate student at Lock Haven University

A Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus policy committee hearing is slated for 1 p.m. (time change) Thursday, May 20. We’ll share information about how to watch via our social-media channels.

Photo/Pennsylvania House footage

As required by Act 50 of 2020, Chancellor Daniel Greenstein updated legislators about Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education’s consolidation plans at a joint and House appropriation- and education-committee hearing today. Click here to watch full hearing footage. Read APSCUF’s collated tweets from the hearing below:

Photo/Pennsylvania Senate footage

As required by Act 50 of 2020, Chancellor Daniel Greenstein updated legislators about Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education’s consolidation plans at a joint and Senate appropriation- and education-committee hearing today. Click here to watch footage of the hearing. Read APSCUF’s collated tweets from the hearing below:

Rick Bloomingdale, third row, second from left, shares a message of solidarity with APSCUF. He is president of Pennsylvania AFL-CIO. Photo/APSCUF

After Chancellor Daniel Greenstein presented university-consolidation plans at Wednesday morning’s special Board of Governors meeting, APSCUF members and other advocates leapt into a Day of Action to strategize how stakeholders can make their voices heard.

APSCUF faculty, coaches and retirees began with a members-only meeting to discuss concerns about the plan, many of which Dr. Sam Claster, an Edinboro University APSCUF officer, voiced in his comments to the Board of Governors. Members may log into the APSCUF website to view a members-only toolkit containing contact information, talking points, research, links to news articles and other advocacy resources.

Save Our State Schools (a growing coalition of students and families, staff, coaches and faculty, and local business owners working together to protect State System universities and the communities that host them) presented a streamed event to discuss advocacy surrounding the plan. Register for SOSS email alerts to hear directly from them. PA Publics, a group of alumni and friends fighting for a flourishing State System, described its work and ideas for future action.

A 4 p.m. rally and press conference attracted more than 200 members, students, representatives from other labor unions, staff and reporters. Special thanks to guest speakers Rick Bloomingdale, president of Pennsylvania AFL-CIO; David Henderson, executive director of Council 13 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; and Kyle Schlecht, Lock Haven University student. Click here to watch the event recording.

To learn more about consolidation and APSCUF concerns, as well as for details about how students, alumni and other stakeholders can take action, visit the consolidation area of APSCUF’s Students page. APSCUF will continue to update the page as we delve deeper into the State System’s 439-page consolidation report.

As the day wound down, APSCUF President Dr. Jamie Martin issued the following statement:

“We were disappointed by the lack of detail in the 439-page report presented to the Board of Governors today. The State System’s consolidation plans fail to address many questions and concerns stakeholders raised throughout the 10 months before the plans’ release. Questions remain about forced hybrid learning for our students, whether our student-athletes’ teams will exist, and the economic community impacts, for example. What we did learn from the plans is that the costs of consolidation are much greater than the savings that will be realized. We were shocked by this. Given the lack of detail and unanswered questions, and the lack of any financial savings, APSCUF cannot endorse or support these consolidation plans.” —APSCUF President Dr. Jamie Martin