UA and CSU Merger???

[ZipBox]

Has anyone seen this? Have any information? What does this mean for the athletics?CSU-Akron merger complex but not impossibleSaturday, September 29, 2007Janet OkobenPlain Dealer Reporter Merging two large public universities like Cleveland State University and the University of Akron would be an unprecedented move, forcing adjustments in union contracts, employee health care plans and myriad other details. But it wouldn’t be impossible. “It would be a tremendously complex process,” said Dan Hurley, director of state relations for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, of which CSU and UA are members. How would any of this work? Here are some details: Q: What has to happen legally for state schools to merge? A: The state legislature must vote to change the state laws that created the schools. University trustees would not have to approve the change. When the Ohio House and Senate voted to merge the Medical University of Ohio and the University of Toledo, 34 sections of the Ohio Revised Code had to be amended, repealed or enacted to make it happen. It took five months from the time plans were announced until Gov. Bob Taft signed the change into law. The closest thing Dan Hurley, director of state relations for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, could think of was the merging of three community colleges in Kentucky in 2003. But that seems like small potatoes in comparison, he said. No one is saying it can’t be done, though, including Eric Fingerhut, the state’s higher-education chancellor. As a state senator, Fingerhut pushed for creation of the Northeast Ohio Universities Collaboration and Innovation Study Commission, which will issue recommendations for changes by the end of the year. As chancellor, he’ll give the governor a plan for the entire state system by March. He has said over and over that the status quo won’t do. In addition to talk of a CSU-UA merger, proposals have been made about expanding or moving the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy from Rootstown to Cleveland. That would potentially unravel a relationship with 17 hospitals and three other colleges, but last year’s merger of the University of Toledo and the Medical University of Ohio provided some precedent. Q: What about all the construction going on now at UA and CSU? A: Both campuses could continue pretty much as they are now. The University of Toledo and Medical College of Toledo both were in the middle of construction projects that had to be reassessed with the merger. That caused some delays, but nothing is being scrapped. In fact, a new pharmacy building is going up on the medical school’s campus that wasn’t planned before. Q: How much duplication already exists between UA and CSU? A: Both campuses have schools of engineering, education, nursing and law. But Fingerhut has spoken often about the need for “centers of excellence” at Ohio’s colleges, meaning schools shouldn’t all be offering the same courses. The engineering schools, for example, could be combined and centered at Akron. That might mean an engineering student would have to take at least some classes in Akron. Q: How much time would it take to accomplish? A: Officials in Toledo estimate it will take five years for them to fully merge the university and medical school there — and that involves far fewer parties than what’s at stake with CSU, UA and NEOUCOM. Toledo has 16 work groups settling details, from health benefits to the roles of alumni associations. The issues to be resolved can be surprisingly minute. For example, administrators in Toledo found their combined police forces were carrying two different kinds of guns, which is prohibited by law. The two sides had to choose a single model for the 39 officers in the merged department. Q: Why should NEOUCOM be in Cleveland versus Rootstown? A: Fingerhut thinks the Portage County school isn’t living up to its potential. It was set up in the 1970s to train primary-care physicians. The presidents of Akron, Can't State and Youngstown State universities are on the NEOUCOM board, and their students can go from college freshman to medical-school graduate in as little as six years under the blended arrangement. The school turns out about 100 physicians a year but does little in the way of research, winning only $2.4 million in grants from the National Institutes for Health last year. That’s paltry compared to a powerhouse like Case Western Reserve University, which brought in $163 million last year, or even the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo, which brought in $13 million. Bringing the medical school to downtown Cleveland would put it closer to other researchers and hospitals, but it would substantially change the mission of the school, something that Youngstown State University President David Sweet objects to. NEOUCOM President Lois Nora said she would be “very enthusiastic” about expanding the medical school’s presence in Cleveland. She insists there’s no plan to abandon the 12-building campus in Rootstown. Several members of the regional study commission have ideas about the medical school. CSU President Michael Schwartz made two suggestions: add his school to the partnership or move NEOUCOM to Cleveland. William Demas, president of the UA trustees and officials from the Summa Health System would prefer a move to Akron. Q: Why is all this happening now? A : Fingerhut and Gov. Ted Strickland, both in their first year on the job, have made it clear they want change. At a speech last week in Akron, Fingerhut said: “We have good public universities in this region, but we don’t have a great public university. We have some worldclass research, and some worldclass talent, but we don’t have a world-class university. This is not acceptable. “We cannot move as a region into the global economy with mediocre or average colleges and universities.” To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: jokoben@plaind.com, 216-999-4535

[Zips fan]

Just a wild guess with no true knowledge of the situation, here is my guess for The University of Akron. Fingerhut will announce a merger between the The University of Akron and Cleveland State University with all students eventually moving to the Akron campus. The Cleveland State University campus will become the location for NEOUCOM in Cleveland. I think that the talk of a medical school moving to Cleveland is to appease the people when they lose CSU. Just a guess.

[UAZipster0305]

Moderators, please move this discussion to a more general UA forum.In my opionion, the ideal changes would be moving the medical school to Akron and incorporating it with UA and discontinuing YSU's tiny engineering program while giving the current professors and students the option of continuing their careers at either UA or CSU. In a trade off for receiving the medical school, UA would be removed from the consortium in that it would not educate students in the undergraduate part of the program. CSU should then be added to the consortium.

[zipsbandman]

Just a wild guess with no true knowledge of the situation, here is my guess for The University of Akron. Fingerhut will announce a merger between the The University of Akron and Cleveland State University with all students eventually moving to the Akron campus. The Cleveland State University campus will become the location for NEOUCOM in Cleveland. I think that the talk of a medical school moving to Cleveland is to appease the people when they lose CSU. Just a guess.

As long as they bring their basketball team with them

[zen]

I still wanna know what they will call it. :mad:Northcoast U?NEOU?Cleveland-Akron U?I don't buy fingerhut's bullshit about it not being acceptable to not have a World Class University. He, Strickland, and the other politicians in cahoots are going to bastardize and canibalize the schools and it's going to be worse, not better. I want to hear how it's going to be "World Class"I didn't see crap-one in that article to say how "world class" is going to happen. All I saw were bitchy little details and excuses.

[ZipAlumn]

My personal opinion is that this is a bad idea for both CSU and the University of Akron. Even with all the bullshit that Fingerhut is spouting I fail to see any advantage to either university. The idea of combining both basketball teams silly. Anyone who has been through a merger (and I've been through a couple) know the pain, frustration, ineffectiveness, and "political gamesmanship" that is involved. There should be a very good reason to merge to entities, and I can't find one is this case.

[Zips fan]

I believe the reason for a possible merger between the schools is to eliminate CSU. I think that The Univeristy of Akron would receive a portion of their funding but the majority would go to OSU. I think when Fingerhut's process is complete the only school that will really see a positive change is OSU.

[mccracken]

I believe the reason for a possible merger between the schools is to eliminate CSU. I think that The Univeristy of Akron would receive a portion of their funding but the majority would go to OSU. I think when Fingerhut's process is complete the only school that will really see a positive change is OSU.

Yeah I suspect they plan to make CSU a regional UA campus like Wayne (although much, much larger), but every time I hear about it, I just think "why?"Some people have talked about putting all of the public universities under one entity, I suspect they're trying to get the ball rolling.

[ZachTheZip]

I believe the reason for a possible merger between the schools is to eliminate CSU. I think that The Univeristy of Akron would receive a portion of their funding but the majority would go to OSU. I think when Fingerhut's process is complete the only school that will really see a positive change is OSU.

Yeah I suspect they plan to make CSU a regional UA campus like Wayne (although much, much larger), but every time I hear about it, I just think "why?"Some people have talked about putting all of the public universities under one entity, I suspect they're trying to get the ball rolling.

Do you really think that they will allow Cleveland to lose it's university? The people up there won't allow it, and would consider it an insult to be made a branch campus of such an "inferior" school. You know as well as I do that they believe that CSU is twice as large as our little commuter school / communitty college. It's funny, because the Cleveland press is really pushing this idea along, but you kno that they will be the first to complain when they realise that UA is going to be the one to benefit, and CSU may be eliminated or absorbed.

[Zip Watcher]

Do you really think that they will allow Cleveland to lose it's university? The people up there won't allow it, and would consider it an insult to be made a branch campus of such an "inferior" school. You know as well as I do that they believe that CSU is twice as large as our little commuter school / communitty college. It's funny, because the Cleveland press is really pushing this idea along, but you kno that they will be the first to complain when they realise that UA is going to be the one to benefit, and CSU may be eliminated or absorbed.

It's precisely this type of thing that will prevent this from ever really getting legs. Someone posted a comment that said that Proenza didn't have much to say about it .. because there wasn't much to talk about. This article was 2+ weeks ago ..My guess is that this will ruffle some feathers and get beat down by the public / universities if (you say Finger) I say Hut ever gets close to actually implementing something like this. It's doubtful to me that this magnitude of a change could be pushed through quickly .. meaning another gubenatorial election will happen before this does.

[zip81]

I believe the reason for a possible merger between the schools is to eliminate CSU. I think that The Univeristy of Akron would receive a portion of their funding but the majority would go to OSU. I think when Fingerhut's process is complete the only school that will really see a positive change is OSU.

Yeah I suspect they plan to make CSU a regional UA campus like Wayne (although much, much larger), but every time I hear about it, I just think "why?"Some people have talked about putting all of the public universities under one entity, I suspect they're trying to get the ball rolling.

Do you really think that they will allow Cleveland to lose it's university? The people up there won't allow it, and would consider it an insult to be made a branch campus of such an "inferior" school. You know as well as I do that they believe that CSU is twice as large as our little commuter school / communitty college. It's funny, because the Cleveland press is really pushing this idea along, but you kno that they will be the first to complain when they realise that UA is going to be the one to benefit, and CSU may be eliminated or absorbed.

I've worked in Cleveland 25 years. I've never known anyone, including CSU alums to consider UAkron an inferior school to CSU. Crain's Cleveland Business this week listed the enrollment of NE Ohio schools. CSU is now down to approx. 10,000. I was rather surprised at that.

[you am i]

this merger idea is interesting but i'm guessing there is about a 90% probability that nothing will come of it.

[ZachTheZip]

You know, as much as I hate to say it, merging with Can't would be a better idea. It would create a super school that we could call NEOU-East and NEOU-West. East would be a liberal arts school and West would be the engineering/law/business ect. school. We could pull in mega bucks for research and finally compete with OSU for state funds on an even ground. Plus it's less of a drive.

[mccracken]

this merger idea is interesting but i'm guessing there is about a 90% probability that nothing will come of it.

Yeah that's what I think; they're just chattering

[zen]

this merger idea is interesting but i'm guessing there is about a 90% probability that nothing will come of it.

Yeah that's what I think; they're just chattering

You have no idea the sheer arogance inside the minds of politicians. They think they are so smart, just thinking of a plan or idea means it's pure genius.... and talking to people about it to improve it and make it a reality is when they feel like they are using their powers of diplomacy. They feel like people are their chessboard, and that they are the masters of planning and progress. The only thing that can stop them is a strong dose of political opposition. Reality doesn't factor into it.

[ZippyRulz]

Move NEOUCOM to the CSU campus. Move CSU grad/research programs to the Akron campus. Make Rootstown an undergrad campus which would be close to UA for shuttle busses, faculty/staff sharing, etc. and where there is more room for residence halls in a more rural setting. Set up a small 2-year branch campus in Cleveland for those who want to commute from home. Appoint a new board of directors and LP as president, disband CSU sports and voila, merger complete.

[ZippyRulz]

And so it begins ?

 

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2020/08/cleveland-state-university-and-university-of-akron-to-explore-unified-law-school.html

Edited August 27, 2020 by ZippyRulz

[Spin]

One step closer...

[GP1]

17 hours ago, ZippyRulz said:

And so it begins ?

 

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2020/08/cleveland-state-university-and-university-of-akron-to-explore-unified-law-school.html

I was hoping this might say something along the lines of, "With 70% of the world's layers in the United States, these two schools have taken an important step in reducing the number of leaches on the rest of us."

[ZippyRulz]

1 hour ago, GP1 said:

I was hoping this might say something along the lines of, "With 70% of the world's layers in the United States, these two schools have taken an important step in reducing the number of leaches on the rest of us."

 

Are you talking about layers of administration or did you mean lawyers? ?

 

[Spin]

It'll never happen, too many egos (esp in Columbus) to make it work, but what savings could be seen by following California's lead? 

 

Ohio State University Akron

Ohio State University Athens

Ohio State University Bowling Green

Ohio State University Cincinnati

Ohio State University Cleveland

Ohio State University Columbus

Ohio State University Kent

Ohio State University Miami

Ohio State University Oxford

Ohio State University Portsmouth

Ohio State University Toledo

Ohio State University Wilberforce

Ohio State University Youngstown 

 

Would that drive further consolidation in the future? (Akron/Kent, BG/Toledo, Cincinnati/Miami)? Off-campus learning becoming more popular at all state universities, not just here.

 

Secondary education is changing. That's certain. It only makes sense.

Edited September 1, 2020 by Spin

[Spin]

Another random thought. Opening up the athletic programs (football) to either campus could help in recruiting ...

[ZippyRulz]

Sounds familiar

 

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2020/09/cleveland-state-university-discussing-consolidation-of-colleges-under-csu-20-plan.html

 

"CSU 2.0″ is a reimagining of the school’s programs, and touches every aspect of the university, including administration and athletics. The goal is to become a “stronger and more focused institution,” after the pandemic, President Harlan Sands wrote in a July letter to campus.

The target for cost-savings in the CSU 2.0 plan is a range of $4 to $5 million, according to the report.

Edited September 20, 2020 by ZippyRulz

[Blue & Gold]

 

[Spin]

So there are still students that have pride in their program and their college. That's kind of surprising.