Consultants Deliver Report on MU and the State System

MANSFIELD, PA—The report from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), the consultant hired to assist with the strategic review of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, presented to the public and System officials during the Board of Governors meeting on Wednesday. They recommended, among many things, that no campuses be closed or merged.

“This was the best news for Mansfield and our sister institutions, but this is just the beginning of a long, difficult process to assure the long-term viability of MU,” President Fran Hendricks said. “As the NCHEMS study reported several times, we must develop ‘a climate of trust, transparency and collaboration at and between every level of the system.’”

The NCHEMS recommendations are the result of a widely inclusive process that included more than 100 meetings held across the state. Sessions held on each of the 14 university campuses included hundreds of students, faculty, staff, alumni, business and community leaders, and elected officials. In addition, more than 800 individuals offered comments and suggestions through the website established for this project. NCHEMS also analyzed student, program and financial data, as well as regional and national trends in higher education and workforce demands to provide insights for its recommendations.

The Board of Governors will continue to engage with stakeholders to review the recommendations—gathering feedback from students, faculty, staff and others—and will make decisions regarding which options to pursue for immediate, mid-term, and long-term implementation.

“So, what’s our message to our students?,” Chancellor Frank T. Brogan said. “As our 14 universities open their doors in the fall, we’re confident that we will come out of this process stronger and better poised to help you succeed. That’s our commitment to you, and our commitment to all of Pennsylvania.”

“Many challenges do remain,” Hendricks said. “But as I have stated from the very beginning of this process, this study provided us the opportunity to tell the Mansfield story and to share why Mansfield is a difference maker in the lives of its students and the nation they will serve. For 160 years Mansfield has changed the trajectory of lives. We remain committed to do the same for the students of today and tomorrow.”

To download a copy of the NCHEMS presentation and to follow the progress of the strategic review, go to nchemsproject.com/system-review