OT: Could Akron/Kent Merge?

[MacGuy]

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories ... vices.html

[Globetrotter]

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories ... vices.html

Terrible idea. BGTSU wouldn't be too far behind.

What makes it terrible is that they are completely ignoring what students actually want for the market. What education was actually created for. If you want to turn out robots who align solely with what corporations want this might fit. If you want to turn out well rounded individuals it's a terrible idea. Doesn't surprise me that Tressell, who has next to no experience in higher education would think this was a good idea.

[Class of 61]

I could see some logic in combining things like: Purchasing depts. to hopefully get better pricing on various items....many cities and towns are looking to do the same thing to save money.
And for that matter, haven't all the state U's been asked to make a list of their "speciality" programs of study already? i.e. BGSU- Education/ business etc.?
This is supposedly to avoid duplication of programs among neighboring schools....

[It's the Journey...]

This has been a goal of Kasick for a while now. It's all part of his grand vision of education on Ohio. Just look at what's going on in K-12 right now. These are dark times.

[FalconTurf]

And after we combine the schools in the region maybe every college in Ohio can become a branch of THE osu. This appears to be the slippery slope were on. I don't think it has as much to do with saving money as it does CONTROL of those liberal hubs of education. This will not turn out well in my opinion.

[Rightupinthere]

This has been a goal of Kasick for a while now. It's all part of his grand vision of education on Ohio. Just look at what's going on in K-12 right now. These are dark times.

Not complete bullshit, but Kasich is only continuing the work from former Board of Regents Chancellor Eric FingerNut (a Democrat) began.

If you recall, it was FingerNut (a Democrat) who wanted Universities to identify core programs and elimnate duplicity

It was under FingerNut chancellorship when the BoR began to give serious consideration to school consolodation. Let's have reality supercede politics, eh?*


*I don't have a party so let's not cast accusations of "apologetics" my way, eh?

[Flipper]

I've been told by more than one person with "connections" politically that UT and BG came a lot closer than most of us would want to hear to becoming one school a decade or so ago. With Owens CC on financial death watch...perhaps a consolidation with them would be feasible...it would give us a feeder school in northern Wood/southern Lucas county or it would give us another headache we don't need

The entire collegiate system seems to be a giant bubble that's about to burst...financed by student loan debt racked up by kids who have as much chance at finding meaningful employment to pay it off as I do jumping to the moon and back. When it does finally blow, who the hell knows who or what will be left standing.

[Globetrotter]

I've been told by more than one person with "connections" politically that UT and BG came a lot closer than most of us would want to hear to becoming one school a decade or so ago. With Owens CC on financial death watch...perhaps a consolidation with them would be feasible...it would give us a feeder school in northern Wood/southern Lucas county or it would give us another headache we don't need

The entire collegiate system seems to be a giant bubble that's about to burst...financed by student loan debt racked up by kids who have as much chance at finding meaningful employment to pay it off as I do jumping to the moon and back. When it does finally blow, who the hell knows who or what will be left standing.

I agree with debt. But people with degrees have a much lower unemployment rate than those without.

[Globetrotter]

This has been a goal of Kasick for a while now. It's all part of his grand vision of education on Ohio. Just look at what's going on in K-12 right now. These are dark times.

Not complete bullshit, but Kasich is only continuing the work from former Board of Regents Chancellor Eric FingerNut (a Democrat) began.

If you recall, it was FingerNut (a Democrat) who wanted Universities to identify core programs and elimnate duplicity

It was under FingerNut chancellorship when the BoR began to give serious consideration to school consolodation. Let's have reality supercede politics, eh?*


*I don't have a party so let's not cast accusations of "apologetics" my way, eh?

Essentially he wanted it to be like SUNY or Cal schools.

[Globetrotter]

it used to be that Universities worried about things like I don't know, social justice and creating a well rounded human being. We are moving to a dangerous place where we are just going to have them as feeders to business and engineering and health care.

[Rightupinthere]

I
The entire collegiate system seems to be a giant bubble that's about to burst...financed by student loan debt racked up by kids who have as much chance at finding meaningful employment to pay it off as I do jumping to the moon and back. When it does finally blow, who the hell knows who or what will be left standing.

Agreed and it's a bit concerning knowing that Ohio has a wealth of institutes of higher learning. It's going to be a deathwatch to see which colleges survive and - more interestingly - how.

Essentially he wanted it to be like SUNY or Cal schools

Although he would vehemently deny this (we don't want to be like California), a single administration for state run universities was his ultimate goal...and likely will gain traction in the years to come.

[MacGuy]

The University of Ohio at Bowling Green
The University of Ohio at Akron.....................

[pdt1081]

I've been told by more than one person with "connections" politically that UT and BG came a lot closer than most of us would want to hear to becoming one school a decade or so ago. With Owens CC on financial death watch...perhaps a consolidation with them would be feasible...it would give us a feeder school in northern Wood/southern Lucas county or it would give us another headache we don't need

The entire collegiate system seems to be a giant bubble that's about to burst...financed by student loan debt racked up by kids who have as much chance at finding meaningful employment to pay it off as I do jumping to the moon and back. When it does finally blow, who the hell knows who or what will be left standing.

I agree with debt. But people with degrees have a much lower unemployment rate than those without.

Have you ever had to deal with a student loan collection department? Yeah, you find a job quick like. Doesn't matter what it is, or what it pays.

[Flipper]

Right...that's why people go to college and ring up tens...if not hundreds...of thousands in debt. So they can get any ol' job they can find. Which they aren't really doing right now anyway..the labor participation rate for "millennials" is at a historic low.

Taking a longer view...it's entirely possible that the taxpayers in Ohio are going to tell those of us who are interested in keeping the unique identity of BGSU or UT or Kent State to pound it. They don't care if we like having a football team that plays in front of 15,000 (charitably) people every week. They're not going to pay for it. At that point...some degree of consolidation would be inevitable

[1987alum]

The University of Ohio at Bowling Green
The University of Ohio at Akron.....................

More likely, THE Ohio State University at Bowling Green, etc.