A controversy has recently come to
fruitian between Penn State and Pennsyl
vania's Master Plan for Higher Education.
This is to clue Behrend in on what's
happening.
The Master Plan has recommended
that Community Colleges should be the
means for providing two-year education
al opportunities, that no new Penn
State branch campuses be approved, and
that existing branch campuses be com
bined with or converted into community
colleges wherever possible.
Erie A. Walker, president of the
Pennsylvania State University, feels
that the consultants who formed this
plan were biased toward Community Col
letes, and never even looked at the
Penn State Commonwealth System very
closely.
Walker is calling for a new un
biased committee to re-investigate
the Commonwealth system. If the State
Board of Education feels it is beyond
its capability to call such a committee Penn State
he himself would invite such a group
to come to Pennsylvania to make a
study.
Walker noted that Penn State has
for many years planned its whole fut
ure development in terms of the in
creasing role of its nineteen bran
ches, and he feels that any change in
the status of the Commonwealth Cam
puses now "would be a step backward
rather than forward."
The present nineteen campuses
are all locate 6 in areas where the
need for their existence has been
clearly established. The Univer
sity owns the land and buildings,
and is responsible for maintaining
them.
EDITORIAL
Page 2
Walker has pointed out that
the quality of commonwealth
Campus education is very high.
"It is fair to say that, on a
national basis, Penn State Common
wealth Campus students are better
prepared to complete their bacca
laureate programs at the main cam
pus than are their counterparts
elsewhere."
The Office of Student kffairs
Research this year concluded that
"No significant differences were
found between the average perfor
mances of the Penn State Transfer
student and students who started
at the main campus."
This is a percentage graph
of two-year transfer students ,
graduating within three years
after transfer to ten major uni
versities.
30...40...500.60...70
Georgi
C alifor
(Los
California
(Berkeley)
Texas alinilitilaM
Michigan
Florida Ellll=lllllllllii
Kansas EIMIMENer
Was h ingt ongNNENIIIII