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Y’all know I care deeply about #RealCollege students and especially those at Temple.
You also know how much I feel for parents, staff, faculty, and community members all struggling during this time (and for a long time).
But something is terribly off in today’s storytelling.
You also know how much I feel for parents, staff, faculty, and community members all struggling during this time (and for a long time).
But something is terribly off in today’s storytelling.
Yes, Temple was forced to switch course. Only private institutions and flagships buffered by significant endowments have managed to escape this scenario.
Non-wealthy public urban universities are facing clear economic constraints not faced by other types of institutions.
Non-wealthy public urban universities are facing clear economic constraints not faced by other types of institutions.
Example: Penn State enrolls 1/3rd of the low income students we do and their endowment is 5 times as large at Temple’s.
Those unis like Temple are all behaving similarly— responding to the economic incentives the state and feds give them.
Those unis like Temple are all behaving similarly— responding to the economic incentives the state and feds give them.
Quite arguably, the reframing of public ed’s actions as a “moral failure” was part of the intent all along... who wants you to hate Temple and other publics? People like Trump.
They hope you will now turn even further away from public higher ed- voting against it.
They hope you will now turn even further away from public higher ed- voting against it.
It’s honestly hard to imagine how we faculty and staff would have responded if Temple had simply gone straight to layoffs without attempting to avoid them. Make no mistake, that is what will now occur-widespread layoffs during a pandemic... there is no upshot here.
The truth is, Temple was doomed here no matter what *due to structural failures.* Could it have communicated better about those failures? Sure.
But would you or I have done much better had the onus been on us— with this federal govt, this state, and this board???
I doubt it.
But would you or I have done much better had the onus been on us— with this federal govt, this state, and this board???
I doubt it.
PS. Don’t even start with calling me an apologist for my employer. I have almost 25 years of experience publicly critiquing higher ed institutions where I attend and work. I’m tenured, full, and afraid of no one.
I fight for students & place blame where it belongs.
I fight for students & place blame where it belongs.
