A report done by a private company on the sustainability and viability of the 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is receiving mixed reviews.
System Interim Chancellor Dr. Karen Whitney said the Rand Corporation provided five options for the struggling 102,000-student system.
Some options were as modest as keeping the current system intact while freeing it from cumbersome state rules. Other options called for consolidating or merging universities.
Merging the 14 universities regionally, reducing their ranks to as few as five to eight
Whitney says state system officials are very aware of the challenges facing its 14 universities.
Slippery Rock University in Butler County is one of the 14 state schools, as well as Clarion, Cal U, Edinboro and IUP.