Mar 17, 2019 2 min read

Sally Brown-Pawlosky’s March 10 letter was right to point out the difficult reality at Pennsylvania’s state universities. However, her conclusion that Indiana University of Pennsylvania is “shockingly misdirected and mismanaged” could not be more wrong. She claimed to be a longtime observer of IUP but overlooks long-term trends.

IUP deserves credit for striving to maintain its mission to offer affordable education. It does so despite a decade of frugal funding from the Pennsylvania Legislature. For 2017-18, the State System of Higher Education, to which IUP belongs, received a state appropriation that was $24 million lower than its 2007-08 appropriation, a whopping reduction even before calculating inflation.

Secondly, the cause of IUP’s declining enrollment is not the subject of “great debate,” as suggested. Nor is declining enrollment a critique of IUP’s quality. It is a reality long predicted by demographers. The university’s enrollment peaked at 15,379 in 2012. This trend correlates with the shrinking number of high school graduates in Western Pennsylvania. Locally, most high schools in Washington and Greene counties have smaller graduating classes now than they had a decade ago.

IUP is being a responsible steward of limited funds. New residence halls constructed between 2006 and 2010 replaced multiple buildings that served students for 50-plus years. These projects were completed in partnership with the Foundation for IUP, a nonprofit organization funded by alumni and friends of the school. Similarly, classrooms and labs constructed 50 years ago need updating. These academic buildings are constructed using state funds while leveraging substantial donations, including a $23 million contribution from one alumni couple. The new humanities building that opened in 2012 replaced classrooms of Keith Hall that were used for nearly 70 years, hardly an example of profligate spending.

Instead of criticizing IUP leaders for not cleaning fingerprints from windows, we should thank them for striving to open doors of opportunity, despite challenges created by state legislators and changing demographics. I remain grateful for my IUP education every day. It prepared me professionally to compete globally.

Samuel J. Richards

Zurich, Switzerland

The writer is a Washington County native.