Mansfield University Home PagePASSHE Chancellor Visits Campus
October 30, 2009
MANSFIELD, PA— John Cavanaugh, the chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), visited
Mansfield University on Friday, October 30.
Cavanaugh met with President Maravene Loeschke and the Cabinet and held an open forum with students, faculty and staff during his time at MU.
At the open forum, Cavanaugh spoke about the difficult times facing PASSHE and its member schools due to the economy and the state budget crunch. He also addressed the State System’s review of programs that have relatively low numbers of students graduating on an annual basis at all the 14 PASSHE universities.
At Mansfield, it is being recommended that the bachelor degree programs in French and German be placed in moratorium. Any students currently in those majors will be given the opportunity to see these degree programs through, but new students will not be accepted into their degree programs. MU would also continue to maintain study in the first two years of these languages despite not offering a degree.
Cavanaugh encouraged the audience to get involved and make their thoughts known as the evaluation process continues.
“I would put out there that somewhere in this conversation we that need to really take a hard look at what is it we’re doing, how we’re doing it and how is it that we’re going to do what we say we’ll do,” he said. “That conversation has to be one that involves everyone--students, faculty, staff and administrators.”
Cavanaugh, President Loeschke and Provost Peter Keller stayed well past the end of the forum to continue to answer questions and listen to the concerns of students and faculty.
