clarion dissolving education college

lishie

Big news on the state university front. Clarion's talking about dissolving the education school and cutting the workforce.

I knew a ton of people who went to clarion for teaching. This is a major change in higher ed for PA. I'll be interested to see what some of the other schools may do if they're facing similar budget issues.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/state/clarion-u-to-dissolve-college-of-education-699536/

lala5507

Wow, that is really surprising.  I went to Clarion my freshman year and so many people I knew where in the education program.

egpitt22

When I first read that, I took it to mean they were dissolving college education... as in, they would no longer be offering college education.  I was very confused for a moment.
:-?

northhillsbride

Why would they do this? Isn't it their largest program?

Meghan&Rich

northhillsbride said:

Why would they do this? Isn't it their largest program?

That's what I was thinking too!  It seemed like most of the people I knew went to Clarion because of their education program.

AmandaJLewis

northhillsbride said:

Why would they do this? Isn't it their largest program?

I think everyone I knew who went to Clarion was there for an education degree. 

waltsgirl102503

The article said that it was founded as a teaching college.  So it does seem like an odd choice to cut that first.

Just makes me glad that I work at the school that has bags of money everywhere!  

amyjoy18

I didn't read the article, but everyone I know when to Clarion for teaching as well.  I wonder if it is tied to the lack of teaching jobs that are available because of state cuts.  I know so many people with teaching degrees that can't find work in schools. 

sarahandtim

They're not cutting the program, they're restructuring the way the program is set up. The only degree they're actually cutting is music education. There's a lot of misinformation out there right now (even from the college directly), but despite how it reads you can still get an education degree from Clarion. I don't think it's the right choice and I'm very sorry to see that a lot of very gifted professors are going to lose their jobs. I hope they rethink this before it goes into effect.

sarahandtim

And I went to Clarion for a communications degree and you guys all know me.

sarahandtim

And I went to Clarion for a communications degree and you guys all know me.

lishie

I was reading an article in the PG yesterday, and I found this nugget on PA education programs interesting as well.

This is discussing the change in enrollment an education programs in the past 10 years.

At Cal U, for instance, education enrollment is down to 1,445 from 2,225 in 2003. It's down to 1,050 from 2,276 at Slippery Rock; to 1,177 from 2,962 at IUP; to 855 from 2,603 at Clarion; and to 1,454 from 2,182 at Edinboro, according to system data.

rona118

lishie said:

I was reading an article in the PG yesterday, and I found this nugget on PA education programs interesting as well.

This is discussing the change in enrollment an education programs in the past 10 years.

At Cal U, for instance, education enrollment is down to 1,445 from 2,225 in 2003. It's down to 1,050 from 2,276 at Slippery Rock; to 1,177 from 2,962 at IUP; to 855 from 2,603 at Clarion; and to 1,454 from 2,182 at Edinboro, according to system data.

Wow..... I thought it sure seemed like a heck of alot of kids were still going into education. Guess not.

AmandaJLewis

i could only imagine that between the funding cuts in the schools paired with the already tight job market locally a lot of highschool grads are looking at other majors in hopes to find a job after graduation a little more easily. Those enrollment numbers are surprising though.

MandyMilller

They were discouraging us from going into education when I went to school in '97! Yet, pretty much all of the teachers I know found jobs eventually, so who knows!

(Incidentally I'm also a comm major who went to Clarion!)