i actually think they are going about this wrong. i'm really supportive of the technology aspect of this but i see something much more grand here. this should be a university built with a full liberal arts/humanities, technology, medicine/nursing, law, ect...curriculum. i'm not doubting the need for a technology (math/science) based college, but it needs to be more well rounded in order to compete with other schools of the like. and it will definately attract many more students who will help to stabilize the financial burdon of founding a university like this and starting from scratch. i would suggest these:
1. buy the Dixon Univ. Center from the SSHE and make that the the law school with some other curriculum based there, like adult education, etc. buy adjacent buildings and start the foundation of a uptown campus. those buildings actually have a storied history. a new SSHE building can be built in downtown that would serve as the headquarters and provide adult based curriculum.
2. turn the Polyclinic Med Center into a new Harrisburg University Medical Center with the founding of a new college of medicine, nursing, dental, and allied health science programs. this can be a partnership with pinnaclehealth. it's also relatively close to the Dixon Center.
3. buy the post office grounds downtown (16 acres) and adjacent land (Herr & Cameron) which is vacant or occupied by old steel mills and develop a centralized campus. it could have some highrise dorms, residential apartments, student centers, a library, research buildings and institutes, and of course academic and administrative buildings.
i foresee the building of a truely multifunctional, multifaceted school, that will provide job stability and job growth in the city and surrounding areas. it will spur development, retain educated people in many areas of study, and give a new face to Harrisburg that will be promoted well outside this area. it will draw people here...and they will stay. this could be huge....as large as the Univ of Delaware or the University of Pittsburgh. who knows.
<b>Harrisburg University's site, agenda are in flux</b>
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
BY JOHN LUCIEW
Of The Patriot-News
This time next year, Harrisburg will have its own university as the long-planned Harrisburg University of Science and Technology begins classes.
But what will it offer? Who will attend? And where will it be?
So far, the answers to these questions score a grade of incomplete.
University officials admit that many specifics, including their target market and proposed curriculum, are still taking shape.
But it's likely that the new university will initially focus on adult students rather than typical college-age students, officials said.
"The demand right now is adult education," said Mayor Stephen R. Reed, who has shepherded the university concept for years.
And don't look for Harrisburg University to have a permanent location in the city by the time classes start. Negotiations to acquire the university's preferred site -- the U.S. Postal Service building in the 800 block of Market Street -- are dragging on longer than expected.
"It's not going at the pace I'd like," Reed said of the talks.
Still, Reed and other university officials insist they will get the building and grounds and have a $56 million to $64 million plan to overhaul the grounds into a university campus. It just won't be ready in time for next year's opening.
"The initial classes are likely to use temporary quarters," Reed said.
The most likely site is Harrisburg University's sister high school, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology High School, or SciTech High. That school's new digs just opened in the 200 block of Market Street.
Harrisburg University President Melvyn D. Schiavelli argued that the physical location of the university shouldn't make a difference. Instead, he said, success will depend on the courses offered and their relevance to local jobs.
"It's not the building, it's the programs," he said.
That's why the most profound decisions being made concern the university's mission and curriculum.
Long billed as a four-year university for college-age students, the school will initially focus more on adults looking for new skills in information technology and warehouse distribution.
These adults would gain training mostly through programs that offer certificates rather than full degrees.
For starters, university officials say, adult students will be easier to attract to an untested university.
And by focusing on certificate programs offering skills in information technology and distribution sciences, the university will serve the local economy by turning out prospective employees with needed skills.
"A whole lot of public and private employers bring folks in from overseas or other parts of the country to do their IT [information technology] support," Reed said. "If you complete a degree or a certificate in this subject area, you got a job."
In fact, the university's computer-centered curriculum will target clusters of technology-supported industries with ties to the midstate, including state government, health care, food processing and distribution.
"Rather than many programs, we'd rather have a few highly desirable programs," Schiavelli said.
Compare that to the much broader task of opening a four-year university appealing to traditional college students. Most graduating high school students and their parents require much wooing, with most of them touring several college campuses before settling on a favorite.
That segment of the market is least likely to choose an upstart college, Schiavelli said, adding that it will take more time to establish the university as a legitimate four-year institution for those students.
Still, unlike other upstart colleges, Harrisburg University will have a built-in feeder system in the form of the 2-year-old SciTech High.
The science- and math-heavy high school, which is a partnership with the Harrisburg School District, now tops 300 students from the city schools and beyond.
Those students will have the option of attending Harrisburg University. Most of them will be eligible for scholarships that will allow them to attend free, officials said.
"The students that go to SciTech will have preferential admission," Reed said, noting the potential enrollment boon to the university. "Many of them will get a full scholarship, and they won't pay a dime."