I wrote Tuesday that I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who was in favor of changing the name of Penn State McKeesport Campus.
Well, I had a lengthy conversation yesterday with a longtime prominent McKeesporter who was actively involved in the discussions about changing the name.
This person does not want to be identified in any way because of the controversy. This person is not employed by Penn State in any way. But I can personally vouch for this person's credentials, and they are impeccable. (You can take a personal endorsement from me for whatever it's worth, of course.)
My source has "mixed emotions" about the name change. This McKeesporter was consulted by Penn State officials, and in the end, reluctantly told the university the change was probably for the best.
On the other hand, my source fully understands why Mayor Brewster and city council object --- in fact, this McKeesporter says that city officials would be derelict in their duties if they didn't fight to preserve the name "Penn State McKeesport."
I also learned some of the background of the discussions which led to the change, which I was told have been going on for "at least 10 or 15 years." My source asked if I remembered when Penn State considered closing the McKeesport Campus in the late 1980s, and I do.
Direct appeals to University Park officials led them to reconsider, my source says, and instead they replaced the local administration and began investing in the campus. Several four-year degree programs were created, and enrollment went up.
According to my source, however, Penn State McKeesport hit a serious recruitment stumbling block, particularly (and this surprised me) in Allegheny County. Maybe this says something about modern education, but this McKeesporter tells me that prospective Penn State students from Pittsburgh have told admissions personnel they weren't sure where McKeesport was. They didn't even know it was in Allegheny County. They were more likely to attend Penn State Beaver, because at least they knew where Beaver County was.
Egad.
I asked my source why the campus just wouldn't be renamed "Penn State Pittsburgh" or "Penn State Greater Pittsburgh." This McKeesporter told me that Penn State officials were very sensitive to local feelings, and felt that calling the McKeesport Campus "Pittsburgh" would send a terrible message.
The intent behind calling the McKeesport Campus the "Allegheny Campus," I am told, is to emphasize that PSM is part of Allegheny County, and thus enhance its value. Penn State is not trying to slight or minimize McKeesport, my source says.
I asked this McKeesporter about rumors that people from Pittsburgh affiliated with the university wanted to erase the "stigma" of McKeesport from the name. My source says yes, there has been some of that, but those people are a minority, they are not driving these discussions, and there is not a feeling by anyone in leadership that the name "McKeesport" carries any kind of a stigma.
In fact, my source claims that a number of faculty members from the McKeesport area are not at all happy about the change. They are proud to be working at "Penn State McKeesport," this McKeesporter tells me.
Several PSM alumni have asked me a name change is a prelude to moving the campus --- say, to Findlay Township or the South Hills. Emphatically, "no," my source says. The university would not have built a new student union if that was the case, I am told.
I hope this adds light, rather than heat, to the discussion. As I've pointed out before, I have several conflicts of interest around this issue, and opinions expressed in the Almanac are mine alone, not necessarily those of my employers.
According to Pat Cloonan in last night's News (subscribers only), Penn State trustees are meeting in University Park tomorrow, and although the name of Penn State McKeesport is not on the official agenda, it is expected to be added.
Exact details of what transpires in the meeting will not be released until Monday, the News reports.
City officials voted last week to pass a resolution condemning Penn State McKeesport's proposal to change its name to "Penn State Allegheny."
According to a story by Pat Cloonan in the Daily News (subscribers only), council voted 6-0, with one member absent, to voice the city's displeasure.
Cloonan's story also reports that Mayor Jim Brewster, who sits on the advisory board to the McKeesport Campus, was one of only two members of that panel to vote against the name change. The story doesn't say who cast the other negative vote.
However, a complete list of the advisory board members is available on the PSM website.
I found the names interesting, in part because of the wide variety of people who have ties to the Mon-Yough area.
They include some names you'd expect to see, like state Supreme Court Justice Cynthia Baldwin, who lives in White Oak; Linda Croushore of the Mon Valley Education Consortium; D. James Heatherington, longtime city businessman and funeral director; Joe Hohman, a former county official and local municipal consultant; Ron Ott, president of UPMC McKeesport hospital; and Chris Miles, publisher of the News.
But clergy are represented as well, like Rev. Earlene Coleman, pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist Church, as well as several less well-known local citizens.
And guess who else is on Penn State McKeesport's advisory board?
U.S. Senator Rick Santorum.
Well! How do you like them apples?
If you haven't already written Penn State to voice your opinion (please be respectful) either pro or con, then please do. Cloonan reports that a decision could be made as early as this week.
(Personally, I'd like to hear from any readers of the Almanac who would support such a change, especially if they live in the city or attended Penn State McKeesport.)
Also, you might want to drop a copy of your letter to U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, 100 West Station Square Drive, Landmarks Building, Suite 250, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
After all, he is running for office --- and I'd hate to see Rick lose votes in the McKeesport area because of this issue.
(It goes without saying that opinions expressed at Tube City Almanac are those of the editor and do not represent those of the staff or management of anything.)
. . .
Last week, I wrote about the Interfaith Hospitality Network's plans to open an office in Pleasant Hills --- and particularly, what the managing editor of the Observer-Reporter had to say about one of the people involved. (He said she has "cement between her ears.")
Well, the Tribune-Review was on the story Thursday.
The network wants to use a house presently owned by Pleasant Hills Community Presbyterian Church as a office (not a "halfway house" or "homeless shelter," as opponents are claiming) and has asked the planning commission for a variance to change the property from "residential" to "public use."
(The house is on Audrey Drive, and I think the Trib story has the house number wrong. County tax records indicate that Pleasant Hills Presbyterian owns houses at 15, 36, 41, 49 and 53 Audrey Drive, but not "136." I have a feeling the house in question is at 36 Audrey Drive.)
The planning commission meets again on Sept. 19 at the Pleasant Hills borough building. Want to bet there will be fireworks?
. . .
Correction, Not Perfection: Kevin G. Barkes, editor of KGB (motto: "no, not that one") would like to note that I spelled his name wrong last week. (I called him "Barnes.")
I apologize for the error, and I am duly chastened, and I'm also glad that Kevin's Bark is worse than his ... aw, I can't even finish that.
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