Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Fingerhut Coming to Akron Press Club

He's the man with the plan -- only we don't know what the plan is and it makes us all nervous. Eric Fingerhut, Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, is coming to the Akron Press Club Friday, Nov. 9 to speak about The University System of Ohio. The program is co-sponsored by the Association of University Women.

Fingerhut speaks simultaneously about how well the University of Akron is doing and how he would like to see consolidation, preferably centered around Cleveland somehow. This would be a good opportunity to press him on specifics, glean more hints about what that University plan will look like, and gently hint that messing up Akron U would be a bad thing.

And when he says "Finger" we say "Don't screw with our university!" Not catchy, but it might get the message across.

5 comments:

NEO said...

Wish I could be there, Pho, but I hope that you and others somehow manage to get that point across to him.

Regionalism in it's most realistic form, in all actuality probably ought to center around Akron. At least as far as the University setup goes, because there really is no comparison between UA and CSU.

Cleveland State even now, after its' own smaller-scale "Landscape for Learning" redevelopment plan, remains a mere community college/branch campus compared to what the U of A has become. It would make little practical sense to shift focus and administrative authority away from what the U of A has accomplished, to a third-tier CSU campus just to stroke the egos of a few apparently envious Clevelanders. True Regionalism in Northeast Ohio can't and must not be only to Cleveland's benefit.

NEO said...

Or, put another way, would Fingerhut have CSU essentially take credit for all that the U of A has done, that CSU could not accomplish themselves?

Were it up to me, UA would be in the drivers' seat and become the "Main" or Central Campus for the region, and home for all things science, engineering and medical. Kent would be a Major Second and becomes the home of the Arts and Humanities, Education/Teaching, etc. Youngstown State and CSU become major branch campuses offering mostly two-year degrees, though I could see CSU perhaps getting (or keeping) some more advanced programs in the way of business and law.

Anonymous said...

As a former CSU student, I will say that place is an institutional nightmare and a joke of a university. If they are allowed to lead any kind of combined operation, I guarantee that UofA will be known as Summit County Community College in 3 years tops.

Ben said...

I will listen with an open mind. But I dont have a lot of confidence.

Anonymous said...

As a Clevelander, the last thing I would want to see is CSU joined with the Universit of Arshinkoff. You need look no further than yesterday's articile in the ABJ or Tuesday's article in the Dispatch to understand what I am talking about. Once the school has de-coupled itself from the powers that be, I would be happy to hold such a discussion